<p>Hi, first of all, thank you very much for the information 
I go to an American high school in Turkey and I will be a junior this year. Even though it is a prep school with the most difficult curriculum in the country, students can take only one AP course their junior and senior years. I chose AP Physics C:Mechanics for my junior year and C: Electricity and Magnetism the next year. The other offered AP class was Chemistry (but I didn’t choose it because the first term of this year, the AP Physics C teacher will teach us calculus, so that would make things easier for me, right?) Also Calculus AB is mandatory the senior year. I plan to self study for Physics 1, Physics 2, Physics C:Mechanics, Physics C:Electricity and Magnetism and Chemistry this year. I plan to take these this May, is it super difficult to self study for these? Keeping in mind that the Turkish science curriculum is much more advanced than the American one, would I be able to get 5’s from all these tests? I will use the results of this tests when applying to universities in the US, in November-January and I want to take Calculus AB and Economics the year after, in case the school I will attend accepts AP’s as college credit. I also will have to self study for those because the Calculus AB in my school won’t be enough to get a 5. Is the plan I have in mind logical and doable? Thank you very much</p>
<p>@xoxo123, you’re right. Ivy League schools do not give credit for AP classes, though if you have a 5 on the AP exam in a subject, you’re allowed to take a placement exam for advanced standing. If you can demonstrate you all know the material to start at a higher level, they’ll let you, but you don’t receive credit for it. Speaking from personal experience here.</p>
<p>@szluck, it’s hard to say how a test will change. AP Bio changed the year I took it and the Cliffnotes guide missed the change by a mile–and predicting the AP test is how they make their business.</p>
<p>@TheSoupNazi, whether that plan is doable for you depends on your personal commitment and aptitudes as a student. Most of the high schoolers I knew couldn’t have done that, but then, I didn’t go to a rigorous high school. Self-studying an AP exam is a lot of effort, and making a 5 is hard even for students who took a traditional course.</p>
<p>Taking APUSH, AP Stats, and AP English in school this year- thinking about self-studying some combination of AP Psych, AP Enviro, AP Physics 1 (I’m taking the equivalent at my school since we don’t offer the class), AP Comp Gov, and AP Human Geography. Any suggestions? I’m leaning toward physics and comparative gov at the very least, since I’m taking the class for one and IR/International Politics is kinda my thing :p</p>
This is a very old thread, sorry for reviving it. However, I needed some tips for next year. I’m going to self study for Biology, Env Sci, Statistics, and possibly Economics. I’ll be taking Euro History in school. Do you have any specific tips for these exams, and also what test prep would you recommend for me to use?
Do you think self-studying ap human geography and taking the course IB European history would be a good overlap?
How many APs do you think is reasonable to self study at once? I’ve been thinking Stats, Calculus AB, Micro and Gov for next year!
Thanks so much for this post, it’s really helpful. I was considering self-studying AP Bio and Psych (in addition to the four AP classes I will be taking at school next year). Your post makes it seem very doable.
I have a question. Would it be advisable for a Sophomore to take AP WH, Biology alongside with SAT II Chem, World History, AND self-studying Psychology?
@darkcrescendo there is no definite way to answer this question, but I’ll try my best to help you. I believe it really depends on you - whether you are a science-oriented person or history-oriented. Personally speaking, self-studying AP Psychology is pretty manageable. It takes approximately around 2-3 months. I was able to summarize and memorize one chapter in 1-2 days and there are around 14 chapters or sth like that. I got a 5 so I say you will do it well. Biology and SAT II will be a hard combo, but if you are naturally good at science, you can manage it. I advise to self-study ahead SAT II Chem because SAT II is generally easier than their AP counterparts. I had never taken AP WH but my friend say it is manageable. If you feel it is too much and want to drop out, I advise dropping out the WH because other stuffs are science and they will back up each other. I hope I answer your question 
@FanaticDomain hi! Welcome to the thread. I have taken AP European History and it is not really hard. Get Crash Course AP European - it’s the best prep book out there! My brother had taken AP environmental science and it is not that hard either. he recommends Princeton Review. Also take a lot of prep! If you want free practice tests for AP Euro, pm me. Also after every chapter you finish, immediately work on a DBQ and FRQ for that chapter. Again, if you want free DBQ and FRQ questions, pm me. Biology will be the toughest. I haven’t taken it but most people recommend Barron or sth like that. I had never taken Economics so I can’t help you, but it is one of those easy, doable AP out there. Get Crash Course for it as well. For Statistics, I really have no idea 
I opt out of it in my school because the teacher was terrible and take AP Calculus instead. I hope I answer your question
@cottoncandy24 I recommend taking 4-5 AP. 5 is the max. Micro and Gov is very doable. It would take 2-3 months to complete self-study if you put in the effort. And take a lot of prep test and you’ll be fine. AP Calculus will be your enemy. It is one of those deadly subject that gonna kill you but I manage a 5. I recommend take a LOT, and I mean A LOT of practice test. I force myself to work on 5 FRQ questions every day and do at least one packet of multiple choice. For AP Calc prep book, use Larson and do their exercises. They give you around 100 questions for each chapter. You don’t have to do all of it. I do around 20 per chapter and choose the one that seems AP level and difficult. If you put in the effort and know how to manage your time, I think you’ll do fine. Hope I answer your question
@Brinette Science and History are the only core subjects that I am really interested in (sorry Math, but NYC made it too difficult for you to understand). My Global 1/2 teacher recommended me taking the AP World because our class had this diagnostics for AP WH (think of just to see who do you recommend) and myself, alongside with 15 of my classmates got A on it. For AP Bio, my Bio teacher and her colleagues gave out letters for those who seem eligible for the Sat II Bio course (it was taken after-school). I took the Sat II Bio and got 640 for M (which I am retaking this Oct). The thing why I asked for AP Psych, because my school has a lot of variety but you have to take the course, in order to take the test (I know it’s really dumb, because if we do, one of the advisors gets really upset. Talk about being egotistical and childish). And another thing is that, you can’t drop out of the class, or you will be penalized (I don’t know how this system works). I know it depends on the person’s vicinity and how their school’s system works, but is it possible to take AP Psych in a school that only offers regular Psych (I don’t know how do you apply for an exam that isn’t administered in your local school). **(I bought myself Campbell Biology for AP Bio (because my teacher said the school’s books are horrible) and Barron’s for Sat II Chem and AP WH). Do you know what book is good for AP Bio? (Sorry if this came out too long, I really needed a good advice for my upcoming year). Thank You!!
@darkcrescendo wow your school is quite stricter and more different than mine. In my school, they don’t care whether you take the class or not. My school does offer regular psychology, but I didn’t take it and self-study AP Psychology instead, still get a 5. If the school requires you to take regular Psych in order to sit for the test, I guess you will have to, but on the guideline of College Board - which is the company offer the test - it is NOT required to take the class if you want to take the test. If you self-study a subject, make sure you tell your counselors beforehand, at least 1-2 months before the real exam. When the day comes, they will give you an AP sheet - where you will bubble in all the AP tests you want to take. It doesn’t matter if you had taken that course. Once you bubble in, they will order the test for you. I was the only student who take AP Psychology, and I sit in a room by myself with another counselor stand guarding me and that is how it works. I don’t study AP Bio, but SAT II Bio and I’m using Barron for SAT II bio and i think it offers a lot of information. Campbell Bio is a great book! But since it is a textbook, it will be hell long, so I suggest you find out a book which summarizes it - like a review book. Most people suggest Cliffsnote Ap Biology and a lot of people got 5 from it. And for the AP world history, try to sit in the class for a bit and see if you can juggle all the AP together. So sad that your school doesn’t allow you to drop out of class, but can you request not taking the AP exam? In my school, you can sit in an Ap class but not taking the AP exam - instead you do a final exam given by the teachers. Talk to your counselors about that and best of luck.
@Brinette Thank you so much! My school is really annoying when it wants to be, but oh well I can’t do anything about that. No, if you take the course, you have to take the exam, the teachers count it as a final. (And if you are economically disadvantaged, like me, they’ll give you a fee waiver, and then the NY state pays for the other portion leaving you about 21 dollars per exam, or “$12 dollar is the final fee” according to CollegeBoard.
@darkcrescendo oh I see. Try your best, and know that if you fail the AP test this year, you can always cancel the score and retake it next year. Hope you have a successful academic years!
@Brinette I’ve only read the first and last pages of this thread so since you self-studied AP psychology already I thought I might ask for your advice. I don’t know how you self-studied but I’m thinking of either using just the Myer’s textbook or just using Barron’s and the Princeton Review to study. Which would you suggest and what other sources did you use to help yourself out? I’d greatly appreciate your input, thanks
@darkskies From my own personal experience, I self study using only Barron and 5 Steps to A 5 AP Psychology. Both books help me tremendously. I also briefly look over Crash Course AP Psychology, but in honesty, the Barron book alone is enough for mw because it has a lot of information. I did not read the Myers Textbook, because I found it too long and has too much information, and I still have a 5. My suggestion is that you should self-study the material very fast on your own, so that 1-2 months before the real test, immediately download real AP Psychology tests and practice, practice, practice. I think there are 4-5 tests available online. Also, do all the FRQs you could get your hands on. For free FRQs, check out Collegeboard. I think after doing around 3-4 AP psychology test and do 5-6 FRQs, I was quite confident that I will get a 5 because everything is your memorization ability. In addition, if you want, you should create an account on Quizlet (a website for making flashcards) and input all the AP psychology terms in there and go over them 1-2 times per week. Good luck!
@Brinette thanks so much, I’ll definitely follow through on getting Barron’s and I’ll be sure watch the crash course AP psychology videos and maybe even use the textbook for topics I think I should need to know more about in depth. Just another quick question: what do you think should definitely be put in all of my FRQ responses? My current AP human geography teacher has this thing about including 4 steps in writing each FRQ (unless it’s ABSOLUTELY unnecessary) the steps are: claim, define key terms, explain, and support with geographic examples. Is there a similar process in writing FRQs for psychology (such as including theories or psychologists instead of geographic examples) and if not, how would you answer an FRQ first (what part of the question gets answered first: the detailed part or the vaguer part that leads into more examples)? Thanks so much in advance
Hey,I’m an 8th grader in India and schools here don’t offer A.P courses; I have to study on my own for them. I’m thinking of writing the European history AP or the Environmental science A.P this summer. Which one is easier or requires less prior knowledge? Which A.Ps do I take in the 9th and 10th grades?
@dogmo23 Um, European History is doable (if you self-study) but the work is somewhat immense. You also need to get used to the AP way of writing essays (unless if you weren’t taught how to write succinctly, then I don’t recommend you to take any History-like AP). Also, Environmental Science is alright but you should know your basic Biology in order to understand some of the concepts and some of the laws go alongside with AP US Government (at least from what I saw). I recommend you taking AP Psychology or AP Human Geography during Freshman year (9th grade). Since your school doesn’t offer AP, I highly recommend talking to your headmaster/principal about this because not every curriculum in each country/city/town have the same concepts (like Psychology might be a 12th grade class because it might be offered with AP Biology). Know what topics you are comfortable with because you think you know the class, but at the end, you have a lot to learn (and self studying requires dedication).