Social Sciences and History
Overview
The Social Sciences and History examination covers a wide range of topics from the social sciences and history disciplines. While the exam is based on no specific course, its content is drawn from introductory college courses that cover United States history, Western civilization, world history, economics, geography, and political science. The primary objective of the exam is to give you the opportunity to demonstrate that you possess the level of knowledge and understanding expected of college students who meet a distribution or general education requirement in the social sciences and history areas.
The Social Sciences and History examination contains approximately 120 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of them are pretest questions that will not be scored. Any time candidates spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.
Note: This examination uses the chronological designations b.c.e. (before the common era) and c.e. (common era). These labels correspond to b.c. (before Christ) and a.d. (anno Domini), which are used in some textbooks.
Knowledge and Skills Required
The Social Sciences and History examination requires candidates to demonstrate one or more of the following abilities.
- Familiarity with terminology, facts, conventions, methodology, concepts, principles, generalizations, and theories
- Ability to understand, interpret, and analyze graphic, pictorial, and written material
- Ability to apply abstractions to particulars and to apply hypotheses, concepts, theories, and principles to given data
- Ability to assess evidence and data, to make comparisons, and to draw conclusions
The percentages below reflect the approximate coverage for each subject area of the exam. The main topics covered within each subject are also listed.
History (40%)
Requires general knowledge and understanding of time- and place-specific human experiences. Topics covered include political, diplomatic, social, economic, intellectual, and cultural material.
13-15% United States History
Covers the colonial period, the American Revolution, the early republic, the Civil War and Reconstruction, industrialization, the Progressive Era, the First World War, the 1920s, the Great Depression and the New Deal, the Second World War, the 1950s, the Cold War, social conflict in the 1960s and 1970s, the late twentieth century, and the early twenty-first century.
13-15% Western Civilization
Covers ancient Western Asia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome as well as medieval Europe and modern Europe, including its expansion and outposts in other parts of the world, its imperial contraction, and new economic and political forms.
13-15% World History
Covers Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America from prehistory to the present, including global themes and interactions.
Economics (20%)
- Economic measurements
- International trade
- Major theorists and schools
- Monetary and fiscal policy
- Product markets
- Resource markets
- Scarcity, choice, and cost
Geography (20%)
- Key geographical skills
- Cultural geography
- Physical geography
- Population
- Regional geography
- Rural and urban land use
- Spatial interaction
Government/Political Science (20%)
- Comparative politics
- International relations
- Methods
- United States
- Civil rights and liberties
- Constitution and its interpretation
- Institutions
- Parties, interest groups, and media
- Voting and political behavior