Quick Guide to AP Psychology Self-Study

Test Preparation AP History & Social Sciences
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Here’s a quick guide to self-studying for AP Psychology, as this topic seems to be very popular on these forums. Overall, it’s a fairly straightforward exam, and here’s the process most people seem to follow:</p>

Step 1: Buy a good review book. From the general consensus, the best two are Princeton Review and Barron’s. Barron’s tends to be a little more detailed, while Princeton Review is a lot more clear and concise (i.e. very good for cramming), but less detailed. Barron’s is the best option if you plan on starting early. PR is better if you decide to put off studying until a few days before the test (which I don’t recommend doing…) If you want to save money, get an old edition off amazon.com or half.com or ebay.</p>

Step 2: Memorize all the vocabulary from the book. The AP Psychology Exam is pretty much just a giant vocabulary test on all the psychology terms from the book. It might help to have a basic understanding of the various terms, but it honestly isn’t entirely necessary. As long as you memorize the **** out of the review book, you should be golden for the exam. Also, don’t get too bogged down on the details. It’s much more important that you cover all the topics, rather than mastering only a few topics.</p>

Step 3: Work lots of old AP free-response and MC questions. This is especially crucial for the FRQ section, as it does involve writing an ‘essay response’ to the various questions.</p>

Step 4: If you did lots of old AP questions and read the review book thoroughly, then you should be golden. If you don’t have anything else to do, then keep on reviewing the vocabulary from your review book and/or work through more practice AP problems. Lastly, some topics on the exam may be challenging, so if there are any topics that you’re struggling with, then look online for help. From my experience, wikipedia is a fantastic resource if you’re ever confused about a topic. </p>

And yup, that’s pretty much all there is to it! Overall, it’s a straightforward exam that is largely based on simple rote memorization.</p>

FAQs:

  1. Should I self-study AP Psychology?
    It’s a great (and easy) way to knock out a general education or humanities requirement in college. It also looks nice on college apps, even though it’s probably the most ridiculously easy AP exam out there. Lastly, psychology is also a pretty fun and interesting subject! If you can commit the necessary time and start your studying early, then it’s a fantastic option. Also, if any of you are in schools that offer psychology as a elective, then taking it along with AP psych can also be a great option.</p>

<ol>
<li>What’s the best time to self-study for it?
Any year is fine, though ideally sophomore or senior year are the best in my opinion. It’s probably easiest when you’re a senior, as two useful pre-reqs for psychology are AP stats and AP biology. Basic AP stats is approx. 10% of the exam, and bio (mostly neuron biology and nervous system anatomy) is another 10% of the exam approximately. However, these pre-reqs honestly are not necessary. As long as you can commit the necessary time (which really isn’t too much) to self-studying, then any year during high school should be fine.</p></li>
<li>Should I get a textbook?
It depends on what you want to get out of the experience. If you just want a good AP score, then it’s not necessary; the review books will be sufficient for the exam. However, if you truly want to master and understand the subject, a good textbook is “Psychology” by Myers (look it up on amazon.com). Again, don’t bother with the most recent edition. The old editions contain almost the exact same content for a much cheaper price.</p></li>
<li>If my high school has the course, should I still self-study AP Psychology? - This is a personal decision that depends on the quality of your school’s psychology instructor(s) and many other factors. All I can tell you is that self-studying for psychology is very doable and overall straightforward. By no means is an actual course necessary.</p></li>
</ol>

That’s pretty much all I have to say for the exam. I could keep rambling on and on about additional strategies, but that’s what your review book is for. I just want to again emphasize the importance of starting early (at least 1 month before the exam)! Yes, it’s possible for some people to have an all-night cram session before the exam, but you’ll be much better off if you start early. Not only will it be less stressful, but also you’re more likely to get something useful out of the course. Again, as long as you read the review book thoroughly and do lots of problems, you’re pretty much guaranteed a 4 or 5. </p>

If you have any questions or other suggestions, please feel free to let me know! Best of luck!</p>

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<p>I heard Crash Course was a good book also. What is your opinion?</p>

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<p>Will Princeton Review 2010 edition be adequate?</p>

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<p>Also, have you taken/self-studied U.S. Government? I’m also self-studying that and would like to know how much time I should spend so that I can try to get a 5.</p>

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<h2>I haven’t used the crash course, but I’ve heard it is clear, concise, and really focuses on the essential material for the AP exam. It’s very cheap on amazon right now, so feel free to use it as well. I wouldn’t recommend relying solely on the crash course, however.</h2>

<p>Yes, I used the 2010 version of PR and it was perfectly fine. Sorry, I haven’t self-studied US govt. Hope this info helps / good luck!</p>

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<p>awww, if only u had posted this sooner. i decided to self study pysch like two months before the exam, crammed with barrons, and got a 3.</p>

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<p>Okay thanks Equilibrium!</p>

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<p>Perfect thank you!</p>

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<p>What sort of statistics are on the test? Could you give me an example? (What’s “basic” for AP Stat?)</p>

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<p>This should be most of the topics: Normal distribution, sampling techniques, and descriptive stats (histograms, bar charts, mean/mode/median/std dev, etc), and the basic ideas of linear regression and P-values</p>

<p>Here is a fairly useful link:
[Elementary</a> Statistics for AP Psychology | Education.com](<a href=“Education.com | #1 Educational Site for Pre-K to 8th Grade”>Education.com | #1 Educational Site for Pre-K to 8th Grade)</p>

<p>For a full list, see your review book or <a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board;

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<p>How much time should I give myself to prep for the exam? (First week of school just passed, 9 months to go.)</p>

<p>No background knowledge of the class, etc.
Just heard the exam was a joke</p>

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<p>You don’t need a full guide to Ap psych lol. Just get Barron’s and that is all, guaranteed 4+.</p>

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<p>Bookmarked! Grabbing Barron’s. I’m also a senior so I’m happy to know this is one of the best years to study.</p>

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<p>barrons is pretty detailed and thorough, but really good. I started reading it ~2 months before thr exam because I also had 3 other APs to study for.</p>

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<p>"How much time should I give myself to prep for the exam? (First week of school just passed, 9 months to go.)</p>

<p>No background knowledge of the class, etc.
Just heard the exam was a joke"</p>

<p>It’s doable in just one month, but give yourself 3-4 months to be safe. It’ll be less stressful, and more manageable as you won’t be cramming for all your other AP exams as well. However, if you like doing things last minute, then by all means go ahead and self-study it in 1 month.</p>

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<p>some useful links:
Resources: [Psychology[/url</a>]
Notes and Resources: [url=&lt;a href=“http://teachers.bcps.org/teachers_sec/jbillingslea/ap.html]AP”&gt;http://teachers.bcps.org/teachers_sec/jbillingslea/ap.html]AP</a> Psychology Exam Prep Page](<a href=“http://www.wdeptford.k12.nj.us/high_school/ss/psychology.htm]Psychology[/url”>http://www.wdeptford.k12.nj.us/high_school/ss/psychology.htm)
Notes: [AP</a> Psychology - Notes, Outlines, Vocabulary and Quizzes](<a href=“http://www.course-notes.org/Psychology]AP”>AP Psychology Help, Notes, Outlines, and Essays | CourseNotes | CourseNotes)
Cram Packet: <a href=“http://doyleqhs.■■■■■■■■■■/uploads/1/1/2/7/11270981/ap_psychology_exam_cram_sheet.pdf[/url]”>http://doyleqhs.■■■■■■■■■■/uploads/1/1/2/7/11270981/ap_psychology_exam_cram_sheet.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Bump - still not too late to start self-studying for this!</p>

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<p>Other resources:
[AP</a> Central - AP Psychology Course Home Page](<a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>AP Psychology Course – AP Central | College Board)</p>

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<p>Bump - Still not too late to start self-studying for this!</p>

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<p>Thank you so much! Your posts have helped me finally make up my mind to self-study it. :)</p>