As students advance through high school, Advanced Placement programs become more and more frequent within their transcripts, but many freshmen, perhaps starting with APHUG for the first time, feel lost in terms of what might be best to prepare for the upcoming test.

However, current AP students (and second-timers) have their back, with plenty of tips to fit their overall study style!

Active Recall

Current Sophomore Kayla Welsh recommends active recall as a way to retain information.

Active recall works for individuals who prefer being prepared through memorization rather than reasoning their way through questions.

This strategy requires students to write down unit or subject names, and then recall everything they remember, before taking a different color pen to write any details they forgot from referral sources.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary heavy AP’s, such as AP Psychology and AP Environmental Science favour the learning of terms and their application, rather than mostly just systems, (which are still immensely important).

Evan Mudd suggests this focus, highlighting Quizlets and flashcards as effective matching methods to recall vocabulary.

Romanticizing Studying

Romanticizing studying is a widely recommended study method to enforce discipline and motivation in studying among asthetes.

Things like having a pre-study routine, splitting time up in a study schedule, and moving to more academically enticing locations, such as libraries or cafes prove incredibly effective in enforcing a study discipline and more motivation for students. 

So… for the AP’s… (Using AP EUROPEAN HISTORY, AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, and AP PSYCHOLOGY for reference)

MCQS: (on average, 60 mins)

• Multiple Choice Questions mostly offer 4-5 options to answer the question, but here’s an observed pattern to approach:
  • 1 option will be the correct answer, addressing all parts of the question with relevance
  • 1 option will be half right and half wrong (make sure to understand what the question is asking)
  • 1 option will lack relevance (again, understand the question)
  • 1 option will be an outlier and completely wrong
  • DISCLAIMER: This pattern applies to most MCQ’s, but it really depends on the question itself, the class, and the rigor

FRQS: Time Varies

• Free-Response Questions are long-form questions that require in-depth analysis and understanding of the question at hand. Some ways to approach these questions include:
  • Understanding criteria. This is immensely beneficial for students who want to beat the time limit, while hitting all the spots the rubric requires.
  • Use key vocabular with explanations of the terms following to retain more eloquence.
  • DISCLAIMER: UNDERSTAND YOUR TERMS—many AP’s won’t take your answer if you throw around vocabulary without understanding their meaning.

SAQS: 40 mins

• Short Answer Questions require students to approach different prompts (on average, three, with different parts to them), and answer using relevant examples. Approaching these questions looks like:
  • Understanding what the question is asking
  • Using two relevant examples with explanations
  • Being sophisticated with language
  • Using time efficiently

LEQs: 40 mins (average)

• Long Essay Quesitons require students to look at a prompt, contextualize the topic, come up with two examples for 2-3 topics, and a synthesis from another time period. The best way to approach this is to:
  • Contextualize using relevant time periods.
  • A well-developed thesis statement
  • Using the most prevalent examples (less is more if the prominence is better)
  • Understanding a good synthesis example for each prominent time period
  • A counter argument
  • DISCLAIMER: THIS IS BASED ON AP EUROPEAN HISTORY

DBQs: 60 mins (average)

• Document Based Questions provide students with 7 stimuli, requiring them to categorize the documents into three categories based on the prompt. Approaching this requires:
  • A well-developed thesis statement
  • Understanding of the sources and the evidence
  • Using 5-6 words per the 3 opportunities for evidence throughout the essay
  • Addressing HAPP-Y’s: Historical Context, Audience, Purpose, and WHY?
  • Contextualizing the time period in relevant historical context.
  • A counter argument (optional)
  • Outside information not mentioned anywhere in the documents
  • Synthesis to another relevant time period

AAQs: 25 mins

• Article Analysis Questions require the student to read an article or study, before answering up to 8 questions (on average) using terms learned in the unit. Students should approach this by:
  • Read the questions in-depth
  • Highlight parts of the article to address each question
  • Answer each question using coursework evidence
  • DISCLAIMER: DON’T SPEND TOO LONG ON ONE QUESTION—BETTER TO CONSERVE TIME AND GO BACK LATER

EBQs: 45 mins

• Evidence Based Questions require students to read three articles and come up with a claim and evidence (using terms from the course itself), citing and explaining in-depth with vocabulary relevancy, using at least two of the given sources.
• Approaching this should look like:
  • Start by reading all articles, and highlight/write down the most important information that stands out
  • At its core, it’s a deconstructed essay, so keep that in mind
  • Use terms from the class
  • DISCLAIMER: HALF OF THE POINTS FOR THE EXPLANATION IS RELEVANT TO OUTSIDE INFORMATION IN TURN WITH VOCABULARY FROM COURSEWORK AND EXPLANATION

Other online resources:

• Fiveable
• KNOWT
• Quizlet
• Kahoot
• AP Classroom