AP Tests - Studying Abroad

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
1

<p>Hey everyone, </p>

<p>I’m a rising junior set on attending university in England for a number of reasons, the most pressing being that a specific course (equivalence to major) I want to pursue is offered there. This intended course is Human Sciences, and my number one choice for universities is University College London. </p>

<p>Now I know they really take AP scores into consideration about all else. Next year I am going to take APUSH and AP Psych through the school while self-studying AP Human Geography. Senior year I am going to take AP World, AP English and AP Bio. </p>

<p>It is vital that I achieve 4s and 5s on each of these tests. Of your past experiences, which of these exams would that goal be most tangible (so I can focus on the toughest ones first while studying)? If it isn’t too much trouble, what prep books are the best for each subject? I’m hesitant to take AP Bio because I heard it can screw you over in the end, but my course requires me to take a science AP and since I’m terrible with math, biology was the way to go. </p>

<p>Also - since AP scores aren’t released until July I will technically not know if I get into UCL until then because they are likely to give me a conditional offer since I hadn’t taken my science AP going into senior year when I applied. Is there any way I can get my scores earlier? Whether it involve paying a fee or what because my other option is to firm at a domestic university and then turn them down upon gaining admittance to UCL. </p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

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<p>For APUSH, buy an AMSCO. It will save your life and nicely compliment your schoolwork. The exam was not too difficult with regular studying from AMSCO and my school’s textbook and classwork.</p>

<p>Psych should not be too difficult for you to manage if you buy the Barron’s AP Psych book (and flash cards if you want). Most of Psych is memorizing terms; even the free response is defining terms (in context). Use these materials to supplement your schoolwork and study for the AP. The same goes for Human Geography. If you buy the Barron’s (or PR) review book and supplement it with optional flash cards, you will do fine on the exam. Human Geography is essentially knowledge of key terms/concepts with some random facts thrown in that may be difficult to prep for. The curve is very nice though. </p>

<p>Moving on to English, which English course do you mean - Literature or Language? Literature is considered the more difficult of the two. It focuses heavily on poetry, as opposed to Language’s emphasis on prose. Having taken both this year, I can say that the MC difficulty is similar to that of the SAT CR section, but is less difficult than the SAT Literature test. However, it is important that you buff up your writing skills as more than half of each test involves essay writing. For both tests, I used Cliff’s only to review key terms and take practice tests. The English APs test you mostly on writing skills that you acquire during the school year, so doing well in the class correlates with doing well on the AP.</p>

<p>AP World will be tougher. The new AP World course gets implemented this fall, and I’m not sure what exactly has changed and which review books will be the best for your studying. I advise you to wait a little bit longer and check CC to determine which review books you may need and what you would need to prepare for the new course. </p>

<p>The same goes for AP Bio. The new Bio course is set to be implemented during the 2012-2013 school year, which is when you will be taking it. Currently, a very comprehensive understanding of the Cliff’s AP Bio book is enough for some students to score a 5; this may change with the new course. The College Board’s revisions to Biology and World History place more emphasis on analytical thinking and less on memorization. </p>

<p>In the end, many of the basic concepts of World and Bio won’t change, so getting a head start on studying over the summer will still have its advantages. If you want to get a 4/5 on all of these exams, I suggest that in senior year you place emphasis on Bio and World. You can continuously improve your writing skills over the next two years. In junior year, place the most emphasis on APUSH - it’s going to be a lot more reading than Psych or Human Geo.</p>

<p>Regarding scores, unfortunately the only way to learn your AP scores this early is by calling and hoping that the phone system is opened early. Any colleges you select on your answer sheet to receive your scores may receive them earlier though. You will have to double check.</p>