Hello fellow future APES students! I am planning to have a free period next year (Senior Year) to study for the 2018 APES exam. I would considering myself pretty interested in this topic, as I am passionate about the environment and hope to major in something related to it. Any tips to getting a 5 on this exam? Should I buy a textbook to study for this exam? Or do I only need a review book (like Princeton or Barron’s) to help me get a 5? I heard that this exam was easy but I will have a whole period dedicated to this exam so I want to prepare myself well. Thanks for the input!
NOTE*: This is meant to be a forum for all APES-related things for the year of 2017-2018, so all discussions are welcome- whether that’d be past test takers with tips or current students who just want to be able to talk to someone else!
I self studied this exam this past year and scored a 5. It is completely attainable as long as you are willing to put in a substantial amount of work towards preparation. Princeton Review prepared me more than Barrons. I bought the Friedland and Relyea textbook and didn’t use it very much as it went very in depth into individual case studies and I find it difficult to absorb information from reading. I’d recommend using Quizlet to memorize examples of legislation and case studies, both of which prove useful on the MC and open ended. Complete a couple of practice tests periodically to know where your weaknesses are as you approach the exam, so you can allot more time on what you struggle with. Keep your personal learning style in mind as you undergo this process. I learn by writing, so prior to the exam I wrote 3 sets of notes covering all of the material (one on lectures, one on PR, and one condensed copy typed up). Really, you’ll have to figure out what works best for you. I didn’t start serious preparation until the end of Janurary/start of February and did most of my studying late at night. Be sure to have some sort of schedule in place to ensure you keep on track throughout the year.
Many posts here on CC claim miraculous scores with a very short time spent prepping. In reality the surest way to ace the exam is through focused, lengthy preparation. Remember, the APES exam has one of the highest fail rates of all AP exams and less than 10% of students receive 5s. Don’t take that as discouraging, but approaching APES as a really easy AP is a mistake (Important for many who wish to study APES)
Best of luck to you on your journey with APES! It’s an interesting subject, and the self studying process itself carries much value!
I got a 5 and didn’t start studying until a week before the exam!!!
Buy the crash course book and read through it until you get the content memorized. Keep reading and place sticky notes where the info is unclear. Drill those topics over and over and you will get a five. Review past FRQs. I did not do this, but the FRQs this year were very easy and I got lucky.
Watch Bozeman Science videos!!! These are perfect for FRQs because he gives examples! Do not just watch the videos through; pause after he completes vocabulary/concept and repeat vocab/concepts to yourself in your own words. This is key for retaining this information. Otherwise, if you just watch, you will retain very little.
Start in the beginning of the school year and it will be a breeze. If you wait until the last minute {like me}, it will still be doable, but much more intense. I recommend the former.
Good Luck!
Source: Scored a 5 on the 2017 Exam and used the Crash Course Book/Bozeman videos to study
Short and sweet. The material is easy. APES is one of the easiest APs (thats coming from someone that hates science. If you like this material, thats a bonus.
Good luck to future test takers!!