How To Get A Five in AP Euro!
So AP exams are coming up soon, and with that, all the stress that comes with it. Now, I took AP European History last year, and got a five for the exam, so I’m sharing my study plan that helped me then, and hopefully help out someone this year!
Now these are the two I used last year, and while I’d recommend using them together, it depends on how intensive you want your study plan to be
Focuses on your studying on stuff that will actually be tested, and prevents from spending too much time on stuff that won’t be
Comes with practice AP exams
A little too succinct. Goes on the side of not enough detail sometimes
Not the best for a standalone prep book
Modern European History by Viault
Has summaries in the front of the chapter, and results at the end
Basically has everything you need to know for a five
Gets too detailed at times. (You probably won’t ever need to know about the War of Roses in early England)
Not AP specific, so there isn’t any testing tips or practice exams
For ap euro, I started actually studying during spring break, which at my school is the beginning of April. This gave me about a month overall of studying for the exam, but ap euro was my only ap class, so I could dedicate all of my studying time to it. Ideally, I would review major units, like the Renaissance or Reformation, and finish with that review two weeks before the test, so I could use those two weeks for practice tests, and flash card repetition.
I had a specific stucture to my notes that I think really helped me with the essays and saq.
First, I would summarize the event. Try to get the basics of the entire movement in as few sentences as possible. Then I would go into the causes of the it. For the FR, for example, I wrote that debt, privileges of the nobility, and inability of the monarchy to fix issues were among the chief causes of it. Then, depending on the event, I’d go into subevents, like Estates General, National Assembly, etc. If needed, notable people/events/ideas. Then, finally, I’d write about the lasting results of the event, like maybe the declaration of the rights of man, or this leading to Napoleon’s rise to power.
After these notes are done, I redid notes on events I was still shaky on, for me personally it was the Enlightenment, art, and the Industrial Revolution, and overall themes important for the exam (women and russia!!! it was a leq and saq, respectively for me), and how they changed throughout the years.
Be comfortable above all. If that means sweatpants and a baggy shirt, with your hair in a messy bun, or jeans and shirt with styled hair, do it.
Bring your favorite black/blue pens, #2 pencils, eraser, and sharpener in a pencil case. Better to be over prepared than underprepared here.
Bring water, and maybe another drink, and a couple snacks. There’s no need to add to your test anxiety the worry of your stomach growling in the middle of a quiet test room.
Don’t study the day before. Maybe a quick skim of your notes (no more than 20 minutes), but that’s all. It will only stress you out, and if you were properly studying, you should know your stuff. Make this day a treat yourself day instead.
Eat breakfast, no matter how small
Frequently Missed MC (Seriously, writing these down saved me on a SAQ question!!)
Let me know if you want any other advice, like specifics on writing the essays, or if you have any questions!!
