Vernacular

So I heard that H.G. and Psychology were the two easiest AP's to self study for. I really want to try for National Ap Scholar this year as a junior and was wondering how much time I should allocate to myself to study for these exams.

am202

Which textbook is the best to use for Human Geography? (not prep book, text book) Also, same question as above, how much time does one need to devote to learn the material fully (not just to get a 5, but to actually learn the material)?

Karanok

Oh awesome Vernacular. I'm pretty much in the same boat as you, and I've done a little research after looking through some of the posts on this site.

For AP Human Geography: Most people agree that Barron's is the best, and they also make flash cards to go along with the AP book. You can get both Barron's prep book and flash cards for about $24.96 on Amazon.com (REA sells for $13.95 and I'm sure it comes with a CD as well)

For AP Psychology: Again, most people prefer Barron's for this subject, but some people recommend 5 Steps to a 5. If price is a concern, you can get Barron's for about $10 on Amazon and Five-2-Five for about $13 dollars.

As for time, it really depends. Some people (the crazy super-achievers I guess) manage to only study the weekend before the test and still pull of a 4 or 5, but if you're swamped with tough classes this year (like me) it would probably behoove you to start little by little sometime in January or February. Regardless of when you start, do not forget to sign up for the tests you decide to take by January, or else you'll have studied for naught.

blahbleh

i took the AP psych in school, but to be honest, i spent about 2 hours each week just reading stuff. just make sure you know your people and theories. agree with karanok, barron ftw

Premjeer

I self-studied AP Human Geography last year and got a 5. What I did was read bits and pieces of the Kaplan AP Human Geography prep book whenever I had the time starting three months before the exam. After I finished reading the book, I took the book's practice exams in order to see how much I learned. About three weeks before the exam, I purchased the Barron's AP Human Geography prep book and started to read it (so much better than the Kaplan book). The practice tests in this book are very similar to that of the AP.

The one major advice I would say is to pay attention to the vocab. If you master it you will get a 5. At the end of each unit in the Barron's book, there is a mini-glossary of related words that you need to know for the test. Looking back I don't think I needed the Kaplan book.