OSAT History (OK117) study guide
OSAT History (OK117) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The OSAT History (OK117) is a subject-area assessment used in Oklahoma's teacher certification process for candidates who want to teach history. It is aimed at people preparing to enter secondary social studies classrooms, and it is typically taken by undergraduates finishing a history or education program, career changers with a history background, and alternatively certified teachers adding an endorsement. The OSAT History (OK117) study guide has 5 sections and about 1,637 words.
01United States History: Pre-Columbian Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction
This domain tests how well you connect specific peoples, laws, and turning points from Indigenous societies through Reconstruction, and explain change over time rather than recite isolated dates. Expect questions that place a document or policy in context and ask which consequence followed.
354 words, about 2 min02United States History: Post-Reconstruction through the Present
This domain tests continuity and change from the end of Reconstruction to the present, emphasizing industrialization, reform, war, civil rights, and the shifting role of the federal government. Questions often ask for the cause or consequence of a policy, not just its date.
360 words, about 2 min03World History: Ancient Civilizations through the Middle Ages
This domain covers ancient civilizations through the medieval world, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus and Yellow River valleys, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, the Islamic world, African and American states, and medieval Europe. The exam emphasizes comparison, causation, and the movement of goods and ideas across regions.
314 words, about 2 min04World History: Renaissance through the Modern Era
This domain spans the Renaissance through the modern era, asking you to connect intellectual, religious, political, and economic transformations and to trace global interdependence. Expect questions on the Reformation, revolutions, industrialization, imperialism, and twentieth-century conflict.
299 words, about 1 min05Historical Thinking, Research Skills, and Historiography
This domain tests how historians construct knowledge: how they frame questions, select and evaluate evidence, handle chronology and context, and recognize that interpretations change. Expect questions that ask you to choose the most reliable source, spot bias or anachronism, or identify a historiographical approach.
310 words, about 2 min