<p>Next year (junior year), I will be taking the following AP classes at my school in conjunction with honors physics and band: AP English Language, AP SPanish Language, AP U.S History, AP Chemistry, and AP Calculus AB. Last year, I took only two exams (world history and music theory), so in the month or so leading up to the test I devoted about three weeks of my rare spare time to the World history exam and about a week to reviewing for theory. With the enormous workload I am sure to have this year, what is the best way to review for these multiple tests? Should I start early, like around chrstmas break and devote a specified amount of time for each exam per week? I am just curious as to what worked for everyone else. Thanks!</p>
<p>I'm in sort of the same situation, next year is junior year and i have Econ AP (micro+macro), Chem AP, Gov AP, and English Language AP. The way i think of it, you have to look at how well prepared you are going to be after taking the class and nothing else. For example, the Chem class is a beast, but by the time you actually get through the class (IF you get through the class...), you already know everything. so there's really no studying involved. Whereas AP History, (took it sophomore year and got a 5) i had to do a lot of self study because there really is just too much material to cover in class. But starting early helps, review what you've learned earlier so that you don't forget it by the time of the test, and BS all non-AP classes late april-early may. hope that helps</p>
<p>oh, and could you tell me about music theory? there's a topic here with my situation (scroll down). if you could give me some advice it would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks!!! I know my U.S. teacher is notorious for not finishing the textbook, so I will have to self study there.......ughh</p>
<p>yeah, my AP US teacher didn't cover anything past 1970. i had to read 4 chapters on my own plus study for the test. there's just wayyy too much material to be able to cover it all in a normal class (unless your teacher really loads you w/ hw :) )</p>
<p>I also did 5 APs junior year. Few weeks before the AP exams, our teachers were already reviewing with us, so I didn't do much additional review outside of class other than the review packets. I didn't use any review books, and got a 4 for my lowest score.</p>
<p>I'm betting that your teachers will be doing reviews with you guys too, so just pay attention during those review sessions and maybe go over the important points one or two nights before the exam.</p>
<p>Which review books are good for my specific subjects?</p>
<p>wow, i took literally that EXACT schedule my junior year except with french instead of spanish. believe me, it's not as bad as it seems! the most important thing is obviously to stay on top of all your classes throughout the year. then when exam time rolls around, here's my breakdown of these classes:
english - who studies for english? as long as you get good practice writing timed essays in class throughout the year, and maybe practice some multiple choice, you should be fine.
US history - princeton review is my best friend for history. i just skimmed all the review sections in the week or so before the exam and took a few practice questions, and got a 5.
calc AB - practice tests, practice tests, practice tests. hopefully your teacher will work some AP problems into your class, so aside from that you really don't need to do any "studying".
spanish - (well, french for me) review conjugations/vocab if you need to, practice writing the essay, and practice the MC and other free response. hopefully you will practice the oral/listening in class. it's also important to be familiar with the structure of the test, since there's so many parts - you don't want to be confused/thrown off on the day of. as long as you know what's coming, and get some practice beforehand, you'll be fine.
chem - again, just be familiar with the structure of the FR. take a practice exam. i also recommend "5 steps to a 5", which we used in class. chem is pretty cumulative, so not too much extra "studying" should be necessary.</p>
<p>there you have it. in general, i really think practice tests are best for any subject (which you can find for free online). good luck, and don't stress out!</p>
<p>I had 5 exams this year and I didnt even buy books until 2 weeks before the tests. I had english lang., apush, environmental science, calculus BC, and comp sci A.</p>
<p>I read the whole apush study guide in the few days before the test. And i studied some of the environmental science stuff. I bought a english book but as helloworld0987 said, who actually studies for english. As for compsci and calc, I was confident enough to not even bother buying review books for those classes.</p>
<p>I think the key to succeeding is to learn as much as you can in the school year and you should be fine. The more you remember from class, the less time you will have to spend reviewing.</p>
<p>I posted above, but here I am again :).</p>
<p>These are the ones I have taken. I didn't use any review books for any of them, so I can't help in that aspect. Unless you have terrible teachers, you don't have to get a review book.</p>
<p>AP English Language - Go on collegeboard/ ask your teacher about the format, then read as much of the *hard scholarly *articles you can find. I myself didn't read much of those hard stuff. I read the newspaper everyday, but that wasn't quite up to par with the difficulty of the multiple choice reading passages. You would also need to know how to analyze literacy articles and explain the literacy devices. My essay writing was pretty good even before I took the class, so I guess that helped too.</p>
<p>AP U.S History - oh god. horrible class. I read the entire American Pagent (yes, every page!) and did outline formats on notecards, organized by presidents and the major events that occured under them. Flipped through them before the AP exam and looked up more details on the things that I had forgotten.</p>
<p>Also, try to incorporate as much sources for the DBQ as possible. Technically, using half + 1 of the sources are good enough, but more doesn't hurt in case you interpreted one wrong. Goes without saying that if you really have no clue what the source is about, don't use it.</p>
<p>AP Chemistry - I'm taking it this August. Heard from people who took it at my school that the most important thing is understanding the concept. It would save you quite a bit of memorizing if you can deduce trends such as electronegativity and ionization energy. I stupidly memorized those in Honors chemistry without understanding why it happens. All I can say is now that I understand why, it comes naturally.</p>
<p>APUSH - buy some barrons flashcards and a PR or Kaplan review book, and you're set!</p>
<p>AP Chem - pay attention in class, and try not to fall asleep! This test actually requires a fair amount of time to study for</p>
<p>AP Cal AB - easiest AP test ever...just stay awake in class and you should make a 4 or 5</p>
<p>Study early, as early as say, Feburary or March if you guys finish that early. That's what happened in calculus for us.</p>
<p>Also for AP US history, when you're doing practice DBQs, don't write the whole essay, as i find this a waste of time. just do the reading period of each DBQ, where you read the documents and do a short outline. afterwards, type up an outline with thesis, topic sentences, evidence (use quotes from the documents) and conclusion. I believe that everyone knows how to add fluff to a solid essay, and you should be able to save a lot of time doing just the outline.</p>
<p>I also did 5 APs junior year, though not the same ones. Out of the ones you're taking, I did:</p>
<p>AP English Language: virtually nothing in terms of review. Teacher needed pressure to actually teach us for the AP test (we focused on other things) and so we only managed to have a mere 3 days or so before the test. I still scored a 5 though.</p>
<p>AP U.S History: I didn't read the book, but payed attention (usually) in class, and found an old 2004 prep book a week before the test and read it cover to cover on like the night before. Also a 5.</p>
<p>AP Chemistry: Gah, the teacher taught us nothing, and I was a noob underclassmen when I took this test, and so didn't bother to study for it. Still managed a 4 though.</p>
<p>Calc AB: I took Pre-Calc this past year and self-studied a couple of extra topics, and got a 5.</p>
<p>Besides Span 4 (which I have not yet taken) I would decry your courseload as medium/light in terms of MAY testing. If you actually bother with studying, even if only the night before, then I'm sure you'll do fine!</p>
<p>It completely depends on how much you need and your own normal study habits. If the classes at your school don't cover all that much, you may need to do a lot of review yourself. If your classes are good, you may not need to study much at all.</p>
<p>I took 6 AP tests, but none of my classes are designated AP (we have none at our school, because they don't want to follow a curriculum or whatever - but equivalent of AP classes). I received 5s on my exams, but no doubt I did not get a perfect score on them (raw score).</p>
<p>AP English Language: Absolutely no review. Our English class wasn't even AP (I took a combined history/English). We did nothing in class. I just took the test. Knowing CR from SAT and being a decent writer is enough to pass.</p>
<p>APUSH: I did minimal review. Our class only went up to about 1950. My studying involved cramming for five hours the night before the test...I think I used PR or Barron's, one of the two. It actually didn't help much beyond a few MC questions. I didn't know anything about Vietnam, which was the DBQ topic. My advice is learn to BS well. I'm completely serious, too.</p>
<p>Calc BC: No studying at all. We got a practice test in class, and I did that. Otherwise, I didn't do anything.</p>
<p>Physics C (both): We had finals before the tests that were actual AP tests from like 2000 or something. We did review in class starting two weeks before the exam, with the Kaplan or PR or something chapter review questions. I prepped more for Physics than anything else, and most of it was in-class.</p>
<p>French: I took this almost cold (but I lived in Belgium, so it's kind of cheating). Most kids in my class took it last year. The night before (my sister also took it), I paged through her book and did a few of the listening questions.</p>
<p>I really wouldn't worry about it. I can't speak for your classes, but I'm sure that they will prepare you adequately for the exams. If you feel unprepared (or think that you will), supplement classwork with review in the books. Also, remember, you don't need 100 to get a five. On some exams, 50-60% is a five. Pick the exams you feel least comfortable with and focus on reviewing for those.</p>