The Introduction to the Modern Middle East DSST is the second to last exam I took to complete my degree. Because of its perceived level of difficulty and the limited amount of test taker’s experience shared online regarding it, I put it off until the end.
I scored a 66, on the higher end of my average score for all exams. People’s opinions are equally divided on this one: some say it’s hard, and some say it’s not. My opinion is of the latter. In all my test-taking research, I noticed the majority of people who claim an exam is difficult are those whose test score is significantly higher than the minimum passing score of 50.
I’m one of those people. I thought this exam was hard. Once I answered the last question, I counted up all the questions that I’d marked for review because I wasn’t 100% confident in my answer, and the number was greater than half. Yet I ended up with a decent score.
I only tell you all this to give those worrisome test-takers like myself confidence.
As for study resources, there are two highly recommended books:
A history of the Modern Middle East by William Cleveland
and
The Modern Middle East: A history by James Gelvin
I read the first one. It was long, 600 pages, dry and tedious reading. Normally, I would have studied with the Instant Cert cards only, but I thought this was going to be a most difficult exam; it’s worth upper level credit, and I really needed to pass to graduate, and I honestly wanted to be knowledgeable about the Middle East. Sadly, since it’s been three years since I took this exam, I can’t say I remember much of anything. More than I would if I hadn’t read the book—sure, but the history, events, and names in my head are now blurry.
I think IC alone is enough to pass, several people say so. Go through the cards numerous times. Study some maps. Most of us Americans don’t know Middle East geography too well. Know the different sects of Islam. Taking the Into to World Religions DSST first would be beneficial.
To wrap up: completely doable with not as much study time as you may think.
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