<p>I am considering self studying comparative politics, human geography, and possibly art history and enviro sci (if I can't switch into AP bio at school, I will probably take the Physics B exam, since I will have a full year of honors physics) These would be my first, and I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. Should I just get the review books, or should I get a text book, as well? Thanks, a ton!!</p>
<p>I recommend against using textbooks unless you get to a topic that you cannot figure out on your own, which is unlikely for those AP’s you stated (besides Physics B if your honors class doesn’t cover everything). You should just get the 2 best review books for each exam and work through them throughout the year, taking all the practice tests and making sure you know what every vocab word means (Human Geo and Enviro Sci are largely vocabulary-based tests).</p>
<p>Thanks a ton!!</p>
<p>Get the review books. They have all the necessary information in easy to follow chapters with helpful review questions. They also only have the information necessary for the AP exam. There was a topic covered on one the the exams I took this year that was not in my textbook, but that was in a review book.</p>
<p>Thanks! In your opinion, are these good ones to self study? I think the comp gov’t one won’t be too bad, since I am taking US gov this year and am in debate and model UN.</p>
<p>Those are good subjects to self-study. I took US Gov last year for about 3 months in school and it was easy, so self-studying Comp Gov shouldn’t be too bad.</p>
<p>So when studying, should I just get the books and devote a certain amount of time per day to read a little out of all of them, or should I tackle one subject at a time?</p>
<p>I took on 4 APs this year and I found it best to take them on one at a time. Throughout the month of April I devoted about 3 hours in the afternoon to review book time each day. I would do a different subject each day and I found that it really helped. I would suggest doing something similar to that, maybe doing a different subject each day. Increase the amount of time you study as you draw nearer to AP exam week.</p>
<p>Alright, thanks a ton! I just have to make sure I balance everything out well since I am a 2 sport athlete, in model UN and debate, and am taking 2-3 AP courses at school.</p>
<p>Yeah, you’ll have to balance your schedule, but it will be well worth it in the end. I often made the best use of my time carrying review books with me wherever I went. When I had some free time I would just read a chapter or two out of one of my review books. Doctor’s offices and waiting rooms get pretty dull, so it is perfect for studying. :)</p>
<p>Wait, so to “self-study”, does one just simply read and do review questions in the book, then take the practice exam?</p>
<p>AP Human is basically memorizing as much vocabulary as possible. It’s not hard and we got lucky this year with really easy essays.</p>
<p>^^Self study is taking the AP exam without taking a class.</p>
<p>Yes, I know what “self-study” is, but how does one go about it? Do I just buy a review book and read from it and do the review questions inside it?</p>
<p>^Basically, that is all there is to it. You can also use other resources like a textbook or AP Central, but most of it comes out of review books.</p>
<p>My dad is worried about me overloading myself, do you think it can be done? Also, is it a decent boost on my resume? I would like to get national AP scholar to put on my app.</p>
<p>It’s a lot to take on, but certainly not an overload. There are many on here who have overloaded, but yours looks manageable. So do not worry about that. AP Scholar Awards are nice to have; I don’t know how much they add to the app, but they certainly only add positive things to the list.</p>
<p>I hear that the first three levels aren’t that great, but the National one is good. These also compliment the current classes I am taking quite well.</p>
<p>Yeah, it doesn’t mean much unless you get National, maybe even w/ Distinction, possibly, depending on where you apply. That is good to hear that they complement your current classes. There should be no danger of overload in that case.</p>