<p>I haven't learned a thing in APUSH so far. Our teacher gives us DBQ's every week and if your paper is long and just well written, (can contain some irrelevant info) you get a 9. We have chapter tests every week that are extremely easy (the class average is ~90%). We are also only on reconstruction of the Civil War. There is no way we will finish in time and i feel like i haven't learned anything in the class. What can i possibly do to obtain a 5 on the AP exam? I have the AMSCO book and i think re-reading the American Pageant is a little overboard.</p>
<p>ANY tips would be highly appreciated. Thank you!</p>
<p>P.S. I've seen many posts claiming that people have read AMSCO once, skimmed it over a second time, and obtained an easy 5. Can anyone back this up? What's your success story?</p>
<p>You think you learned nothign at all during classes, but you probably did. APUSH can be done without really worrying about learning during the class, just study the review book a few days before the test. For now, just try to get As and remember the court cases and amendments and you can get the other info in your head later.</p>
<p>^I have the same problem. My teacher is way behind and doesn't seem to care. We studied the Battle of Gettysburg for a week "because it took place in our home state." OK, but I bought a copy of the Released 2006 APUSH exam and it didn't have a single Civil War battle question. So now what do I do? I am going to local Borders this weekend to find a good review book. Will look at Amsco, Princeton Review, REA, Kaplan and anything else I can find.</p>
<p>When you read through the Pageant, make a one-page outline/overview on the time period. Then type up all of the vocab words (names, important dates, battles, places, etc.) with a comprehensive definition for each (usually around 3 - 5 pages).</p>
<p>Use both sources to make connections and draw conclusions. Understand it.</p>
<p>OP: Being where you are actually isn't too far behind. I took this class last year, and I thought that we never would have finished in time, but I was wrong. The majority of the questions are from certain time periods, so teachers are more likely to spend more time covering those times. The DBQs, really do help. I had a friend at another school, where they started learning what DBQs where about two weeks before the exam. At that school, only about 17 people out of about 90 got a 3 or above. At my school, we did a ton of DBQs and essays, which I thought were ridiculous at times, and about 20 out of about 90 got a 5 (one of whom was myself). </p>
<p>If you are really worried about it, I would recommend to start studying (even if you are not worried about it, I would not delay starting to study beyond mid March). I used a McHill book, which I didn't really like, and my cousins old Princeton Review book, which I thought helped me alot. In the back there was a list of events, people, etc. and I just went throught it to make sure I knew it all. You can even go through some study guides that we had to do in my class last year (only if you didn't get above a certain grade on the previous test) if you think it may help.</p>
<p>Don't worry. You will be fine. Just look over review books and do some practice tests and everything will work out well if you are a good student, which it sounds like you are. I hope this helped. If you have anymore questions, just let me know and I will be glad to help. </p>
<p>Here are some links:
Study Guides: Ms</a>. Eddy-APUSH/World History TeacherWeb APUSH Handouts<a href="if%20you%20scroll%20almost%20all%20of%20the%20way%20down%20there%20are%20some%20links%20that%20are%20really%20helpful%20as%20well">/url</a>
This is a wiki page for the class. The info, however complete or accurate it is, is up to the current class to update: [url=<a href="http://eddyapushwiki.wikispaces.com/%5Deddyapushwiki">http://eddyapushwiki.wikispaces.com/]eddyapushwiki</a> » home</p>
<p>I know how you feel on this one definitely :S
We almost never have DBQ’s (i think we’ve done maybe 4-7 all year) </p>
<p>We also have weekly MC quizzes that I have consistently scored As on without ever reading the book. THEY ARE SO EASY.</p>
<p>I am slightly lazy, so if I don’t have to read for the quiz, I won’t. However, I am also a perfectionist, so I need to get a 4 or 5 on the exam.</p>
<p>Our solution?</p>
<p>We have 7 weeks of school until the exam, and 42 chapters to learn.
We made up a study group of 7 people and divided so that each person makes outlines, lists of terms, events, treaties, people, etc. for 6 chapters, one each week, then we will combine.</p>
<p>We started this week. I sincerely hope this will work D:</p>
<p>Get the REA AP US History prep book and try to study from there. Don’t just do the questions, memorize the answers as well. It explains the wrong answers, too.</p>
<p>I agree with the sentiment that you should try your best to pay attention to what goes on in class while also self-studying (AMSCO will really help you). Also, if you self-study a topic you haven’t gone over in class yet and you don’t quite understand it, ask your teacher if he/she can help you with it (explain that you’re studying for the AP test). I’m sure he/she will be glad to help you if you show the initiative.</p>
<p>Get REA’s new US History Crash Course. It will really help you.</p>
<p>I agree with Old Hickory - the Crash Course book is very good.</p>
<p>Is the Crash Course book really that good? I’ve heard it really just gets to the point instead of describing what the book says like, for example, AMSCO. I will buy the book definitely if it is to my benefit, but what benefit does the Crash Course have over AMSCO?</p>
<p>Nothing replaces a real class for APUSH, because it is one of the hardest tests (besides sciences and math). Since it is early, just start reviewing for yourself, and make sure you go all the way up to the Clinton administration, as there was a question last year on the test about it. The DBQ last year was on Vietnam, so you never know what those crazy AP people will put in. The essays can help your score greatly. Also, don’t concentrate on specific battles fought in any war, as they are never included in ANY of the APUSH tests. (I took the test last year, and none were on there, and my teacher told us also.) Good Luck!</p>
<p>^I have both Amsco and the Crash Course books. I don’t think it is an either or situation. Amsco is like an abridged textbook. I like Amsco. I also really like Crash Course because it is based upon a specific strategy. Crash Course is based upon an analysis of released tests going back to the early 1980’s. The test writers repeat specific topics such as the Open Door Policy and specific themes such as African American history. The Crash Course book tries to show how to turn a winning coalition of topics into a 5. Believe it or not just 60% right = a 5. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Arizonagirl007 the key words are “a real class.” My AP Art History teacher is awesome so I really don’t need a prep book. But my APUSH teacher is way behind. We will never finish. So I do need a prep book. I am combining Amsco and the new REA Crash Course book. They make an excellent combination.</p>
<p>I plan on reading AMSCO 3 times and reading the Crash Course maybe twice, sound sufficient for a 5?</p>
<p>^Yes, that should be more than enough. You might check your progress by ordering the 2006 and 2001 released exams from the College Board Online Store.</p>
<p>Well, currently i have REA which includes 6 practice tests, AMSCO that has one, a colonial era 100 question packet from the AP that my teacher gave me, another 80 question m.c. from my teacher, and the 2008 ap m.c. from my teacher. So, i’ll do all those and see how i improve!</p>
<p>^^ apparently you <em>do</em> get a 9 with tons of irrelevant garbage. our teacher did a “guess the grade” activity with three actual essays from CB about the Span-Am War, and the one that was not-so-well-written, rambled on, and was loaded with irrelevant info, but very fact-filled… got the 9. No one guessed that… we all thought it was maybe a 6.</p>
<p>wow… I’m ordering AMSCO and REA tonight. my class has done several (actual) FRs and DBQs, and he’s an accurate grader (using the rubric and past essays as a guide), so I feel okay about those. We’re taking a practice full test soon, and we did the craziest semester exam review (about 40 pages hand-written in small-ish handwriting, done in 2 days! <2% of it was actually on the exam… yeah, it was so much info that we all did badly because we didn’t remember it) that our teacher is giving us back to study. Hoping for the best!</p>