General Anthropology Exam Blueprint

What This Exam Validates

The DSST General Anthropology examination is professionally administered by DSST and covers physical and biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and cultural anthropology in extensive detail. It provides a computer-based multiple-choice format consisting of exactly 100 questions. Candidates are given precisely 120 minutes to complete the test successfully and demonstrate their comprehensive knowledge.

Who Should Take This Exam

This certification exam perfectly suits students seeking college credit for introductory anthropology knowledge. Eligible military personnel can take it completely free via DANTES, while regular civilians pay the standard fee of $85.

Skills You Should Be Ready to Demonstrate

• Physical and biological anthropology
• Archaeological methods and theory
• Linguistic anthropology concepts
• Cultural anthropology principles

How to Prepare

Carefully review core concepts across all four major anthropological subfields to ensure complete readiness for the examination. Practice extensively with multiple-choice questions to build necessary test-taking speed for the 100-question format within the strict 120-minute limit. Check directly with DSST for study resources and registration details.

Domain Study Guidance

Physical/Biological Anthropology: Study Guidance

This specific domain covers physical and biological anthropology topics representing exactly 13.0 percent of the overall examination content, requiring study of human biological variation, primate behavior and evolution, and the hominin fossil record.

• Human biological variation
• Primate behavior and evolution
• Hominin fossil record

Archaeology: Study Guidance

This particular domain focuses on archaeology concepts accounting for exactly 10.0 percent of the total exam weight, requiring mastery of excavation and survey methods, artifact analysis and dating techniques, and methods for reconstructing past societies.

• Excavation and survey methods
• Artifact analysis and dating
• Reconstructing past societies

Linguistic Anthropology: Study Guidance

This content domain explores linguistic anthropology topics including language structure, historical evolution, and social use, focusing on the intersections of language and culture, sociolinguistic variations, and various forms of non-verbal communication.

• Language and culture
• Sociolinguistics
• Non-verbal communication

Cultural Anthropology: Study Guidance

This domain examines fundamental cultural anthropology concepts such as complex social structures, diverse belief systems, and human organization, paying close attention to kinship and family systems, economic and political structures, as well as religion and ritual practices.

• Kinship and family systems
• Economic and political systems
• Religion and ritual

Exam-Day Guidance

Arrive at the official testing center early with all required identification documents. Manage your time carefully to answer all multiple-choice questions within the allotted 120-minute duration.