hey guys! since i just graduated from high school (which means ap exams are finally finally finished), i thought i would give others quick tips from what i remember from the courses.
i took 17 ap courses and 15 ap exams over high school and some tips will be a bit more detailed than others since they, well, happened later.
(tips under the cut)
calculus bc
+ please learn this during the year, because there is no way you can learn the entire subject a week before the exam
+ listen well during the entire period and take notes on ALL the examples
+ work through all the homework and take advantage of practice tests
+ there’s also a lot of online resources if you need clarification
+ the exam is... pretty hard, at least for someone like me, who doesn’t come from a math ground, but the good thing is since everyone does badly, the curve is amazing (you need like a 57 to get a 5)
+ give yourself about a minute and a half per question, if you don’t get it by then, GUESS and move on. a 25% chance is better than 0%.
psychology
+ the course is not so hard, but it’s very facts-dense, so pay attention during lectures
+ if you’re desperate, i’m not gonna lie, you can pretty much memorize an ap book and do well. i took the course in the summer, and the ap exam like 9 months later and still got a 5 using the princeton review book.
+ the ap has a lot of super specific terms, some of which were never mentioned in the actual course, so definitely try to get an ap book for this one.
spanish iv
+ the listening section is unclear a lot of the time and the speaker speaks really fast so concentrate hard on hearing everything.
+ most of the readings were easier than in class, but were still chock-full of unfamiliar vocab
+ super easy for native speakers, not so much for other students
+ pay close attention to context
+ the conversation section happens REALLY fast, so you have to think quickly on your feet.
english language
+ the ap questions are pretty confusing, but because everyone finds them confusing, the curve is good
+ manage your time well for the essays!!! i can’t emphasize this enough.
+ have a small stockpile in your head of examples that can apply to a bunch of topics for argumentative essays especially (for example, Gandhi, Hitler, etc)
english literature
+ i didn’t take this ap exam, but according to my friends, it is REALLY hard
+ in the class, you have to basically strip the books and readings down to their bare bones and make connections you’d never have thought of
+ again though, the curve is pretty good
physics 1
+ our teacher made this class pretty easy and fun, so we had projects, lectures, interspersed with A LOT of labs
+ the ap exam was so hard i almost cried. you have to apply a bunch of different topics together since the topics aren’t separated between questions. there was stuff we never learned on it.
+ STUDY YOUR LABS. very important for free response especially.
+ DO PAST AP QUESTIONS.
physics 2
+ similar to physics 1, but the first semester of the class is actually easier.
+ try to study some of the concepts on your own time as well since physics is hard to understand quickly.
biology
+ take very good notes and listen closely during lectures. there’s so many concepts and specific topics that it’s easy to get confused.
+ definitely get an ap book for this one. there’s just A LOT of content to cover and a lot of classes don’t even manage to cover everything before the AP.
+ know how to put different topics together as well.
human geography
+ one of the easiest exams imo
+ the free response was really easy as long as you have a basic understanding of the subject
+ another course you can literally learn straight out of an ap book if you’re desperate and have a month you can spend on it.
world history
+ content-based course, but depending on the teacher, can be really fun with lots of projects and discussions.
+ this is not a course to argue in, although a lot of stuff you learn is divisive. stick with the facts.
+ even if stuff may be inaccurate to you, learn the college board version to get that five
+ an ap book is great for a refresher
+ if you time manage, you’ll probably finish with plenty of time to spare
us history
+ pretty much the same as world history, but depending on who you are, the topics may be even more controversial.
+ the ap was pretty easy and again, i’d recommend an ap book for a refresher.
government
+ the ap is super easy. this is another class i took in the summer and got a 5 on. i just bought an ap book and skimmed it real quick a few days before the exam.
macroeconomics
+ this exam was actually really hard.
+ since i had another six exams to study for, i put this one on the backburner and didn’t study for it as much. big mistake. since i forgot a lot of the smaller concepts.
+ very graphs based. understand the graphs and relationships between the variables.
environmental science
+ i didn’t take this exam, but my friends have told me that it’s pretty easy as long as you’ve listened during the year.
+ in my school at least, there were a lot of labs and projects.
