Rely on what you have learned from reading widely. The exam is mostly based on passages from American and British literature but does not require specific knowledge on any one text or author. So base your responses to the questions or essays on what you have gathered from reading, such as how an author develops characters, creates suspense or breaks a line in poetry to create new meaning.
Study poetry texts carefully. Avoid looking at the large-picture of the poem, such as what it means, and focus instead on what each line literally communicates. For example, if you are given a John Keats poem, "A Thing of Beauty," you may read the lines: "Dear as the temple's self, so does the moon/ The passion poesy, glories infinite/Haunt us till they become a cheering light." Instead of analyzing the poem for its meaning, take each line at face-value. Dissect the poem gently into pieces to show the exam graders you are a careful, observant reader.
Read with understanding. When given a text from a play, novel, short story or poem, carefully read the text with an open mind. If you have read the work before, such as a passage from Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale," try to read the text as if it is your first time reading it. Do not cut out all of your knowledge of Shakespeare and his literary devices and techniques. Instead, examine the text carefully, noticing new qualities such as rhyme, play-on-words, or finding humor or sarcasm.
Respond to the shades of meaning in the text. For instance, if you are reading a section from Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist," while you may know the story, or narrative, analyze the subtleties of the text, such as Dickens use of dialect, how he develops characters through dialogue and how he describes a scene with few, but diligent, details.
Interpret metaphors and similes in poetry, fiction and non-fiction reading passages. Identify the relationship between the parts and the whole. A metaphor is a literary device that compares two unlike things by calling them the same thing. For instance, "the moon is a bright, white eye" is a metaphor. A simile compares two unlike things, using "like," "as" or "than." The phrase "Martha is like a tornado, the way she causes damage and then disappears." Ascertain, through these devices, the author's attitudes and motivations.