I took on one AP sophomore year (AP Gov) and thought it was a walk in the park. We got hw like twice a week (usually around 1.5 hours) and i studied two days prior to assessments for a good 3-4 hours-yes, im a slow worker. Next year, i plan to take 5 APs (ap human geo, ap bio, ap us history, ap env science, and ap psychology) so I could increase my weighted gpa and go up in the rankings. Ik they three of them are one of the easier APs, but since I am a slow worker, idk how that will turn out. Should I do it? I will probably be busy till 4 or 5, depending on day. Can i still pull straight As ? I am planning on buying a prep book for each class in the beginning of the year as well. Thoughts? Anyone also was scared to take 4 more APs than the previous year and was scared? And what were the results?
To clarify, when I said walk in the park, I meant that getting an A in the class was not as difficult comparing to all my other honors classes. I still had to study to earn my grade.
AP human geo was super easy, just pay attention and do the work. the ap exam curve is so low it’s easy to get a 5
You will be fine
Thats for your quick responses. But can someone tell me in details the work load, amount of hw a night, is ir doable, possible to get straught As? Was someone in a similar situation and want to share their experiences?
Human Geo- 30 Mins
Bio- 60 Mins
APUSH -15 Mins
APES - 10 Mins
Psych - 10 Mins
Total: 2 hours and 5 minutes per night on average (these must be hardcore study/work time, you have to be super focused). Of course, if you procrastinate, that can go up a lot. Same when it comes time for AP exams.
At what high school is AP HUG twice as much average HW/study time as APUSH?
Not at a typical HS. The workload for any AP class will depend upon the teacher for the most part, but one should assume that APUSH and AP Bio will have the heaviest workload of those 5.
@RMNiMiTz Schools are different and most have more hw than that. I would say APUSH is close to an hour due to readings.
Can someone talk to me about specifcally ap psych apush and ap bio
Not if you read every single day and study for it over the summer.
I only did 1 hour of APUSH each week (reading for notes) and I have a 96 in that class. Granted, I am super-good at history and pretty much already knew the entire curriculum, but I’m sure OP can learn US history over the summer.
At most schools, APUSH is a ton of work.
I know it is a lot of work (many of my classmates also complain). However, I am just trying to get the point across to OP that if he basically studies everything during the summer, the school semesters will be a breeze. APUSH is a lot of reading and notes, and that can be done during the summer break.
It’s not as impossible as many people are trying to make it out to be.
It depends on the AP class; not all are equally challenging or time-intensive. AP Calc can be a real challenge and time suck (it was for my D17) whereas AP Stats, not so much. And then there’s AP Studio Art, AP Graphic Design…
That wasn’t what the OP asked. Regardless, most kids prefer to do things over the summer other than read textbooks. Additionally, doing other activities would probably be more beneficial long-term. YMMV.
As I mentioned earlier, it depends on the teacher. But typically, USH and Bio would be about an hour on average. Bio might be more at times with lab reports. Psych varies, but 30-45 minutes is a good ballpark.
There’s no reason to study an AP over the summer unless you really want to or just want to get ahead for your own comfort (invest that time in ECs, reading good books, relaxing and doing what you enjoy). It’s definitely not necessary to study all summer to get an A. Apush is easy to learn by keeping up with the txtbook readings throughout the year and watching review videos or reading the corresponding chapter in a prep book before a test (this should take 30min-1 hour at most). Textbook readings for me took about 45-90 min depending on how much I procrastinated (don’t do that pls). APES and Psych are just memorization and common sense so they are comparable to honors classes. I didn’t take human geo but from what I’ve heard this also applies. I don’t know how bio is but at my school it’s relatively hard because of the teacher. 3-4 hours is nice to study for a test if you have the time. Since you are taking harder classes this year, try to trim the time down to an hour or 2 by focusing on key points and/or dividing the study time up across 2-3 days instead of the night before (I say this but I don’t think I was ever disciplined enough to manage this…) Definitely buy prep books for each class bc they are concise and helpful for reviewing. (But as a side note, how well do you actually want to do on the final AP exam? I was able to get As in class, but I was a mess during AP exam week…mostly because couldn’t devote enough time to each class before the tests)
I took 3 APs my sophomore yr and 6 this year. I’ll admit I was a little nervous because only a handful of juniors/seniors take 6 APs each year at my school, and an upperclassman that did told me it was a lot of work. I think I struggled more than I should’ve because I often procrastinated until 7 or 8 before starting homework. The work ethic that I had freshmen and sophomore year (like making flash cards for every quiz/test, doing every assignment a day early) started to slip junior year (lost motivation and focus, winged a lot more)… Try not to fall into that trap and just remember that colleges are not as forgiving for junior year grades.
Even so, Do Not let stress overtake you. You can manage 5 APs with a level head, but if you panic about every B on a test or quiz you will only damage your own esteem and mental state. This is the most valuable thing I learned about managing stress . Allow yourself to get bad grades sometimes, then (Calmly) revise how you prepare for tests, ask the teacher for help, find out if you can do corrections, etc. Focus on just the final grades(this doesn’t mean wait till May to raise your grade, it just serves as a reminder that only final semester grades count) not each individual assignment, or you will drive yourself crazy. I would say I work at an average pace. Even if you work slower, if you start hw immediately at 5 and are willing to sleep a little later (11-1) on some/most days, then I’m sure you could handle it and still maintain straight As.
Talk to upperclassmen at your school. How do the teachers grade? What shortcuts can you take to complete work and learn faster? Which teachers offer help outside of class? Know how to get on the teachers’ good sides and understand which teachers are more lenient (mistakes and bad time management will probably happen at least once, try to prioritize).
Most of all, you know how you work. Maybe you need to get out of the house to study. Maybe you study better with a friend or study group. Maybe you can’t truly can’t handle 5 APs (yet). That’s ok too. You (probably) have until the 1st interim to transfer out of a class. Try to get adjusted and if things don’t seem too bad or are getting easier (Not easy, just easier) then stick with it! The fact that you’re on here asking questions and striving for straight As shows that you’re a high achieving, driven student. (As a disclaimer, I’m obviously going off how my school counts grades and administers schedule changes, so definitely confirm with your counselor.)
Good luck, but personally, I think you’ll be fine.
Was that per week or per day? Because I only did about 45 mins per week.
@RMNiMiTz I was on a block schedule so about 2-3x per week. This includes the actual hw assignment of taking notes/answering questions too. I realize that I’m a slow reader and definitely not a history buff, but assuming that OP is a slow worker on history, I think my estimated time is within the range of time they will take. Maybe 30min - 1 hr is a little more reasonable though…
History took me a while bc it was boring to me, so op, if you have an interest in the subject, you will probably not struggle as much in that class.
As previously established, workload is entirely dependent on the teacher at your school. Some teachers may give minimal homework for APUSH while others give hours of homework for AP Psych.
The universal opinion is that some APs are generally harder than others. AP Physics C is definitely more challenging than AP Human Geography could ever be. One thing, though, is that based upon your strengths and weaknesses, some of the AP material may be harder or easier than for the average AP student. For me, AP Calculus was a breeze and I feel confidently that I made a five on the exam without stressing at all.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write all that, it was helpful indeed! 