A little more than two months until AP exams folks! Hang in there!
I was wondering if you all could share how you study for AP exams.
Do you get review books and just take notes on everything, or use different resources along with your school notes?
Im taking Ap lang, whap, ap bio, and ap calc, and my method of studying usually just consists of going through entire review books rewriting everything. not the most efficient way to study. What do you guys do?
For AP Calculus, I just do lots of MC and free response problems. When you think about it, AP Calculus is basically just differentiating, integrating, and doing simple things through differentiation and integration. The free response definitely requires practice since critical thinking is necessary to figure out what the question is asking and how to solve it. I have been doing better and better, and I am confident that I will receive a 5.
For World History and Biology (I took both last year), I crammed the Princeton study guide. I was only a Sophomore, so I was stupid and didn’t realize that we only covered 10% of what we had to know by mid-March. So I had to cram my entire textbook within a month and a half. I got a 3 on both exams unfortunately. Looking back on it, I would make sure that I cover all of the content before studying. Keep on moving forward until you reach the end. Then get Princeton’s (or Barron’s if you really want a 4 or 5) review book and read through to see what you missed. I noticed that I missed out on key individuals of the modern era such as John Locke and Atatürk.
AP English Language is very subjective. You need to know how to write essays… and fast! Look at student responses to past exams. Knowing the difference between a 4 and a 8 on an essay is a HUGE difference. Know how to construct a thesis, know how to analyze rhetorical and syntax strategies, know how to stay specific in an argumentative essay and form counterarguments. The multiple choice is like SAT Literature on steroids. Know how to describe tone, differentiate the fallacies, and identify what rhetorical strategy fits whatever question they ask. I haven’t bought a review book yet, but I heard that most review books are good. Some like Cliff, some like Barron’s, some like 5 Steps to a 5, so it is your choice. Sorry if I’m too specific. AP English Lang can be hit or miss. I have taken practice tests and received mixed scores ranging from 3 to 5, so it’s hard to find the secrets to the multiple choice.