Official AP Euro '11 Study Sessions

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
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<p>Folks, the purpose of this thread is to prepare for the AP European History 2011 exam, in which we will all try helping in each other, by asking questions, answering the ones we can, providing resourceful links, maps, etc...</p>

<p>While many of you out there may be taking this course in very different school years, I want to inform those who do not know of how the APEH test is laid out - By themes:</p>

<p>1/3 - Intellectual and Cultural Themes
1/3 - Political and Diplomatic Themes
1/3 - Social and Economic Themes</p>

<p>Also, the test is designed to test your knowledge from the High Renaissance period to the present. Half of the multiple choice (which there are 80 questions) is from 1450 to Napoleonic Era, the rest is from there and on. Yes folks, that's 40 and 40...</p>

<p>You will have the Document-based Question (DBQ) which you will have 15 minutes to read the documents, and 45 minutes to answer it. You MAY read the documents for longer time, but be careful with you time. The Free-Response Questions (FRQ's) give you many topics to choose, and you should take up to 70 minutes on them. </p>

<p>As the year progresses, I will post thorough review on how to write these, and how to manage time. Be sure you read often inside and outside of school, it'll improve your reading techniques. Read in the car, in the bathroom, anywhere!!!</p>

<p>I will also give detailed reviews on the following subjects: Renaissance, Reformation, Religious Wars, Constitutional Advances, Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, French Revolution, Napoleonic Era, Early 19th Century, Late 19th Century, Imperialism, WWI, Russian Revolution, and Europe Between the Wars. I know this is A LOT, but hang still, we will try to take the pain slowly and steady.</p>

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<p>(reserved for later use)</p>

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<p>[reserved for further resources]</p>

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<p>[reserved for further use, as well]</p>

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<p>This does not make sense.</p>

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<p>You realize that 20 minutes after you make a post, you will no longer be able to edit it right? In any case, this is way too early. Try to relax.</p>

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<p>What doesn’t? It’s basically a thread full of resources, not yet, but it’ll start compiling.</p>

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<p>Yo Eddie.
I am finishing the course in summer, and I probably will not take the class.
But I think Euro is not a hard course, so one summer should be sufficient.</p>

<p>Try out testfrenzy.com, and flashcardexchange.com for AP Euro flashcards.</p>

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<p>Your multiple “reserved for later use” posts.</p>

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<p>Thank you, I’ll add those sites as resources in the posts above.</p>

<p>@ 082349; it’s basically posts that I reserved to edit later and add resources, such as timelines, important names, etc…</p>

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<p>You can’t edit since the 20-minute time limit is up you know.</p>

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<p>Check out my son’s website that he did a couple of years ago. Kids are still using it and find it quite helpful. </p>

<p>[Hank’s</a> History Hour](<a href=“http://hankshistoryhour.com/]Hank’s”>http://hankshistoryhour.com/)</p>

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<p>Wow! Hank’s podcasts are VERY easy on the ear. His speech is eloquent and insanely informative… and actually makes it interesting! I’m even more ecstatic because he used the same textbook that I have currently. I’ll definitely be bookmarking this and spreading the word…</p>

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<p>If you have any questions (especially about self-studying), I’d love to help; I’m a 2010 European, and just got my 5 back :)</p>

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<p>I’m up for helping the newbies to AP Euro too! I’m also a 2010 European, and also just got my 5 back :slight_smile: I didn’t self-study though.</p>

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<p>Hank’s History Hour is AWESOME.</p>

<p>Did your son use it for his main EC?</p>

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<p>Hey guys. I took AP Euro this year and got a 5, and I’d love to share some tips looking back at the course:</p>

<p>-The most invaluable resource, other than class notes and my teacher, was AP European History Crash Course by REA ([Amazon.com:</a> AP European History Crash Course (REA) (9780738606613): Larry Krieger: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/European-History-Crash-Course-REA/dp/0738606618]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/European-History-Crash-Course-REA/dp/0738606618)). GET IT. I was stressed out towards the end of the year as we were nearing the AP because of other schoolwork and because I had not done much preparation with any review book. I knew I would never get through the Princeton Review book in time (the best full sized review book by the way in terms of the realistic-ness of the MC questions), and I bought this one. I’m SO glad I did. It’s short, to-the-point, and easy to read. You won’t be able to rely on it for the entire class, but in terms of brushing up on things that aren’t covered as well by the textbook (at least mine) like the arts, women, and the Cold War Era (that was more because it was the final weeks of the class), this book is absolutely perfect.</p>

<p>-I know that many people who take AP Euro have already taken an AP history course, but for those who haven’t: when you do your first DBQ, it’s going to feel hard, overwhelming even. That’s how it felt for me. I had no idea how I could do it in the allotted time. The truth is, depending on the prompt, the DBQ is often the easiest part of the exam. Unlike AP US, you need NO prior knowledge of any of the material (although it helps). So, if you know NOTHING about European History, you can still get a 9, easily. The trick is to understand and even memorize the rubric. You should know what you need to do and how to get a 9. You should have 4 groups, have POV/“Bias” wherever possible, and should have a clear thesis statement that answers the question. Then, maybe throw in a quote you remember or other outside information, if you can, and you already have a 9 as long as you got the 6 core points. In other words, the DBQ is formulaic and will get very easy by the end of the year if you get enough practice. If anyone doesn’t understand the DBQ rubric or how to write a DBQ and would like to know (I won’t go in much more detail here because it’s the summer!) just let me know and I can go into more depth. Your teacher should be able to help you master it in no time, though.</p>

<p>-When answering MC Q’s, the trick is to look for superlatives or strong language (e.g. “always” “never” “most” “best” “worst”) and to use the process of elimination.</p>

<p>-When preparing for the FRQ section, try to pick a few eras that you want to “specialize” in. I would recommend knowing the renaissance/reformation and French Revolution for the first group and WWI and WWII/Cold War for the second group. There are 2 FRQs, grouped by time (1400-1815, 1815-present) so with those 4 you should be good to go.</p>

<p>-Other resources that were great were practice exams (which your teacher will either give you throughout/towards the end of the year or you can get online for a price), and the practice questions in review books (the best by far was Princeton Review, and I thought the worst was REA (not Crash Course but the main REA book)). You can also find some review Q’s in the Course Description on the College Board website. </p>

<p>-KNOW: the French Revolution, the Cold War, and Women, plus the names of some of the artists of the major artistic eras (Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, etc.)</p>

<p>The real secret to any AP class is a great teacher. With a great teacher and some effort, you will get a 5!</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK!</p>

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<p>I have to disagree with this statement. Sure, a great teacher helps (and saves you a lot of time that you would have spent studying), but a bad one won’t screw you over for the AP test if you’re willing to work for a 5. My AP Euro teacher this year was more than incompetent; I studied my ass off and got a 5.</p>

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<p>Wow. I never knew the AP European History exam could be so deeply analyzed. I did not have a preparatory book and received a 5. Hip hop hooray.</p>

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<p>A great teacher will finish the course a month before the AP test. Mine gave us so much practice that we didn’t even have to study much to get a 5.</p>