How I Got a 5 on the (hard) AP Euro Exam
One question ive been asked constantly since the 2015 AP Euro scores came out is “How did YOU come out with a 5?” Its not posed as a mean question, but theres this perception that if you are the type of person to get a 5 you have to be super studious, no fun, no boyfriend/girlfriend, loser, no life just hardcore study study study. And…i’m not that kinda student. In fact, i didnt even become a “good” student until maybe the beginning of junior year, to be honest. I had a very small AP Euro class (8 people i mean) and i was one of two people who had a five in the class. The other girl was…kinda what i described about. All her life was all about studying, she took all APs, didnt hang out with people, she even told me once she only went to after school clubs just enough to have them count on her common app for college, not for actual enjoyment… i’m not like that. not by a long shot- so in order to help others in prep for AP Euro, here’s my advice on how I got a 5. (and some advice on what not to do, based on the other people in my class)
My teacher said he thought i could only score a 3, maybe a four. I wanted to prove him wrong.
My biggest hater was my boyfriend, actually (just for reference we were in the same class). While i was working my ass off everyday, always reading my Crash Course or my Princeton all i would hear from him is “i dont know why you’re studying so hard” “you’re making yourself sick, you need to stop.” “It’s all pointless, its either you know it or you dont.” “Youre studying so much and getting so anxious, here i am playing video games and not giving a shit and im sure im gonna be fine on the test because im not stressed out like you are” Granted, at the time he was going through his parents divorce and i think he was partially taking it out on me- but thats hard to hear from anyone, especially your boyfriend you’ve been dating for years. I was working so hard and studying so hard because i wanted a good score, not even a 5, i just really wanted a 4, at least- and then you hear that discouragement and…it sucks. At the time while it hurt i didnt pay it anymind and still worked as hard as i did and then fast forward to result day… I got the 5. He got a 1. And he cried, i swear to you, he cried. I didnt play the “i told you so game, though i did think so.” To people who work hard, you’ll be rewarded. If you slack and think its all gonna come to you…its not.
Actually read those study books (and heres what i read)
Who wants to hear you actually have to work? Yes..you do. Even if you have a great teacher, youre gonna need to supplement that class time with actual work. My school gave us 4 books in total: two textbooks- Mckay and Kagan, and two study guides- The Princeton Review (long) and the Crash Course book (short review) I read both of the guides…all the way through. Crazy right? I would just read them in my spare time- bus ride home? Lets read about the War of 1812 cause im kinda fuzzy on it. To me, i like history so it wasnt a complete chore, but if you want a good score its good to know your content. And after reading those two, i KNEW European History. If you arent so lucky to have access to review books, message me in my ask and i will give you my links to the pdf version.
…and watch those study videos
This one i dont think is so bad. Honestly you can just play them in the background while you do other things, and having things explained by a teacher online isnt so bad. I recommend
Tom Richey’s Videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIcmPM0zwQQ&list=PLfzs_X6OQBOxudw-bxvxBuTWvh6bwaVhQ)
annnd Crash Course’s select videos on euro history (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjEGncridoQ&list=PLO0R3oPRL55yxFBqtxvWyN0CQZ-iSre8m)
…and even sign up for those tumblr AP Euro guides.
does this seem excessive? maybe a bit, but its good to have people who are going or have gone through the same class- even my studyblr might help. Sometimes its easier to review when you have funny gifs or jokes in the middle of your review session,just to lighten the edge. Here’s a list of AP Euro blogs i followed
http://awyeahapeuro.tumblr.com/
http://easyeuro.tumblr.com/
http://thecrashcourse.tumblr.com/
http://apbymichelle.tumblr.com/
http://pbsthisdayinhistory.tumblr.com/ (not exactly AP euro, but you’ll find some interesting things that might help you on the test.
It helps if you’ve taken an AP before, not gonna lie
Its going to be a lot harder for you if youve never had an ap class before. Thats the hard truth about it, its not going to be easy, and some people cant deal with that. Theres a lot more work and a lot more pressure. Can you handle that? I want to warn you. AP teachers will be up your ass. They will give you huge packets of work and expect it done when they ask you for it. They will not accept regular essays, they will accept AP essays. They will give you twice the work of a regular class, and expect it due on the same time. You actually have to work hard if you want to get a 5. A lot of people get fustrated with the work and get angry, but thats the reality of AP work and also there is a reward at the end of the tunnel, trust me.
An interesting tidbit: during the essay portion of the test, me and alex (the only other girl who got a 5) were the last people to finish
little interesting thing. The essay portion of the test is about 120 minutes. The people who got failed were done the first, within about 40 minutes and were confident. The people that did okay were done at about an hour. But me and alex took the longest to finish (about 115 minutes) and wrote about 12 pages in total for the 3 essays. Coincedence? just take your time and reeaally plan out your essays. Here was my strategy: since for ⅔ essays youre allowed a choice of what to write, for any essay you think you can write about in the margins try to write about 3 examples for it, if you cant do it, find another essay to write.
Come into it with a good attitude….but be aware you’re gonna have some major anxiety
This is a stressful class, but its worth it. Trust me, you’ll learn a lot, i promise you.
I kept my AP schedule manageable
A lot of people i know who take APs go crazy and take a bunch. If you can, try to keep a somewhat managable schedule. For example, in sophmore year i took 1 AP, junior year: 2 APs, senior year: 3 APs. Also, they should be classes you have strength in, like if your good at history take history classes.
you ever hear cheaters never prosper? Its true. You’re not gonna learn the material, and you’re teacher might find out. Which will make him a whole lot harder on you then others. Trust me. And you want your teacher to like you, he’ll let you off a lot easier when you fuck up.
relax and be a teenager for once
in the end, if you work your ass off for too long a period of time you will burn out. Burnouts not fun, ive seen my friends go through it. One time my friend was doing a presentation where she had a wrong fact that the teacher jokingly pointed out and she ran out of the class into the bathroom to vomit. When you pressure yourself so much you can really hurt yourself.
KNOW YOUR TREATIES. Know em’. Do it.
Theyre the hardest thing to remember so of course theyre tested the hardest. Look in the Crash course book for a helpful list.
Watch out for your physical and emotional health
really. Eat right, try to walk a little, stretch after a long studying session. try to meditate. relax. breathe. love yourself, dearies
And you better not stop after learning WWII history
the test makers know most AP classes will only get up to about post WWII history. Dont slack, read bout the Cold War, read bout the Euro law, dont stop, because they will expect you too.
AND ALWAYS STUDY RUSSIA AND WOMEN.
know about russia, know about women. Its the most frequently tested things on any test.
