Vietnam War DSST Advice

[corpsole2]

Thanks, Westerner!

I just perused the SEF for the MME test, and they seem to give dire warnings about this. You say that the test doesn't go too in depth, but many of the others on the SEF say it is more in depth than you think. Is that all a matter of degrees, like some might be expecting a 'names and dates' type questions, whereas you should be very familiar with the subject material?

I also hear that it is a good idea to know how all the pieces fit together, instead of just memorizing the answers. I found the DSST Fact Sheet, complete with 14 practice questions, and I got about 60% correct right off the bat. But some of the questions seem to go in depth. Any suggestions on what I should focus on, or if Wikipedia might be enough?

I really appreciate all the answers everyone is giving me on this. To do these three tests in six weeks is absolute torture, and I wouldn't be able to get through it without those who have blazed the trail.

I'll keep you up to date as the scores come in.

[Westerner]

I just perused the SEF for the MME test, and they seem to give dire warnings about this. You say that the test doesn't go too in depth, but many of the others on the SEF say it is more in depth than you think. Is that all a matter of degrees, like some might be expecting a 'names and dates' type questions, whereas you should be very familiar with the subject material?

You need to know about the major players in the major countries. Some countries you need to research more than others. I left feedback in the SEF as to which countries were covered more. But, as I'll explain below, just defining terms isn't enough. More like, you'd need to read a short article on each.

I also hear that it is a good idea to know how all the pieces fit together, instead of just memorizing the answers. I found the DSST Fact Sheet, complete with 14 practice questions, and I got about 60% correct right off the bat. But some of the questions seem to go in depth. Any suggestions on what I should focus on, or if Wikipedia might be enough?

That's a good score on the DSST fact sheet. I found that if I researched all I could about some topic/war/person, knowing their connections and things related to them would help with other test questions. Like, if you knew about the "mandate system," you'd need to know what nations had what mandates at what times. The definition wouldn't be enough. If you studied the King Crane commission, you'd also need to know the results—who was pleased, who was angry, etc. I would guess if you read the Wikipedia page on the Modern Middle East and followed all the links, that would give you most of the necessary info to pass. But as most people don't have the time and need something more interestng, just use Google as needed. And Free CLEP Prep.

Also, the difficulty of questions varied. With some, if you knew Person X headed the X Organization, that's what the question would ask and you'd know the answer. With others, you'd need to know how Group Y reacted to the Incident Z.

[corpsole2]

Well, this morning I finally took my final DSST - Introduction to the Modern Middle East. I got the feeling that it was both easier and harder than the previous two I have done. It's hard to put your finger on just how it is harder.

I got 95 questions, and I marked about 24 as questionable. I was surprised how many questions dealt with pre-nineteenth century Middle East; I think the first sixteen questions were on that era alone. I got ten the fifteen questions about variations of Arab Nationalism and Arab Socialism. None asked about Said Zaghlul. Three included Mustafa Kemal, and there was one a piece on the Camp David Accords, the Peel Commission, and the White Paper. No questions about the Safavid Empire or the Seljuq Empire. Overall, I'd say about twenty to thirty were gimme questions, with about twenty more as 70% sure I got them right.

I feel fairly certain I passed; again, it will be some weeks before I know my score, since it was on paper. Now I pray that all my DSSTs will be on my TESC transcript by year's end, since I want my B.A. in March.

[Westerner]

I know, right? Every so often you'll get those really basic ones and then you get one like "what in the world...?" I got one with that I, II, III format that I was completely stumped at :confused: But it sounds like you did well. Let us know as your scores come in. That wait has gotta be tough! :willynilly:

[corpsole2]

I just got back the scores for the Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union - a 64! This is the one test I was sweating the most out of all of them. I rest easy now.

I still haven't gotten the scores for the Vietnam War test, even though I took it two weeks before the Soviet Union. Odd.

[corpsole2]

I got the latest update to my degree eval today. They have already given me all four DSSTs I've taken, and I am officially at 117/120 credits for the degree! Five weeks to finish the capstone; five weeks, and I will finally achieve a goal I set a dozen years ago. Of course it's not over until I get the official graduation letter, but I am overjoyed at this.

As to why there is a blank space where the score for the Vietnam War test is supposed be: well, it turns out they never sent me a copy of the transcript. Obviously it was high enough because TESC put it on my evaluation, but I am on pins and needles. If it's over sixty, then all of my DSSTs will be over 60.