<p>Alright, just going to dive in here...
I want to take AP Latin next year as a senior seeing as I'm a junior now. I took Latin I and Latin II on Florida Virtual School because my physical school doesn't offer Latin, and if I were to take AP Latin, I would take Latin III over the summer to better prepare myself. However, flvs does not offer AP Latin, and although I feel like levels I and II and presumably III would be good preparation, I'm reluctant to self-study for a class as difficult as AP Latin. So can anyone, especially those of you who have taken AP Latin, offer me any advice please? Just to give you all some background that would be helpful in advising me, I had either a 99% or a 100% for the four semesters of Latin that I have taken, and I earned a perfect paper on the National Latin Exam for Latin I...I would have gotten a perfect paper for Latin II if I hadn't missed this one question (too long/painful to explain). Also, I would consider myself strong at languages. I'm in AP English Language and AP Spanish Language this year. Oh, and if I were to study AP Latin it would be at the same time that I am taking AP English Literature, AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, and AP Spanish Literature so I don't know how much brainpower and time I realistically would be able to devote to it. Although, I'm taking five AP classes this year and have been met with success thus far so that would indicate that I would be able to handle those classes and Latin. If I weren't to take AP Latin though, there are plenty of other courses I find interesting enough to take instead. Plus, I want to be a biomedical engineer which isn't exactly Latin central. Oh and finally, the AP Latin test is changing this year to only cover Vergil, Caesar, and some sightreading. I apologize for the length, but now you can hopefully muster a clear understanding of my dilemma. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Latin I and II are basically learning the grammar, which is, sadly, as easy as it’s gonna get. Come AP Latin, you’re kinda expected to have the grammar DOWN. In AP Latin, you’re expected to be able to sight translate, tell what case a noun is AND WHY, antecedents of pronouns without a direct reference in a given passage, etc – basically, not only do you have to translate, but you gotta translate into good, flowing english, which requires bending a few grammar rules here and there and, most of all, detecting things by subtle contexts.</p>
<p>Since you’re already taking AP Spanish and English, you should be very well-off. AP Latin and Spanish questions are similar in that they both test your understanding of the context behind the words you translate, and AP English should help your reading comprehension.</p>
<p>And as for the change in syllabus, I personally think they did us a favor in changing it to Caesar; compared to Cicero, it’s SO STRAIGHTFORWARD. I personally found myself constantly lost in Cicero’s labyrinth of sentences.</p>
<p>@Juvenis, I totally agree! Latin I and II are so extremely simple in comparison to the things you would need to be able to do for AP Latin. In addition, the vocab is much more advanced as is the grammar. The passages are Caesar and Vergil, which are much more difficult to translate than the passages on the National Latin Exam for Latin I/II. You have a lot of other tests to take, and although Spanish may be quite similar in its structure to Latin, the AP Latin exam covers a lot and it would overwhelm you. Good Luck!</p>
<p>I agree. The National Latin Exam questions for I-II are nothing compared to the higher level ones.</p>