Point of view

When you think about point of view on either section of the test, it helps to separate two things:

• The point of view used in the passage (who is telling the story, and how much they know)
• Your own point of view as a reader (the assumptions and experiences you bring to the passage)

Your perspective is shaped by many factors: your life experiences, where you’ve lived or traveled, memorable events, your family background, and your culture, nationality, and religion. These influences can create bias - a tendency to interpret a text in a particular way. On the exam, you’ll want to notice your own bias so you can keep it from steering your interpretation too strongly.

You’ll also want to consider the passage’s context. Writers are influenced by the time period they live in and the literary movements they write within, and those influences can shape what the narrator notices, values, or assumes.

Main points of view

This section covers the most common points of view you’ll see on the test. You’ll learn how to recognize each one and what effects it can have on the reader.

First person

First person point of view uses first person pronouns ( I, me, my). The narrator is a character (or speaker) telling their own story or sharing their own thoughts.

Because the narrator can only report what they personally experience, first person gives you a limited perspective. You learn only what the narrator sees, thinks, feels, or knows.

That limitation also means you can’t automatically assume the narrator is giving a complete or accurate account. The narrator’s biases can cloud this perspective.

A major effect of first person is closeness. It can make you feel inside the action, which often increases empathy - but it can also increase frustration with the narrator’s choices. First person can also make plot twists feel more surprising, because you discover information only when the narrator does. Writers often choose first person when they want tight control over the reader’s emotional experience.

Second person

Second person point of view uses second person pronouns ( you, your) and addresses the reader directly, as if the reader is a character in the story (or the recipient of a poem). This style is more common in poetry than in fiction.

Second person can make you feel directly targeted by the narrator’s feelings and more like a participant than an observer. It often feels more intimate than first person, so writers may use it to intensify emotions like love, accusation, or blame.

Second person can also create resistance. If you don’t identify with the “you” being described, the passage can feel uncomfortable or alienating. That discomfort can be intentional, especially in more experimental writing.

Third person limited

Third person limited uses third person pronouns ( he, she, it, they, and related forms). A narrator tells the story while staying closely tied to one character’s perspective (usually the main character, though the focus can sometimes shift to another character).

In third person limited, the narration closely follows the character, and only reveals what they can see or know. In that way, it’s similar to first person: you still have a limited view of events, and you still have to consider whether what you’re seeing is fully accurate.

Compared with first person, third person limited usually creates more distance. You’re not inside the character’s voice in the same way, which can make it easier to watch events unfold more objectively. This creates a controlled intimacy: you can feel connected to the character while still having enough distance to judge their choices, especially in painful or morally complicated moments.

Third person omniscient

Third person omniscient uses a narrator who knows everything about the story: past, present, and future. The narrator may reveal multiple characters’ thoughts and can move freely from one character to another. Sometimes the narrator even comments on the act of storytelling itself.

Because the narrator isn’t limited to one character’s knowledge, this point of view can feel more observational or “clinical.” It often makes themes easier to spot and analyze, since the narrator can provide broader context.

At the same time, omniscient narration can feel less immediate. These passages may move more slowly, include more explanation or reflection, and feel less emotionally intense than first person or third person limited.

Shifts in point of view

When point of view shifts, pay close attention. A shift is almost always purposeful, and it often signals that the author is trying to reveal (or conceal) something important.

If you notice a shift, ask:

• What exactly changed (first person to third person, one character’s perspective to another, limited to omniscient, etc.)?
• Who is the viewpoint moving from, and who is it moving to?
• What does the shift reveal, hide, or reframe?
• How does it change your emotional distance from the characters or events?

Use what you know about each point of view’s typical effects to infer why the author made that choice.

Using point of view on the exam

Once you can recognize point of view, the next step is using it to answer questions and build arguments.

The key is understanding function: what the chosen point of view allows the author to do, and what it prevents the author from doing.

For example, if a passage uses third person omniscient, you can often argue that the narrator’s distance makes the passage feel more analytical and theme-focused. Depending on the passage, you might also argue the opposite: that the emotional distance weakens the impact of a theme that depends on intimacy or urgency.

Point of view can also help you eliminate wrong answers. When a question asks about the narrator’s perspective, tone, or the author’s intent, check whether each answer choice matches what that point of view can realistically provide (limited knowledge vs. full knowledge, intimate voice vs. distant observation, and so on).