<p>I am also self-studying this, I will probably start pretty close to the exam, like the weekend before lol, but I am good a cramming stuff. Did the same thing with Psych last year. I am a sophomore, and I am taking AP Biology and Self-studying AP Euro, World, Enviro(duh), and Stat. So which books are the best, PR, Smartypants, and Crash Course?</p>
<p>Do you guys recommend taking the Biology E SAT II if we’re also taking AP Environmental Science?</p>
<p>Mash, like a 770-800 on the biology E would look more impressive than APes in my opinion.</p>
<p>Thanks, but I wasn’t really asking which would look better. I was thinking more of would an AP Environmental Science course help you prepare for the Biology E SAT II’s?</p>
<p>@Mashfeek–It will probably help familiarize you with the basics, but you should take a review course to brush up on the stuff that isn’t covered. I say go for it! </p>
<p>I’m excited for this class! So far, we’ve done really… stupid (for lack of a word that can express my feelings more clearly) experiments. I get the whole ‘starting small’ thing, but this is an AP, albeit one of the easier ones! My class is mostly slacking seniors, though, except for me and three other sophomores who really are trying to avoid AP Chem! ;)</p>
<p>I have the 5 steps to a 5 review book, which I absolutely love because it has study schedules that are flexible depending on how much time you have. Planning what to study when has always been something I struggle with, so I really recommend this book! Plus the information is good and is explained well, of course. If there’s enough interest I can type up a basic study schedule by what to do each month, similar to what I’ve planned for myself.</p>
<p>What have you guys done so far?</p>
<p>My class is planning to go on a canoe trip in Delaware, but that’s not really my type of thing so I’m not going. Other than that, we learned about the environmental philosophy and economics and I got an 85 on that test and I’m not sure if I should be proud of my grade though.</p>
<p>my class just finishee the ecosystems unit. Quadrat sampling, nutrient cycles, food&biomass pyramids ands webs, etc.</p>
<p>Just took first test…I’m more concerned with the coarse rather than the Exam…My teacher is the nicest thing on the planet, but her tests are brutal… </p>
<p>The test questions are all application, meaning if she explained the hydrological cycle in class for notes, her test questions would be 'Which animal is least affected by the hydrological cycle?" I feel like I’m not interested in learning the material, it’s hard for me to store the information in my head and memorize things from the tedious textbook.</p>
<p>Any tips on how to grasp the information more fully?</p>
<p>I got an 86 on my last test, is that bad?</p>
<p>^ depends on how hard your test was and what was on it 
An 86 isn’t bad, but you can always do better!
But you can always prepare for your next test! Worrying about the past doesn’t help much
If the topic that you were tested is on the APES exam, then you should probably go over the content in your free time :)</p>
<p>I’m not sure if my class is behind or not… supposedly, the class had a really good passing rate in the previous yrs. and my teacher is AWESOME; she is the best! But yeah, we have more homework than anything else in that class. It’s my favorite class, but we’ve only gone over the intro to enviro. sci. (Ch.1 for most textbooks, I’m assuming), environmental law and ethics (the last two chapters of my textbook), and food and agriculture (about Ch.12- halfway through the book). Lol, we skip back and forth, but what do you guys think? Is this really worth 25% of the APES exam, or close?</p>
<p>Mufasa: I don’t know about you, but maybe a review book would help? I’ve heard pretty good things about Princeton Review and REA Crash Course 
This is quite obvious, but whatever way works best for you for studying is all that matters!
In your notes, you could always review, rewrite, and add on to them. For example, when your teacher asks about the hydrologic cycle, you could look it up online and write a few examples. I’m sure YouTube or something similar will have good APES review videos!</p>
<p>If all else fails, there’s no choice- READ THE TEXTBOOK. How many pages are in a chapter, on avg.?</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I have a project due in a month where we have to call a governor or some political figure about an environmental issue. An my first test was about Environmental Philosophy, which I got an 85 on and my second test was on the biogeochemical cycles, which I got an 86 on. My third test is this Tuesday and it’s on biodiversity.</p>
<p>^Good job on your test scores! :)</p>
<p>Thanks! And looks like Hurricane Sandy pushed my next test forward a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>When are you self-studiers going to start? The prepared person in me says Spring break, but i might push it off until the weekend before LOL. And Also, what books do you plan on using?</p>
<p>I heard the Princeton book is good for self-prepping.</p>
<p>I hate this class. Our book is from 2001 and the class was last offered two years ago and everyone who took it got a four, looks like my class is predestined to get fours or worse.</p>
<p>Lololol, everyone said the class would be really easy. It’s not. ._.
The CONTENT may be easy, but (at least at my school) there’s a lot of hw…
I hate to complain about stuff like this, but it’s just annoying~</p>
<p>Yeah everyone at my school is like, “Oh my god take APES it’s super easy!” Yeah right. This stuff is so difficult, I’m lucky if I get a high C on my tests!</p>