For the future self-study people

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
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<p>There are some of us here that have or are planning to self study AP Exams. I'm one of those people who self studied for the Psychology and Human Geography test. I want to point something to those who plan to self study. THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU MAKE THE CHOICE TO SELF STUDY FOR THE TEST. Self studying can be difficult depending on the subject that you're self studying. I know there are some people here who can ace the test the night before or without studying at all. However, not all of us are the same. Just because someone said that this test is easy and I got a 5 on it shouldn't be a significant thing in making the choice to self study. I fell for that trap and suffered today in the Psychology test. Because I thought I could study for the test without the class and with just a book, I ended up getting raped by the test. I thought that "Hey, so many people on CC aced it, why can't I?" I just want to share this and point some things to people who plan to self study because to one it can be easy but to others it can hard. </p>

<p>When you plan to self study:
- Pick a topic THAT YOU CAN HANDLE. Don't get the idea that just because those from CC aced it, you can do it too. You'll make the same mistake as I did with the Psychology test. However, the Human Geography is coming easy for me. I should've just taken the Human Geography test for self study since it is something I can handle.<br>
- Make sure you have ENOUGH TIME to study. I study for a month and it wasn't enough to study for Psychology. Don't study the day before the test! That's a big no no. I have no idea how those who study the day before the test do it. That's just them but not you.<br>
- Don't get the idea that self studying a certain test is easy because someone from CC said so. Again, we're all different, so know your limits. Take a diagnostic test first. If you don't score well, maybe that's a test that you shouldn't even think about self studying.
- For those who want to impress colleges, self studying does help a little but not that much. Why waste your time on a subject you don't know, don't care, or never plan to study in your future? Do extracurricular activities like sports, clubs, or other EC stuff. No one really cares about your AP awards.
- Try to avoid self studying for AP exams! You're probably overwhelm by your classwork and other AP exams. Why add more weight to your shoulder? Enjoy high school for now. To those trying to impress Ivy league schools, chances are you're probably going to take it again. Might as well impress them with your real classes and ECs. </p>

<p>Hope people understand more about self studying and know what to do about making this tough decision. Self studying isn't as easy as many people say.</p>

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<p>Very good thread. How bad did you do on psych?</p>

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<p>im taking the late psychology and have 10 days to destroy it :slight_smile:
but yeah,im studying hard too. i dont trust my cramming skills</p>

<p>but yeah, dont think self studying is easy because i gave up on 2 AP’s…
but its good to challenge urself, just don’t bite off more than u can chew</p>

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<p>yeahh that’s why i’m only self studying for history ap exams. i can read the material over and over again and never get sick of it. probably why i’ll never be self-studying for ap chem or physics. not sure about environmental next year though.</p>

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<p>The OP really has a good point here. I decided to self-study for Word History, Envi Science, and Art History because people on CC have said that the first two are manageable, if not easy for them. AH was a risk in the beginning; I tried because some alumni said that it was a worthwhile subject.</p>

<p>Envi Science was a breeze–confirming what people said. But maybe it was because I aced AP Bio last year and ES was pretty much a recap of the ecology unit with the addition of some topics on pollution.</p>

<p>I only started reading PR and Barrons last month and realized how much trouble I had with World History. Although I do well in other social sciences, I have never felt this uncomfortable about the multiple choice questions, which seem to be asking for comparisons that I don’t really get. WH is tomorrow for me (in Asia) and hell, I’m still cramming last minute and expecting a 3-4 maximum. So, do check the course material and the exam itself before you get started on self-studying. You don’t want to waste a $100 on a subject that you won’t get college credit in; anything below a 5 for self-study, in my opinion, doesn’t boost your college application anyways–I’d rather spend my time focusing on the subjects at school.</p>

<p>Having said that, however, self-studying for Art History was the best choice I’ve ever made in my high school career: I actually found what I was passionate about and could spend A LOT of time with. At January I didn’t even know who Goya or Warhol was, but after spending…what… 5 months with it, I’ve decided to major in Art History in college. I know it’s a big leap for anyone deciding to self-study for any subject, but the risk is really worthwhile if you believe that you can gain something out of the experience.</p>

<p>And one thing I think the OP forgot to mention.</p>

<p>MAKE SURE YOU ARE VERY GOOD AT CRAMMING STUFF</p>

<p>I doubt that many people will have the discipline to go through the textbook or review book at bite-size pieces from the beginning of the year. Most of us cram. Unless you’re confident with your ability to understand a whole lot of information within the last few weeks, please think well before self-studying for an AP.</p>

<p>I know I might make self-studying sound a hell lot harder than it is for many CCers, but as the OP said, we are all at different levels–we just need to know our limits.</p>

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<p>nbafan: I’m pretty sure its either a 2 or a 3. I guess I was fooled by Barron’s since I only took the review questions in the end of each chapter and missed a couple. I thought to myself I was going to do good if I was missing 2 to 4 questions in the end of the chapter but I was wrong. When I took the actual practice test, I missed about 60! I realized this the day before and began cramming as best as I could. When I took the actual test, I found it a little easier than Barron’s but not as easy as I wished to be. For sure, I knew about 1/2 of the stuff in the multiple choice section. The essays didnt help either since I put random and incorrect things in it. I realized that it was a big mistake and that there was no point in doing this since I never enjoyed the topic, never understood the topic, even with a month worth of studying, and never really planned to do something relevant with this topic in my future days. So, yeah, be careful when making the choice to self study. Don’t let CC fool you!</p>

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<p>to self-studiers, even if it takes a long time, read the textbook for your AP exam you’re self-studying, and then reinforced what you learn by studying from a study guide. That is what I did although two of the three exams I’m taking is reinforced with the classes at school, but the classes didn’t help much since they emphasize book work. Still, you would learn a lot more from textbooks than study guides.</p>