<p>Hi, I'm a freshman, and I have been self-studying AP Psychology and AP Environmental Science. I am a quick learner, and I get the highest grades in all of my classes. I haven't done much for my self studies yet, so I want to start preparing soon. How easy/hard are these exams? What should I use to study? Most importantly, how much time do I need to spend on it to get a 4 or 5? Thanks in advance! (:</p>
<p>Easy - self-studied both of them three days before the exam and got a 5. If you start now, you could probably read through your prep books (AP Psych should use Barron’s and APES should use PR + Smartypants or REA) at least twice or thrice each.</p>
<p>Wow, you’re very smart…if you take the AP exam and not the class, would colleges only count the exam, or would they look at if you actually took the class? Also, does taking the exam without taking the class affect your GPA?</p>
<p>@foodlover: no the colleges don’t care if you took the class or not, and if you self study for it, your school may not give you the credit and therefore it does not affect your gpa. But it does count towards the ap scholar award though…</p>
<p>What is the AP Scholar award?</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! And the AP scholar awards are some awards that you can recieve if you get high enough scores on enough exams. There are descriptions of the awards on the college board AP page.</p>