For the brave souls taking AP World
Here are a few things I noticed I did. While they aren’t the most structured tips (I’m not exactly a structured person), they helped me earn a 5 on the exam. I don’t know what the new test is like, but these are helpful nonetheless.
ALWAYS write your essays by hand. I started off the year typing up at-home essays and it really slowed me down when it came to writing in-class essays. (I made it happen, but I was cutting it close).
(This one applies to those of you taking a two semester class) DON’T time yourself for the first month or two at least. You have to give yourself time to get comfortable with the format your teacher has given you or to develop a format for yourself without time putting more pressure on you.
Keep in mind: The AMOUNT of content is the real challenge. This particular mantra motivated me to study in tidbits. It’s what kept me (somewhat) on top of the material at times. With the amount of information you’re learning, it’s easy to forget things. So you should always be reviewing, but NOT every single detail. Which brings me to my next point:
Prioritize your information. AP World (as I knew it, idk about the new test) was more about the big picture than the small details. (Which sucks for detail-oriented people.) You should be able to tell which details are important and which aren’t. That was one of my problems, I think EVERYTHING is important. I mean it’s HISTORY. It’s the foundation of humanity as we know it. It recounts everything that led to where we are. But, in this class, if it doesn’t directly relate to a big idea, chuck it. One detail I was stuck on had something to do with an elephant and the Abbasid dynasty–and maybe Charlemagne? I don’t know. I used every chance I had to connect it to a big picture and now I can’t even remember what the detail was. Which also brings me to my next, likely last, and most important point:
MAKE CONNECTIONS. Connect everything you learn to a big idea. Connect things in one civilization to another–even if it’s in a different time period. Trust me. This will help when it comes to essays (and for you newbies the short responses). Direct comparisons and CCOT reasons were a breeze for me because I do this naturally. If you need help, go to your teacher on this one. Okay. Maybe one more:
Question your teacher. Grill them. Grill them like it’s the 4th of July and they’re a prime rib steak. Seriously. I’m not even talking about just when you don’t understand something. When they’re lecturing and you notice an unanswered (likely irrelevant to the course, but still intriguing) question ask them anyway. This will help you and your classmates. Because a) You’ll start thinking more critically which will help immensely in this course because you not only have to know history, you have to be able to analyze it. That’s apparently where a lot of people fall short (in essays mostly) b) you’ll become more curious and might develop an interest for a subject most people (not me) consider lackluster c) You’ll add excitement to a (maybe boring depending on your teacher) lecture, and more students will be inclined to ask questions as well which is beneficial to the entire class.
So, that’s about all I can think of right now. I hope this helped. Good luck on the exam in May. If you have any questions, I’m always here.
