AP French Study Thread -- 2010 Edition

<p>Didn't exist until now! :D</p>

<p>I am so screwed for this exam. Words cannot even describe it. I had an abysmal French 2 class that sent my speaking skills backwards. They are still way below par.</p>

<p>What are you guys doing to prepare for this exam besides classwork? I’m talking with friends in French daily and reading Le Figaro daily.</p>

<p>

Same here, but I had a bad French 3 teacher. Then I learned that it has a hard curve because a lot of native speakers take it, so I decided against taking the exam.</p>

<p>I wish I could even consider the AP French exam. I’m supposed to be fourth-year French but got a 430 on the SAT II exam XD</p>

<p>I think reading is the best way to improve in any language, take Keasbey Night’s advice :)</p>

<p>okay so I actually self-studied for AP French last year having taken French 4 my senior year of high school (AP French is French 5)…I’m taking college French now…anyway, I got a 5 on the AP exam.</p>

<p>This is what I did:

  1. look at as many old AP French exams as you can! Thinking you need to know everything about French is not only overwhelming, but simply inaccurate. The AP French exam tests SPECIFIC THINGS like verb conjugations, prepositional phrase, lequel/que/etc. If you study these specific things and don’t waste time studying stuff about culture or whatever that you likely won’t need to know, this will make things a lot more manageable.
  2. Practice all the question types equally. For me personally, speaking was the hardest, so I really concentrated on that. But it’s important not to let anything slide.
  3. Use AMSCO or an AP French prep book to brush up on your grammar.
  4. To prepare for listening, try to get an AP prep book with a CD. I got Barron’s which was actually harder than the AP exam. Listening to Disney music in French is actually really helpful, because you know what it’s supposed to sound like in English.
  5. Take a bunch of the reading comprehension old exams, but you can’t really prepare this much for this, because what you know you know and what you don’t you don’t.
  6. Practice practice practice essays! Have a fluent French speaker read/grade them. Come up with phrases you’re comfortable with that incorporate si clauses, depuis, and other advanced construction. Use these phrases in every essay until you’re comfortable with them.</p>

<p>Basically, just learn as much as you can about the AP French exam and practice exactly what will likely be on it. Master that and stay calm about whatever is thrown at you in the real thing, and you will be fine.</p>

<p>feel free to PM me with more specific questions =)</p>

<p>Great advice, college315</p>

<p>College316, where did you get the AMSCO answers? I have the book, but that’s it.</p>

<p>Awesome advice college316. Did you take the SAT II? I got my scores back last week and was wondering how well I compare.
I got a 700, so I’m thinking that would be around a four on the AP test, right? Or perhaps a three, I don’t know. The tests are different so a comparison would be only for grammar/reading comprehension but I feel it would be relatively accurate…</p>

<p>Listening to Edith Piaf has improved my listening section skills quite a bit…</p>

<p>Doesn’t mean I’m not totally screwed for the rest of the test though :D.</p>

<p>My French teacher actually had the AMSCO answer key, since we finished AMSCO in French 4 (they used different textbooks in AP French.)</p>

<p>if your teacher doesn’t have it, contact French teachers at other schools in the area. AMSCO is a pain but also a godsend.</p>

<p>And I never took the French SAT II, mainly because I was only able to take the AP exam in May of my senior year, and by that point I was already in college so it would’ve been pointless to take the SAT II.</p>

<p>It might be even easier to study for the SAT II, though, because it’s a lot more specific on exactly what you need to know, plus it’s only an hour.</p>

<p>I am taking this exam and it is by far the one that I am the most worried for. You guys have any tips on studying for the write ins small words and verbs?</p>

<p>EDIT: Forgot to thank College316 for the great advice.</p>

<p>Thanks for the posts. My son’s in his fifth year of French now and he’s planning on taking the AP exam. He just took the SAT Subject test last Saturday and found it very hard – said he didn’t get to the final dozen questions and had to guess at a lot of those he did answer. No idea what his score will be. He said it was a lot harder than the review test in College Board’s subject test review book.</p>

<p>He said he just didn’t know a lot of the vocabulary, so he’s going to try to study that before the AP exam. One other thing we thought of – we have some DVDs where the movie can be played in French language or French subtitles, so he may mix and match: French language and English subtitles, then vice versa.</p>

<p>BTW, there are some colleges that accept high scores on the SAT II in place of AP exam scores. Lehigh’s one and I’ve seen some others. So if you score 750 or so on the SAT II, you can get college credit for the subject even if you never took the AP exam. Think of it as a backup plan.</p>

<p>What’s the highest level of French one could get credit for with a 750+ on the SAT II?</p>

<p>French podcasts / radio = super helpful! I’m totally unprepared for this exam. I need to start studying…</p>

<p>Try watching French films as well; reading French books…</p>

<p>Does anyone know about the curve?
I think I’ve read that a 5 is usually about 70%, or a raw score of 126/160. I’m not really sure…
And does anyone know how the raw score is calculated.
I should just study.</p>

<p>anyone know any good childrens/beginner books that might help. of course ive already read le petit prince. :)</p>

<p>currently in ap french but i need all the help i can get! also anyone know if barrons or pr are helpful?</p>

<p>I’m using Barron’s right now and I find it to be pretty helpful. I don’t think I’ve seen a PR French book (I’ve only seen Barron’s and REA)</p>