Will reading the 5 Steps to a 5, the Barron’s, and the PR prep books be enough? So much of the test seems like common sense and the rest seems like a big vocab quiz… My plan was just to read each book once, memorize the vocab, take some practice tests (and review the sections that I scored poorly in), and memorize the major geographers and their theories. </p>
Is this enough? I’m taking five exams this year and none seem to be as uniquely easy and challenging at the same time. It is like no exam I’ve ever seen before and I am a little terrified it is going to be much more difficult than the prep books make it seem. What else should I do? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>A lot of people (definitely the bulk of people on CC) self-study this exam. I guess if you had taken it as a class it would be more straight-forward, but as a self-study this is essentially a logic test. Familiarize yourself with the vocabulary words from Barron’s. You really should be able to do the FRQs without any specific HG knowledge (pull it from your History, Econ, Gov, Social Studies and even sometimes Science classes).</p>
<p>For example, a question on the exam last year was explaining why automobile plants were moving from Michigan to the South. If you are up to date on current events, you would realize it’s because of a) union demands and b) closed shops vs. right to work and c) governmental incentives. All you would have to do to knock it out of the park is to throw in Human Geography terms such as “footloose industry”, etc.</p>
<p>I read Barron’s and got a 5 and pulled a lot of the FRQ knowledge from AP World History, which I was taking at the same time.</p>
<p>Barron’s itself will suffice. I self-studied this exam just with that book, but diligently. I read it on my hour bus ride from Januay to May. Focus on vocab and definitely practice your essays, and no its not a “common sense” test. Only 11% got a 5 last year. Yeah, that is def common sense(sarcasm)!</p>