Content of the SAT II U.S. History
The SAT II U.S. History Test covers 600 years of United
States history, beginning with the period before Columbus’s discovery
of the New World and continuing to the present. There are two ways
to organize and think about the 600 years of U.S. history covered
on the test: by chronological eras, and by different aspects of
history, such as political, social, or economic history.
Chronological Eras
ETS breaks down the content of the test into three chronological
eras, and tells us how much of each the test covers:
| Pre-Colombian to 1789 |
20% |
| 1790–1898 |
40% |
| 1899–present |
40% |
Unfortunately, these categories are too broad
to be very helpful—the Pre-Colombian to 1789 category alone contains
three distinct historical periods, each with its own characteristics:
the Pre-Columbian period, the Colonial Period, and the American
Revolution.
Below, we’ve created a test breakdown of smaller, more
manageable categories.
| Pre-Columbian |
1–3% |
| Colonial Period |
10–14% |
| American Revolution and Constitution |
8–12% |
| First Years of the New Nation |
6–10% |
| Age of Jackson and Jacksonian Democracy |
3–7% |
| Westward Expansion and Sectional Strife |
6–10% |
| Civil War and Reconstruction |
3–7% |
| Industrial Revolution |
13–17% |
| American Imperialism |
1–3% |
| Progressive Era |
3–7% |
| Word War I |
3–7% |
| The Roaring ’20s |
3–7% |
| The Great Depression and the New Deal |
6–10% |
| World War II |
5–9% |
| 1950s: Cold War, Civil Rights |
6–10% |
| 1960s: Vietnam, Civil Rights, Social Movements |
4–8% |
| 1970s–Present |
1–3% |
This book is organized according to these seventeen categories,
allowing you to focus on each time period to whatever degree you
feel necessary. Also, each question in the practice tests at the
back of this book has been categorized according to this breakdown,
so that when you take practice tests, you can very precisely identify
your weaknesses and then use this book to address them.
Aspects of History
The second way to think about the content covered by the
SAT II U.S. History is in terms of different aspects of history,
regardless of time period. The test targets five types of historical
knowledge:
| Political history |
32–36% |
| Economic history |
18–20% |
| Social history |
18–22% |
| Intellectual, cultural history |
10–12% |
| Foreign policy |
13–17% |
In our opinion, this categorization is not as helpful
as the chronological breakdown. For example, studying the economic
history of the Industrial Revolution would be pointless without
knowing any political history of the period. You can’t really understand
one without the other. Instead, use this breakdown to get a sense
of where you need to focus while studying a chronological era. This
list is a good reminder tht you need to do more than just memorize
key facts; you must really understand the context in which each
piece of history fits.
