<p>How do you start? Do you start by reading books or by going through review books?</p>
<p>I have 5 APs next year, and that's not mentioning the 3 IB courses I'm also taking.</p>
<p>AP Language is basically all about learning to write the essays, and I’d say would be one of the most difficult to self-study.</p>
<p>Another thing you should do fairly well is comprehension questions in reading. Try to go to through the ACT reading section first, and then do some AP Lang passages.</p>
<p>Does good SAT reading comprehension translate over in AP Lang? I can consistently score 700+ on the Critical Reading sections on the SAT. </p>
<p>I’ve been going through the Barron’s book and practiced my hand at analyzing passages. </p>
<p>I’ll take a look at the essays though for sure now that you mention it.</p>
<p>I thought the CR section of the SAT to be wayyy easier than what AP Lang tests you on. That being said, the key to doing well on AP Lang is to remember that all of the answers are right in front of you. You just have to search for them. Read, reread, skim first, and UNDERLINE (this worked best for me when I was confused). Focus on what’s in front of you instead of what’s that? what word is that referring to? what the heck does that mean? I feel like that’s what gets people the most - you through in an archaic word or prose and it just freaks them out. In my year we had a passage from the 1600s, but otherwise I was able to trudge through it all. I got a 5.</p>
<p>Are there any good AP Lang online resources? I would really appreciate it!</p>
<p>English Language is something you need not study much for. Most people who do well on the CR in the SAT also do well on the MC in Lang.</p>
<p>The essays are somewhat unique though, so take a look at that. You should also google for a list of terminology. You usually don’t need to know the really hard ones (e.g. polysyndeton) but you must know things like apostrophe, oxymoron, etc.</p>
<p>[AP</a> Central - The AP English Language and Composition Exam](<a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>AP English Language and Composition Exam – AP Central | College Board)</p>
<p>You can find some practice MC and essay prompts there.</p>
<p>I self-studied AP Language this year, and did little to prepare for it. I did not, and still do not, know those hard lit terms (like polysyndeton in the example posted above me) and even some of the easier ones. I got a 5 this year on this exam, and I can attribute this score to taking old practice tests for multiple choice and reading student sample essays from past years on College Board’s website. In total, I did relatively little prep for AP language, and my SAT CR score (710) is not spectacular. However, by studying the test format chiefly, you can succeed on this test with minimal preparation.</p>
<p>Thank you gummybear123 for the advice :). Great score, btw!</p>
<p>are the AP language exam questions more like the SAT CR or ACT reading?</p>
<p>AP Lang questions require knowledge of specific literary terms, so it’s not like the SAT CR questions. Don’t know about ACT. Grammar is also covered by AP Lang M/C questions.</p>
<p>You really don’t have to know any literary terms. Just keep writing, reading, and…yeah lol. Just practice on getting the author’s TONE and EMPHASIS.</p>
<p>To me, there isn’t much you can study for Lit/Lang out of a review book. You just have to know how to think quickly and analytically; what did the author mean with this tone? what words helped establish the tone? and, of course, you have to be able to write essays that explain this well <em>and</em> that use elevated vocabulary.</p>
<p>IMO, the best thing people can do is read, read, read, and to seriously <em>think</em> about the plot, tone, characterization, details, etc. while you read. It’s much better to actively do this, rather than just reading a textbook that tells you it second-hand.</p>
<p>AP English Lang. BEING CALM DURING THE TEST IS A MUST.</p>
<p>i went in there super chill because i felt my failure was inevitable (due to a year of mostly fun in apeng at school), and i ended up getting a 5. practice is a must as well! review old frq essays (found at collegeboard’s website), and pick apart at their faults/ achievements. when you take practice multiple choice exams, make sure you KNOW WHAT YOU GOT WRONG AND WHY. that’s a definite must as well. and don’t overkill on the # of practice exams. you need to take one maybe once a week starting in march/april.</p>
<p>reading current events help too. i believe what helped me was my tone. have voice in your essays, but don’t make it too casual. be firm, and confident in yourself (in your essay).</p>
<p>I don’t want to come off arrogant or anything but I “studied” the night before and got a 4 on the exam. The night before I basically took two practice tests (only MC). I then looked over the terms included in the cliffs AP review book (this is where i also got the practice tests from). Finally, I looked at the sample essays shown and saw why the high scoring essays received the score they did and why the low scoring essays received the score they did. </p>
<p>Through the year my teacher made us write one timed rhetorical piece during class and we did a synthesis essay as well. Still, I think this exam should not be one your extensively preparing for.</p>
<p>Truthfully, there is no way to study for this test. This comes off as both a blessing and a curse. If you are good at writing and critical thinking, you are pound to do well. As the others said, the best way is just to read and try to identify the author’s tone, purpose, etc. However, I believe the best way to study for this test would be to do practice essays. My teacher gave us countless 45 minute essays of the synthesis, and rhetorical analysis prompts. When it came to the actual test, I felt way more prepared than I originally did when faced with these essays at the start of the year. My teacher did say that some of the graders do give higher grades for worse writing and more insights than great writing and little insights. So in your rhetorical analysis, try to make as many insights about the piece as possible. Still, it takes more skill than preparation to do well.
Also, 5 on the test</p>
<p>Great scores guys! Congratulations on all the 4s and 5s! </p>
<p>I’m reading The Scarlet Letter right now. Every time I start reading though, I end up passing out on the sofa for several hours. Is there anything I should pay attention to in the book? Themes? Rhetoric?</p>
<p>And what’s the hardest essay - the “synthesis” essay or the analysis essay?</p>
<p>lol okay no one is prob gonna see this but if anyone still needs advice on studying for AP lang…
i didn’t take the class and didn’t study **** (so basically i had no idea what i was going to face) and got a 5. and i’m not tryna sound arrogant or cocky or whatever, i’m just saying it’s not as bad as you seems. if you’re used to writing DBQs in history or AP lit and you have a good idea of literary devices and terms and whatnot you should be set to go. one of the essays is like the SAT essay we have to write for 25 min, except i dont remember how much time we get on the AP lang test…and the MC was kind of like SAT CR MC questions, in my opinion. i sucked at the CR sections (hence my consistent 590-600’s) so i have no idea how i managed to get through them on the exam lmao. and i agree with the fact that you needa stay calm. i was in such a YOLO mood and it worked for me :)</p>
<p>i hope all of you did well!!</p>
<p>and @iceqube, i dont remember which the synthesis and analysis ones are but in my opinion the one where you’re given a vague question and told to answer it using your own sources of information is the easiest because you can legit use ANYTHING as long as it pertains to the topic. honestly though, all of them were pretty good. and the timing was really generous. i liked the exam :)</p>
<p>Thanks dreambig0x! I’ve already taken the AP Lang exam, and I think I did well :). It’s amazing to see how far I’ve come from a year ago - from uncertain about the AP exam to practically acing the AP Lang exam. The M/C was easy; the essays were all right. You’re advice might be a little too late for me but it’ll prove invaluable for students to come. Thanks for sharing :D!</p>
<p>Read a lot of boring passages and books like Scarlet letter. U have to build up stamina. </p>
<p>I took like 3 practice tests and didn’t really need to study much cuz we wrote a lot in class. I got a 5. Btw, I thought this test was easier than the SAT. I always mess
Up on vocab or simple questions but this one just made sense.</p>