How to Prepare for AP Chem, EngLang, and W. History?

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
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<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>I'm currently a sophomore (about to enter jr. year in Sept) and so far have already taken APUSH (5).</p>

<p>I will be taking AP Chem, EngLang, and W. History next year, and would like to receive 5s on all of the test (4s aren't acceptable!). I live in the State of NJ, and attend a public school that is in the top 100 range. </p>

<p>Besides doing the work that my teachers assign to me, what else should I be doing during this summer and throughout next year to prepare for these exams? And what kind of books are the best for each of the APs? I don't mean to sound haughty, but please only reply if you have received 5s on any of these tests. I really do want the best score on all of them.</p>

<p>And also, I will be taking SAT II Chem and SAT Math IIC next year as well. If you guys have received 750+ on either exam please don't hesitate to respond!</p>

<p>Thank you guys in advance</p>

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<p>I can only speak on behalf of World History, but the only advice I can give is this: Take active interest in the subject and learn to make big-picture connections between time period, location, gov’t, etc. It’s different from U.S. History, because it’s a lot broader. Some would say World is easier, which I think is true, but it depends. I got a 5 solely because I read the textbook (StearnsAP textbook) with the curriculum throughout the year instead of cramming from a review book a week before the test.</p>

<p>But yeah, a prep book does help in terms of review and I seriously recommend Princeton Review’s World History Book. It is amazing and so much fun to read. </p>

<p>Can’t help you with the other two but I’m taking them next year as well.</p>

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<p>For AP Chem, I suggest you get used to doing mental math. There are a lot of simple calculations that need to be done fast, without a calculator. This can really mess you up with timing if you are normally dependent on your calculator. Also, do as many equation writings/predictions as possible. There are some simple ones, and then there are ones that you wouldn’t be able to do if it weren’t for pure practice and memorization. </p>

<p>For English Language, I think the essays are very important (obviously) - don’t think that just because you are a good writer, that you can BS your way through the essays. Remember to provide solid examples to back your argument, and try to use as many lit. terms as possible (e.g.- this year, I found many ways to use the terms, “invective” and “ad hominem” for the satire essay) Be careful with the Synthesis essay - supposedly, the readers don’t count illegitimate sources as a citation (for example, if a document says “written by a blogger” then it is unreliable, and you should not build your entire argument based on that document) The multiple choice is, in my opinion, very much like the SAT CR questions - should be pretty straightforward. </p>

<p>AP WORLD - as the previous poster has already said, learn to connect one thing from the other. The topic is very broad, so you need to be able to know, for example, what went on in Europe and Asia during the same time periods, and be able to compare and contrast them. My AP WORLD teacher also emphasized the importance of inference and the ability to read between lines. Unlike APUSH, you don’t get choices on the essay, so be sure to know your facts.</p>

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<p>if you’re starting to study now, then I think you have nothing to worry about, most (above average) kids study a week before the test, my advice would be to calm down a little bit, enjoy life, balance is key (ever read Aristotle?), and just use the Barron’s, or Princeton Review books to study just a little bit every day, if you try hard you die hard, make it easy for yourself</p>

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<p>English Lang requires next to no prep throughout the year if you have even a modicum english language proficiency and writing talent. </p>

<p>World History would require either a good teacher and cramming the week before or an AMSCO style large review book (Read the Book Reccomendation thread). I only mention AMSCO because it’s APUSH book is so fantastic, dunno about their World book though.</p>

<p>No chem experience whatsoever sorry.</p>

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<p>For English, you don’t really need a prep book. </p>

<p>For AP WORLD, Princeton Review for cramming and Barrons for extensive review</p>

<p>For AP Chem, ARCO or Peterson’s or whatever.</p>

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<p>know not only what types of essays are required for each, but how to structure them. especially: read the titles of the essays! on world, there’s a CCOT, which is a Change & Continuity Over Time essay. that means that you can’t just talk about change, or just talk about continuity–you must mention both. for lang, you’ll have an ADQ, or Agree/Disagree/Qualify. you can choose whether to agree with the prompt, disagree, or partially agree/partially disagree (aka qualify). you wouldn’t write the CCOT in the same format as your ADQ, since they’re going for two different things.</p>

<p>i realize that the CCOT and ADQ aren’t on the same test, and could be called comparing apples to oranges or whatever. i just wanted to make a glaring generalization to help further my point, as it were.</p>

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<p>Oh yeah, there are “types” of free responses, which you should know. </p>

<p>AP WORLD : change and continuity, compare and contrast, and DBQ</p>

<p>APUSH: DBQ, 2 free responses (isn’t necessarily in any particular format)</p>

<p>AP CHEM: 5 equation writing questions, a lab question, and an equilibrium question are guaranteed. The other ones are unpredictable. The equilibrium question tends to be an acid/base question at the same time.</p>

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<p>I can only speak for AP World @ this time. But as others mentioned, you need to connect global themes well in order to make the most out of that class. For the exam, I suggest Princeton Review’s guide over Barron’s. It’s written in a more personal style rather than the ‘fact after fact’ style of Barron’s. Good luck!</p>

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<p>For ap world, princeton review for sure! I feel like throughout the class, I learned all the detail, but the big picture kind of got lost. The princeton was really great in tying everything together and helping to show the trends. But you definitely need to read your textbook!</p>

<p>For ap chem, I used both the princeton ap review book and the barrons sat review book, but both of them weren’t that great. The review books for chem are really only just a review. If there’s a concept you don’t really understand, it’s probably not going to help you understand it. Make sure you understand your textbook and keep up! K values were especially important and the review books don’t do a good job of explaining those AT ALL.</p>

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<p>ap world, I received a 5 by reading my school textbook The Earth and Its People: A Global History AP edition, 4/e. I did buy PR, but it didn’t help much for me.</p>

<p>AP Chem, I received a 5 by reading Chemistry: The Central Science AP edition, 11/e. I also bought PR for it. The review book helped clarify some concepts and reinforce my knowledge of them. </p>

<p>AP Language - going to take it as a junior next year. Afraid that this exam will be really difficult.</p>

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<p>Thanks guys. Anyone else?</p>

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<p>Funny how I took these three classes at the same time too, but during my sophomore year.</p>

<p>For AP Chemistry, it’s more important to understand the concepts before memorizing the formulas. The key to having a strong foundation in AP Chemistry is to develop a genuine sense of learning to comprehend why such fundamental ideas work in chemistry. Your math skills should be second nature, and though memorizing formulas is a strong asset, remember that formulas become useless if you don’t understand the concepts beforehand. This goes the same for any other physical science subject.</p>

<p>For AP English Language, I would the most important thing you can do is read constantly. There’s no real preparation you can do (other than practice exams, but those only help you with understanding the format of the exam). When you read (and since you’re taking the Language exam, I would suggest you read expository prose), always ask yourself, “What’s the big picture?” Learn to analyze how the little details connect and make up the grand scheme. I’m sure you are already proficient in essay writing so the best advice I would give to you is to look up sample essays on AP Central to see how you can improve your writing.</p>

<p>For AP World, I agree with the above posters in that you need to learn to connect one idea to another, much like when you analyze concepts in English. The test isn’t that much different from APUSH, but can present difficulty during the essay portion since there aren’t any portions.</p>

<p>For SATII Chemistry, I would suggest that you learn how to recognize situations where you know how (and why) the concept works, how the formula works, and how to use quick, mental math when needed. This test requires you have knowledge readily since there’s a lot of questions during the examination period.</p>

<p>For SATII Math 2C, take what you know from Algebra 2 and Trigonometry and be prepared to tackle problems presented in a more analytical mood, rather than just plug and chug. </p>

<p>But overall, keep your cool, and you will do fine. Good luck!</p>

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<p>thanks anyone else?</p>

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<p>I think it’s stupid that you stipulated “please don’t respond unless you got a 5,” as if the viewpoints of other people are irrelevant. After all, they did take the courses and sit the exams, so they’re just as qualified to give you advice. </p>

<p>For chemistry, the most important thing is that you take an active interest and maybe study outside of class. A vital component of chemistry is understanding how everything is interrelated across the different chapters. Make sure you know every unit both conceptually/theoretically and with formulas and actual plug and chug. It’s good to know the theory as well as the applications. I used Princeton Review.</p>

<p>For AP Lang, you’re going to have to be able to understand, recognize, and apply different literary terms in your essays otherwise you’ll be unsuccessful in the analytical essay. There’s more you’ll learn from your teachers; I was amazing at AP Lang but almost none of it was from stuff I learned in class.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your response.</p>

<p>The responses from people who didn’t get a 5 are not necessarily irrelevant, just superfluous and unneeded. Would you ask a Harvard reject how to get into Harvard? Would you ask a current anorexic how to recover from anorexia?</p>

<p>If not, case closed.</p>

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<p>Perhaps my advice on AP English Language and AP World History should be treated as “superfluous and unneeded” since I received 4s on those. (Don’t worry, I received a 5 on AP Chemistry so I know my advice holds some meaning).</p>

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<p>I thank you for the advice; however, I did mention in my post that I would only like to receive responses from people who received a 5 in those subjects.</p>

<p>Thanks for the AP Chemistry help though.</p>

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<p>No offense Light Airen, but I agree with Spontaneity and Paved88. I am a rising junior as well, and if I had created a post asking for help to prepare for APs, I would be grateful for the help of anyone who took the exams, not just people who got 5s. </p>

<p>Some students don’t need to study or prepare at all to get 5s, and others might actually have to study hard in order to get the same score. Maybe someone who got a 5 was just really lucky; that doesn’t automatically make them better than people who studied hard and got 4s. (Besides, not all study methods are one-size-fits-all, so a variety of perspectives can still help.)</p>

<p>I assume you’re aiming for Harvard. The same principle applies there. I’ve heard of straight-A students with leadership in 5 extracurriculars, perfect scores on the SATs and 10 APs, and NATIONAL academic distinctions getting rejected from Harvard (one was a URM, too!), while others with not-so-stellar scores/grades/extracurriculars have been accepted. There’s no perfect formula to get into the Ivies, so one might as well listen to many different points of view and then do his/her own personal best.</p>

<p>And anyways, wouldn’t you want to hear from the people who got bad AP scores to see what doesn’t work? That’s just as important too.</p>

<p>Please don’t be offended; I’m just trying to help. If you become more open-minded, you’ll be more desirable to elite colleges anyway; they do consider things like character (as shown in your essays and letters of rec) when debating whether or not you should be accepted.</p>

<p>Good luck studying for APs!</p>