<p>have any of you done it? is it hard? tips/advice/good prep books? is there a lot of vocab? Help!!!!</p>
<p>sassafrasroots,
i would recommend at least get a practice book. the cliffnotes one is pretty good. you can find it on amazon "AP English Language" (2007 version since they added a new type of essay question). it has six practice tests--full length. that should give u a good feel for the format. anyway if u really work on the multiple choice, u should be able to get around 4/5 of it by the end. i haven't practiced any of the essays yet. you might want to surf for sample ap essays. the synthesis ones--newly added for 2007--are posted on apcentral from collegeboard. but all other essays u need to find elsewhere i.e. rhetorical analysis and argument.
p.s. vocab is not a big part of this, but you're assumed to know a wide range of vocab since that's a basic part of reading skills. also, reading speed is very important. you have to be able to push through complex syntax or sophisticated ideas in the multiple choice section. essay sections requires accelerated thinking, organizing, delving deep if you can, and well all the writing skills you'd need for college.</p>
<p>The answers to your questions are slightly paradoxical. You don't really need to study a lot if you're naturally good at critical reading (taking practice tests isn't exactly studying, in my opinion). If you aren't good at it, no amount of studying will get you a 5.</p>
<p>I haven't personally done the exam itself, but I know that it's one of the hardest AP exams to study for. If you're initially bad at critical reading, there isn't much you can do about it. You may be able to raise your score by a little bit, but you can't really go from absolutely terrible to excellent. One of my friends is just naturally good at all types of language related things, and she could easily get a 5 on the AP lang. (and probably lit.) exam without any real preparation.</p>
<p>If you've done well in previous English classes, and if you read a lot, you should do fine. As turtlemootle said, strong vocabulary is a given, as well as a high reading speed. Good luck!!!</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>Actually, I don't agree with this entirely. The multiple choice section has a distinct pattern, where they ask the same types of questions year after year. It REALLY helps to do multiple choice beforehand. (I think i was saved by the multiple choice section) It really helps to find what to look for when reading through a prose or passage. For instance, when I read through a passage now, studying for Lit, I have a general idea of what they may ask, and usually 1 or 2 of the questions proceeding the passage is what I thought it would be. </p>
<p>It is also helpful to write practice essays using the time limit. It will help you become more comfortable with writing fast.</p>
<p>I am in NO WAY a natural writer, and I got a 610 CR on my SAT's. In my AP eng. lang class, we took over 30-40 in-class and out of class essays based on previous AP prompts, and I never broke a 7 (out of the 9 rubric), ever!</p>
<p>I got a 5. Definitely possible, and it can definitely help to study (I consider taking practice tests studying)</p>
<p>I don't have experience with the AP lang/lit exams, but my post was more about what I heard other people say as well as what I know from my CR SAT experience.</p>
<p>well, i am good at critical reading (i got a 36 on that on my ACT and 710 on SAT II literature) but i don't have the biggest vocab and i don't read a lot.. i am just worried because i don't know what "synthesis" or "rhetorical analysis" mean.. if i study the book do you think i can do ok?</p>
<p>I didn't learn a lot of rhetoric vocab for AP Lang and pulled off a 5.. I just said what I wanted to say in the essays without using many of the unknown words.</p>
<p>Alright, to answer your question I think you could definetely get a high score on the AP Lang exam after what you got on your ACT. Also, okay I realise tons of people on this website are mega smart and it's understandable how many can get 5's on the AP exams that are more practical like Chemistry or Calculus. However, I consider both AP English exams to be one of the most complex exams because you can't really study for them. Therefore, how the hell did so many of you guys get 5's? I'm not doubting that you did, but it just amazes me how so many people on here thought it was that easy.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>Um, there has been only 2 people who said they got 5's on this post. </p>
<p>It's really a crap shoot for that exam, but it is very good to prepare by practice.</p>
<p>Around 120 people took the exam at my school. Only around 7 people got 5's, around 20 people got 4's, and everyone else got 3's or 2's.</p>
<p>Many people at my highly competitive school take the AP without the class because our school doesn't offer it. You should be very good at english and writing analytical essays in short time periods. You don't really need the class because it's not like real stuff you need to know- a bit more intuitive.</p>
<p>That being said, I haven't actually taken it, because it's generally considered a useless AP. In almost every college, you can't get out of frosh english and APs really don't matter to college admissions, so I'd say don't bother. You can show adcoms your great writing in your college essays.</p>
<p>I'm doing IB English HL. It is such a pain in the a$$. I've been assigned a 1500 word essay due the next day. It's so hard to keep up with the reading since we get about 60 pages a night (if we're lucky) and I'm taking IB French HL as well, which gives basically the same amount of work. I'm definitely never going to take an AP lit or lang exam in English or French because it would be a waste since AP and IB HL have about the same value.</p>
<p>here, let's make it 3 (i got a 5).</p>
<p>i took the class, however, and had an excellent teacher.</p>
<p>my best advice would be to familiarize yourself with several different samples of writing, and be able to discuss the effectiveness of syntax/diction/rhythm etc in each passage...and then the vocab bit helps...learn fun words like juxtaposition, anaphora, litotes...and more! </p>
<p>no seriously, it's an awesome test...i actually *enjoyed *taking it last year (psyho i know), although that might have something to do with one of the essay topics...</p>
<p>bumpity bumpity...</p>
<p>My classroom situation is so horrible I might as well not be taking the class. Most of the time, I just use it to catch up on sleep. My school eliminated honors in 11th and 12th grades to get more kids to enroll in APs. So now in some of the 'easier' AP classes like AP English there are a ton of students who shouldn't be there. My class is a potent combination of students who aren't up to the level of an AP class, a teacher who doesn't have much experience teaching AP, and students who have figured out they can get away with doing basically nothing. </p>
<p>I'm not worried, since I'm good at English. I'll probably get a five.</p>
<p>anyone else?? </p>
<p>ALSO WHAT ABOUT AP LIT?!? what's the diff?</p>
<p>Our school doesn't differentiate between the two AP Eng tests. We have one class for them and most kids take both tests. We get about 50% 5's and 45% 4's. THE TEACHER IS THE KEY. Because the Cliffs Notes book was recommended, I went out and bought it. It was really far, far, far, far, far subpar to anything that we had learned/discussed in class. Not comparable at all. We spent much of the year honing our critical analysis skills (Moby Dick, Adam Bede, Invisible Man, Passage to India, Light in August) but spent April preparing specifically for the tests. Also, by skipping the class, you'll miss probably your first chance to go really in depth into literature (if no class is offered, or lit only, then that is another story). I got a 5 btw.</p>
<p>"I'm not worried, since I'm good at English. I'll probably get a five."</p>
<p>Wow, I'm glad you can assume that. Seeing as only 5% of 250,000 students taking the test get 5's..alright.</p>
<p>The difference between lit and lang. isn't big at all. The language test uses non-fiction passages from history to write on, while Lit uses poetry and prose that are all fictitious. </p>
<p>My lang class was mostly writing, analysis, and learning different types of techniques (arguments, debates, speech, etc.) Amazing teacher. We read a few books, including Grapes of Wrath The Great Gatsby</p>
<p>Lit. this year, we've read around 10 novels, a few plays, and several poems. There is always a Free Response on the Lit exam that involves the use of an outside novel, drama, or poem of literary merit that you have to use to answer the question. There is not a huge difference between the multiple choice sections.</p>