<p>The AP US History class at my school is absolutely insane. Last time we were shown our grades as a class, not one person had an A (or even an A-) out of ~40-50 kids. The class average was a 78%. </p>
<p>The last test class average was a D (even though the teacher added an extra 10% onto our test scores). I'm really at a loss in regards what to do. I studied for the test using a combination of AMSCO, REA, and class notes and still information popped up that I didn't know (ridiculous questions like asking in what state were the post-Revolution British forts located). It seems that getting average grades (i.e. B's on tests) entails lucky guessing.</p>
<p>Any tips? Did you ever have a class like this and manage to pull off an A?</p>
<p>My class was the same, but I managed an A, and so can you. You just have to be motivated enough to actually study the stuff. It can't be impossible. Did anyone receive A's last year?</p>
<p>khoitrinh: One kid, if that. But as far as I know he devotes a lot of time to history and doesn't really excel as much in other classes.</p>
<p>Travard: They're not AP questions. They have answer choices A-D (which doesn't really help) and have BS questions like: "Identify the exact state where blah blah blah happened." Seriously, the test publishers need to be dragged out into the street and....you get the idea.</p>
<p>The things that really irritate me are (not so much my grade)
1. We are not being taught what's on the tests
2. We are experiencing the complete opposite of AP questions (minute crappy little details)</p>
<p>So your test includes many questions on information that you did NOT cover at all in class? It seems like your teacher isn't a good one at all because our AP USH teacher, one of the best teachers I've had, taught us that post-Rev British troops were located in the NW Territory (Ohio, and states bordering it) and the fact that this occured was due to the inefficiency of the Articles of Confed. Cong.</p>
<p>Ask your teacher what prep books he/she recommends, how to best study for his/her tests. This will show your teacher you want to actually learn this material and do well in the class. Also, pay close attention to anything your teacher repeats twice - anything that your teacher repeats must be important.</p>
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[quote]
Travard: They're not AP questions. They have answer choices A-D (which doesn't really help) and have BS questions like: "Identify the exact state where blah blah blah happened." Seriously, the test publishers need to be dragged out into the street and....you get the idea.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Sounds like they just take the questions from a textbook-provided bank. I would suggest reading the textbook carefully and/or multiple times.</p>
<p>I think I will speak with the teacher tomorrow to discuss the class.</p>
<p>I haven't read the textbook recently due to its sheer volume (40+ pages per chapter) and the fact that I was told our test questions would be ETS released (meaning screw the textbook, AMSCO all the way). I'll bite the bullet and start reading it again - see if it helps at all.</p>
<p>In my class the chapters were 20-40 pages. I know it's tough to do all the reading (especially if there's other hw), but sometimes if you want the grade you just have to do it.</p>
<p>I was lucky because my teacher only gave hw to people that didn't get an A on the previous test, so I only had 2-3 hours of work a week reading for the class.</p>