AP Mad...advice please?

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
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<p>hi...sorry im posting so many threads...</p>

<p>i really want to make use of this summer to study for aps. my school offers limited aps & im taking ap chem next yr (sophomore). i want to study for ap macroecon, microecon, & world history b/c they are related to my comparative econ & world history classes. i think im going a little overboard w/aps...</p>

<p>here is my schedule:</p>

<p>world literature
world history
comparative religions/econ/gov
honors algebra 2
ap chemistry
latin 3/4</p>

<p>will it be an overload? i heard that ap psych is a breeze; i also want to self study that. & ap european history sounds neat...will self-studying it be too hard? i want to get 5s on all my aps. im trying to read textbooks & barrons. </p>

<p>has anyone self-studied for ap macroecon, microecon, world history, & european history & gotten a 5? can you offer a word of advice please? </p>

<p>thank you so much!</p>

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<p>I honestly don't think that self-studying and doing all this is very healthy for 15-year-olds.</p>

<p>Remember not to take AP classes just to impress schools.</p>

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<p>AP MEH (Eurpoean History) is a killer. you might want to consider NOT self-studying that one, or at least get a tutor and stuff. i highly recommend for some of the harder courses that you include a textbook as part of your regiment for self-study, and make sure to stretch it out to last the whole year.</p>

<p>but yes, please don't kill yourself with APs. you have other ways to show colleges you truly care.</p>

<p>EDIT:
you're a sophomore? oh, save yourself the misery. colleges won't look at the nitty gritty details that far back anyway.</p>

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<p>not humanly possible imo</p>

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<p>4 social studies APs? Not a good idea</p>

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<p>You do have 2 more years to self study. Pick either world history or european history, not both. People may say that the two coincide nicely but two history AP's in a year is pointless. I disagree with the above poster in saying that a tutor is necessary for Euro. History AP's are the most straightforward you'll find. Of micro, macro, and psych, pick one.</p>

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<p>thanks everyone! i really appreciate it.</p>

<p>yeah, i was thinking that history aps are a ton of work. the recommended textbooks are so thick! but i also heard that barrons is enough for ap world history & psych. </p>

<p>i want to self study b/c the teachers at my school are pretty lazy & dont teach much. they skip a lot of material. </p>

<p>thanks again!:)</p>

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<p>in some cases, yeah, a book can be as good as a lazy teacher. i've been there. micro and macro have a lot in common, and they're only semester courses. so you might consider that.</p>

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<p>cathaychris:
thanks! im studying macro & micro right now. was it hard for you? i just started...i guess its ok...lots of vocab but its not too bad.</p>

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<p>Jenife, perhaps you are going a bit crazy, because you're sounding a lot like...me. My senior schedule was:
AP Statistics
Spanish IV
AP Calculus BC
AP Physics C
AP English Lit.
AP US Gov (1st semester) / AP Macroecon. (2nd)</p>

<p>I then took 6 AP Exams, skipping stat (easy, but my college wouldn't take it, and it was on the same day as Spanish), but self studying for AP Spanish (HARD!) and taking that. </p>

<p>I can probably give better advice in a few days, when I'll have this year's scores, but I've made a 5 on all four tests I've taken so far, so here's what I can tell you:</p>

<p>1.) AP World isn't bad, I made a 5 and our teacher was...out there. The thing that helped me the most was knowing about the differences in various religions (the comp. religions class should really help)...</p>

<p>2.) Econ. (macro at least) isn't very bad either, I though it was probably my easiest AP. It's mostly the vocab. and some graphs.</p>

<p>3.) It's harder to self study than it is to take a class. Pace your studying out, finishing not too long before the exams, because you'll start to forget things otherwise.</p>

<p>4.) To study: read everything! Reading is the true key to AP. One guide is as good as another as far as content, so look for one with a lot of practice tests, as those are what you'll learn the most from.</p>

<p>5.) You can overwork yourself, so be careful, especially if you have a lot of extracurriculars. April and May of this year saw me getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night due to APs, so take it easy.</p>

<p>6.) You know your limits better than anyone else, so take your GPA, extracurriculars, and the types of classes you've taken into consideration, and then decide. Remember, you don't have to take them all this year.</p>

<p>Sorry about the very long post, but good luck with whatever you decide to do!</p>

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<p>I didn't think I'd like Econ, but it turned out just fine. There are a finite number of questions they can ask you. I swear, the AP repeated these things a million times! You will see. It's just a bunch of graphs that you manipulate. You have to know the inputs and the outputs, and which graph to use. Micro is a little more fun... unless you plan on running the Fed for your career :)</p>

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<p>wow you guys are awesome, thanks!</p>

<p>how did you guys ace the free response? i have a lot of trouble w/those questions. yeah i get what you mean by the multiple choice. i self-studied for ap bio last yr & i thought that was hard at first...i guess i cant really handle all this then.</p>

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<p>A kid I know at school self studied for Micro and he's 100% positive he got a 5 on it. But he's also an academic superstar and number one in the class...</p>

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<p>
[quote]
how did you guys ace the free response?

[/quote]

That's where a teacher comes in handy. I had an essay for APUSH every two weeks, the third quarter focusing on DBQ's (USH dbq's require outside info... argh.)
If not for this, I wouldn't have made a 4 - I bombed the mc (I am not a history person at all- I couldn't care less about half the things on the test).</p>

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<p>I agree with Johnson. Much as I hate to admit it, practice does make perfect, and no one's going to make you write any essays if you self study. I'd recommend finding as many practice exams as possible for each exam (in books or on the internet), and DOING them, not just looking over the questions and answers. Time yourself as if you were taking the exam, and don't cheat. That's going to be your best bet at doing well on the FR.</p>