<p>I'm a native speaker, but definitely not as comfortable as I am with English. If I could take my time, I would have a decent score, but the problem is that my vocabulary isn't very extensive. I know a couple of advanced words, but everytime I read a short story in class I find myself locked in my room after school spending 3 hours with the textbook before me and a dictionary. How can I improve my vocabulary? Are there any test prep books that you recommend?</p>
<p>The AP Spanish Lang test is actually more difficult for native speakers who haven’t taken the class than for gringos who have. In my experience, I’ve seen that most native speakers don’t know all the ins and outs of advanced Spanish grammar when asked to identify them. They can speak with perfect grammar, but just like in English, speaking with perfect grammar and being able to identify and explain grammar rules are two completely different things. Of course, you may know to say "Ella nos dijo que no comi</p>
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I really don’t think this is the case. Not one section of the test asks you to identify grammatical nuances, and you often don’t even need to recognize them. An experienced Spanish student who’d never heard the term pluscamperfecto could (pretty easily, I imagine) understand the meaning of your sentence above and then write, speak, or answer a question based on the information.</p>
<p>I do second the advice to read and watch the news in Spanish. BBC Mundo was a good resource for me.</p>