6-Week DSST General Anthropology Study Plan: Week by Week

This DSST General Anthropology study plan gives you a clear way to use the $5 study guide over 6 weeks, without trying to study everything at once. The guide is a 41-page printable PDF with one chapter per official content area, ordered heaviest-weighted first.

It includes 181 key terms with examples, 46 practice questions with explained answers, common exam traps, a 2-page cram sheet, and built-in 2-, 4-, and 8-week plans. Here, you will stretch that structure into 6 weeks so you can move at a steady pace. You will also use the free practice test at the start to check your baseline and at the end to see what still needs work.

Start with the exam weights, not random reading

A 6-week plan works best when your time matches the exam weights. This test is not evenly split, so your study time should not be even either. The biggest area is Cultural Systems and Processes at 14%. Next are Physical Anthropology at 13% and Anthropology in the Global Age at 12%. Religion is 11%. Four areas sit at 10% each: Methodologies and Disciplines, History and Theory, Archaeology, Social Organization, and Economic and Political Organization.

That is why the $5 printable guide starts with the heaviest-weighted chapters first. You do not need to build your own order from scratch. Follow the guide's order, then spread it across 6 weeks with room for review.

A simple weekly routine helps more than long, uneven study sessions. Try this:

• 2 study days: read one part of the guide and mark terms you miss
• 1 short review day: go back over key terms and examples
• 1 practice day: answer a small set of questions and check every explanation
• 1 catch-up day: fix weak spots or reread flagged pages

Keep your sessions plain and repeatable. Read, define, test, review. If you only have a few days each week, keep the same pattern and shorten each session. The point of this DSST General Anthropology study plan is not speed. It is steady coverage of all nine content areas before test day.

Your 6-week table, and how to use each stage

Use the table below as your map. It turns the guide into weekly stages instead of one big stack of reading.

Here is how to use each stage in a way that stays realistic.

Stage 1, baseline and setup: Take the free practice test before you study much. Do not worry about your score. Use it to see which topics feel familiar and which ones slow you down. Then print the guide or save it where you can mark it up.

Stage 2, heavy chapters first: Spend your strongest effort on the top-weighted areas. Read the chapter, then go through the key terms. Because each term has an example, do not just memorize the word. Make sure you can explain what the example shows.

Stage 3, middle-weight chapters: Keep moving. These chapters still matter, and together they make up a large share of the test.

Stage 4, mixed review: Start combining topics. Anthropology questions often feel easier when you can tell similar ideas apart.

Stage 5, final check: Retake mixed questions, reread your weak areas, and use the cram sheet.

If you want a wider look at available prep options, the DSST prep hub shows the full set of DSST guides and plans. For this exam, though, your core tool is the $5 guide, because there is no $19 prep course for DSST General Anthropology.

Week 1: baseline test and your first two chapters

Week 1 should do two jobs: show you where you stand now and start real content review. Begin with the free practice test. It has 25 original questions that follow the official outline, and every answer has an explanation. Take it in one sitting if you can. Then spend as much time reviewing the explanations as you did answering the questions.

After that, start the first two chapters in the guide. Because the guide is built from the official content areas and ordered by weight, you are not guessing where to begin. As you read, keep a short list of terms you missed on the practice test. If those terms appear in the guide's 181 key terms, star them. If they do not, write them in the margin.

A practical Week 1 routine looks like this:

• Day 1: take the practice test and review every explanation
• Day 2: read the first chapter and note hard terms
• Day 3: review terms with examples from chapter one
• Day 4: read the second chapter
• Day 5: answer a few guide questions and review wrong answers
• Day 6 or 7: short catch-up review

Do not try to master all of anthropology in Week 1. Your job is to find weak areas, learn the guide's format, and begin the highest-value chapters first. That gives the rest of your DSST General Anthropology study plan a stable start.

Weeks 2 and 3: cover the high-value middle of the exam

Weeks 2 and 3 are where most of your learning happens. Keep working through the guide in order, because that order follows the heavier exam weights first. By now, you should have a feel for how the chapters work: read the content area, stop at the key terms, and then test yourself before moving on.

The fastest mistake here is passive reading. A better pattern is this:

• Read one short section
• Cover the definitions and explain the terms in your own words
• Look at the example and say why it fits
• Answer a few practice questions without notes
• Check every explanation, even if you were right

This matters because the guide does more than list facts. It flags common exam traps. Use those warnings. If two ideas sound close, write one short note about the difference. That kind of note saves time later.

At the end of each week, do a mixed review of everything you have covered so far. Do not only review the newest chapter. Anthropology concepts connect across sections, especially when you compare social structures, culture, belief systems, methods, and historical theories.

If you want to own one exam-specific prep item instead of joining a plan, this is where the $5 DSST General Anthropology study guide makes sense. It is a one-time purchase, instant download, and it gives you a single printable path through the full outline. If you are studying for more than one DSST exam, a plan may cost less per exam, but for one exam this guide is the simple choice.

Weeks 4 and 5: turn notes into recall

By Weeks 4 and 5, you should be through most or all of the guide once. Now your goal changes. You are no longer trying to see every topic for the first time. You are trying to recall ideas faster and sort out the topics that still blur together.

Start with your misses. Look back at the questions you got wrong in the guide and on the practice test. Group them by content area. If most of your trouble sits in one chapter, give that chapter an extra session. If your misses are scattered, do shorter mixed review blocks.

The guide includes 46 practice questions with every answer explained. Use them slowly. A wrong answer with a clear explanation is useful, because it shows you how the exam can pull you toward a tempting but weak choice. When the guide flags a common trap, rewrite that trap as a warning to yourself.

A good Week 4 or 5 pattern is:

• One day for weak chapter review
• One day for key terms only
• One day for practice questions and answer review
• One day for mixed notes, with no book open at first

If you are wondering about exam timing, remember a few program facts. DSST exams are given year-round, and on an internet-based DSST exam you see your result right after the exam. The exam itself costs $100, plus any fee the test center charges. Prep plans and guides cover study help only. Exam fees are separate, and any college credit is up to your school's policy.

Week 6: final check, cram sheet, and test-day prep

The last week should feel tighter, not heavier. This is the point of your DSST General Anthropology study plan where you stop adding lots of new notes and start sharpening what you already studied.

First, take the free practice test again as an end check. You may remember a few questions, and that is fine. The real value is in the explanations. If you still miss a topic, go straight back to that chapter in the guide and review only what connects to the miss.

Next, use the guide's 2-page cram sheet. Because it is short, save it for the final stretch. Read it once a few days before the exam, then once again the night before. If a line on the cram sheet feels fuzzy, trace it back to the full chapter. Do not leave vague spots untouched.

In this final week, keep your routine light and direct:

• Retake the practice test and review explanations
• Reread weak sections in the guide
• Run through starred key terms with examples
• Read the cram sheet twice
• Stop heavy studying the night before

If you have to reschedule or retest, DSST allows a retest after a 30-day wait. If you pass and your school accepts the exam, your school should receive your score report within 90 days of your test date. Each college sets its own DSST credit policy, though 1,900+ colleges accept DSST, so check your school before you test.

When the $5 guide is enough, and when a plan fits better

For this exam, the cheapest good starting point is usually the single guide. The $5 study guide gives you a 41-page PDF built around the official content areas, plus 10 free sample questions so you can try the format before you buy. If DSST General Anthropology is the only exam you plan to take soon, that is often all you need.

A plan makes more sense if you are preparing for several exams, not just one. The DSST Monthly plan is $29 a month and includes all 8 DSST prep courses and all 38 DSST study guides. The DSST Semester plan is $69 for 4 months and includes the same DSST prep. The CLEP + DSST Lifetime plan is $149 once and includes 23 CLEP plus 8 DSST prep courses and all 72 CLEP and DSST study guides, for life. Every plan also includes access to UPI Study's 90+ ACE & NCCRS courses for the time the plan states.

If you are comparing cost, keep the math simple. One guide is $5. A plan only starts to pay off if you will use several guides or need access across multiple exams. You can compare those options on the plans and pricing page. If you want more context on this exam before you decide, this post on credits, cost and difficulty may help.

Frequently Asked Questions about DSST Anthropology

Final Thoughts on DSST Anthropology

A good 6-week plan does not need to be fancy. Start with the free questions, work through the highest-weighted chapters first, review your misses every week, and use the cram sheet at the end. If you only need prep for this one exam, the $5 DSST General Anthropology study guide is the simplest next step. Read the sample questions on the guide, then decide if you want the instant-download PDF for your Week 1 start.