Ok - so I am a rising sophomore and I have never taken an AP course before; however, I am taking three this coming fall, AP Chemistry, AP World, and AP Environmental. Does anyone have any tips on how to best approach these specific courses, or AP courses in general? Thanks!
EDIT meant to say, “I am taking these three this coming school year…”
AP classes are generally a step up in difficulty overall from honors with a huge final at the end of the year, so nothing drastically different from other classes, in my experience. Like any class, there will be some that require memorization of details vs understanding of topics. I have not taken any of those courses, so someone else might be able to help you out on the specifics.
AP Chem- Get 5 steps and barron’s, both are really helpful. You’ll learn the concepts and formulas in class, but it’s good to practice at home with online worksheets and, later on, old free response questions.
AP World- Again, 5 steps and barron’s. For this test, it’s really just about reading and getting information down. When I took the test the multiple choice was mostly reading comprehension for some reason, although I hear it’s changed a little.
I haven’t taken AP Env, sorry x_x
I haven’t taken any of the AP classes mentioned, so I can’t give specific advice on them. I can, however, share tips about APs in general. I know it’s obvious, but don’t procrastinate!!! I know it’s really easy to want to put off an essay or assignment until right before it’s due, but that will only cause more stress. You don’t want to be up the entire night working on homework/papers that you could’ve finished earlier! Don’t put off studying to the AP exams. Again, this tip is obvious, but you will thank yourself if you start preparing for the AP exams early on. The spring is a busy time of the year, so don’t wait until a month before the exam to start reviewing. If AP teachers offer study/review sessions, go to them again. My APUSH teacher offered tons of study sessions starting in March/April to prepare for the AP exam in May. He offered extra credit just for going, and these sessions not only helped with reviewing, but also with improving grades. Purchase the 5 steps to a 5 (as mentioned previously). The books are really helpful. Just don’t wait too long to start reading them! They give a detailed timeline for preparing for the AP exams. I know that APUSH and AP World History are not the same thing, but tips for one can apply to the other. I’d suggest practicing a lot for AP World History DBQs. When APUSH started, so many students (myself included) couldn’t stand the DBQs (nobody knew how to write one). Your teacher might have the class practice writing DBQs throughout the year for a grade. I would really focus on writing them just as you would on the exam. Practice, practice, practice!! Also, do not wait until the night before to write a DBQ! Some people might do well doing that, but it only caused me a lot of stress. Hope this somewhat helps!
I do know that at my school, AP Environmental Science is supposedly extremely easy, with barely any homework. Good luck!!!
Environment Science mostly just requires memorization of vocab, and logical reasoning on the MC part. My teacher was good, but it is impossible to cover everything. I got a 5 mainly by using logical reasoning on the test, rather than trying to memorize everything.
Don’t take AP Chem unless you’ve already taken Honors Chem (or regular Chem and gotten an A).
AP WH is a lot of work but quite interesting.
APES is easy and a good class to take as a sophomore; in addition, it’s one of the few classes you’ll take in HS that actually deals with today’s world.
u are done for like srsly environ is the hardest ap but chem is easier and wh is also pretty hard just study and youll get like a b at best ull only get as if you do REALLy a lot of work so good luck my freind
Thank you, guys!
AP World History is a LOT of reading (our textbook had 36-40 chapters that were around 8-10 pages each) but it’s really interesting. I took this 2 years ago so I don’t know if the course changed, but you should practice writing the essays (DBQ, CCOT, and comparative) early.
AP Chem: hard work and self-determination are all you really need. I finished the AP book 2 months before my class, and got a 5 on the AP test. For prep books, I heard PR is good, but for the love of god, DO NOT GET BARRON’S. It’s horrible, and if they have no plans to (finally) readjust to the redesign, it won’t be much better.