AP Psych Self-Study and/or AP World Planning

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>These are the two AP exams which I hope to take this year. </p>

<p>AP Psych since I've read around that it is a comfortable self-study and also that I'm interested to the fact that is linked to my planned major of neuroscience. </p>

<p>AP World is a 50/50, I only really need to self-study 1/2 of it since in the first semester we got a new teacher was clueless on how to teach the subject as it was her first teaching job. She has picked up the pace on us this semester and we're learning more. Recently, she stated that she will administer the AP exam for us as the curriculum is nearly matching. I feel this would be a great opportunity that would be wasted if I didn't take it now. This also opens up the possibility of taking the SAT 2 of World History which can only help with a good score. I have a solid amount of time to study (1-2 hours daily) and good grades (per CC standards lol). I would like your minimally subjective opinions on whether I should pursue this opportunity.</p>

<p>With this background information, I hope you can answer these questions.</p>

<p>AP Psych:</p>

<p>Could you recommend any textbooks or test prep books that I can go through that will best the best for AP Psych? Also, how should I go through them?</p>

<p>What is the time commitment, of your experience, everyday?</p>

<p>How would you rate the difficulty of self-studying this?</p>

<p>AP World:</p>

<p>Should I pursue this option? </p>

<p>Which books did you use in class or as a self-study (if applicable)?</p>

<p>World</a> History: Patterns of Interaction: Roger B. Beck, Linda Black, Larry S. Krieger, Phillip C. Naylor, Dahia Ibo Shabaka: 9780618187744: Amazon.com: Books . Do you have any experience with this book, and will it be good to self-study with?</p>

<p>How would you rate the difficulty of self-studying this?</p>

<p>Any other suggestions are welcome, and thanks for reading this. :)</p>

2

<p>For AP Psychology, all you need is the Barron’s prep book. And if you want a prep book to supplement your world history class, get Barron’s or Princeton Review.</p>

3

<p>Psych: I used Barron’s. That’s it.
World: I used that exact same textbook (it’s what the summer course I took used). It’s pretty nice, but be forewarned it’ll take a decent amount of time to read through and gives a broad, but shallow, view (which is expected from a textbook). The Barron’s world book is good if you have the time to read it.
(I have yet to take the tests but I’m done with the majority of the studying)</p>

4

<p>Barron’s is a great supplement to any AP psychology self study. If you’re learning straight from a text book, you might be learning a lot but not be focused on the material for the test if you don’t have a guide to help you with the test. I self studied psychology last year reading a textbook by school uses and Barrons. What really helped me was the AP Psychology Course Cruncher, which I used a week before the test. It really focused my last minute studying and helped me touch up on a few weak areas.</p>

<p><a href=“https://sites.google.com/site/coursecrunchers/”>https://sites.google.com/site/coursecrunchers/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>I’m taking AP World this year also, and the textbook we’re using is Ways of the World - Strayer </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Ways-World-Sources-AP-Second/dp/0312583508/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394483169&sr=1-9&keywords=Strayer+ways+of+the+world”>http://www.amazon.com/Ways-World-Sources-AP-Second/dp/0312583508/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394483169&sr=1-9&keywords=Strayer+ways+of+the+world&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It’s decently sized but easy to read, and gives you a ton of information. You can also get older editions for cheaper (the only difference I’ve found is that some chapters are combined or flipped). There is also a free website that goes along with the book
<a href=“http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/strayer2e/#t_810421____”>http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/strayer2e/#t_810421____&lt;/a&gt;
that gives you full chapter-outlines and quizzes. Even if you don’t get the book, I advise you to check out the website. It works!! :slight_smile: </p>

<p>If you don’t plan on getting the book, I highly recommend Princeton Review since you only have 2 months. It’s easier to read and more concise than Barron’s. Since you’re taking the course this year, I think you’ll remember most of the material. Good Luck! </p>

6

<p>I HIGHLY recommend the Princeton Review AP World Book! Get it on Amazon for a pretty good deal! Good luck my friend.</p>