Before I write anything more, I want to thank the site host, Ryan, for a few things. First and foremost, I wanted to thank him for taking me on as a writer - I look forward to helping all of you succeed in school. I also wanted to thank him for unknowingly inspiring me in an email to write this post. Now, without further ado, I give you some easy ways to get a five on the most notorious AP test ever created:
1. Buy Larry Krieger's AP US History Crash Course Book: While not strictly "legal" at Montgomery High School, this book is the most important study tool you can have - even more so than the gigantic REA APUSH book. I'll first explain why it isn't legal at MHS - the APUSH Part II teacher (who will remain nameless) dislikes Larry Krieger because he runs an APUSH test prep course at the school and consistently releases College Board practice materials to his class before our teacher can release them to us. I'm sure you understand the conflict here. So, as a result, our teacher has taken to confiscating Krieger's Crash Course book. With that said, I want to emphasize that this book is in no way cheating and is (at schools other than MHS) in no way illegal. Why is this book so great? Well, Krieger puts all (or almost all) the information that you will need for the exam into an easy to memorize outline format and words it almost exactly as it will be worded on the test. I know this from personal experience. As test day got closer, I simply could not seem to remember the information that I needed to know. I had read the entire REA test prep book and had done four of the six practice tests. I was stuck. My friend loaned me his Crash Course book and from the minute I started reading it, I knew this was the key to my studying. After I finished the book, I took a practice test and it felt like I had cheated - I remembered all the information and it was almost identical to the test. Come test day, I was as prepared as I could have been for the multiple choice section. Guess what? I got a 5.
2. Try to predict the Document Based Question ("DBQ"): We did this in my APUSH class and it gave me a pretty solid idea of what I should be focusing on for the DBQ. If you don't do this in your APUSH class, go online and find out the DBQs from the past 10 or so years. The College Board rarely recycles topics more frequently than every 10 years and if you can think of a topic (keep it general) that hasn't been used already, write it down and study it. Keep in mind that the College Board prefers social history over military history. So instead of studying "military actions in Vietnam," study "the social ramifications of the Vietnam War." This strategy works best if you brainstorm with multiple people - they will often come up with ideas you wouldn't otherwise think of. The DBQ on the exam was one of the few that I predicted and prepared for. Guess what? I got a 5.
3. READ THE QUESTIONS: While you are taking practice tests and on the day of the exam itself, it is imperative that you read and examine literally every part of the questions presented to you. While taking the test, mark up the wording of the questions - circle important years, underline key phrases, etc. That way you won't forget anything. If you are presented with a picture/political cartoon/etc, look at the copyright information. That was the key to one of the questions on this year's test. The question at hand was a painting of a Campbell's soup can and the text of the question read something like, "This is an example of _ art. a) Realist b) Impressionist c) Pop d) Romantic". If you looked at the copyright information under the picture, you would have learned that the painting was credited to Andy Warhol. Well that makes it easy, doesn't it? Even if you know almost nothing about art, everybody knows Andy Warhol's famous painting of Marilyn Monroe and, with a little thinking, you would remember that in almost any cheesy photo editing program, the "Pop Art" effect is identified by the Marilyn picture. I have met enough people from my school alone that got that question wrong because they didn't see the copyright credit clearly located under the picture. On test day, I made a point of reading every question carefully. Guess what? I got a 5.
4. Do practice tests: There is literally nothing more crucial to your test preparation than practice. The most challenging aspect of the exam is not the content but how it is presented to you. Any history student could tell you that the Battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the revolution, but would you be able to pick that choice from a paragraph of text about French involvement in the war? Maybe not. Once you learn what the question is asking, you can answer the question. The best way to become accustomed to the way the College Board asks you questions is to do practice tests. You can find them fairly easily online. My favorite website is www.historyteacher.net/USQuizMainPage.htm - the quizzes are written in the AP style and allow you to go back to questions you got wrong. This caused many an "Ohhhhhhhh!" moment while I was studying. Buy the fat REA test prep book with the "REA TestWare" so that you can use the 6 practice tests - in my opinion you shouldn't use it for anything else. I took MANY practice tests. Guess what? I got a 5.
While the test isn't until May, it's never too soon to start preparing. I won't say that just using these four techniques will get you a five on the exam, but it sure won't hurt. I wish you the best of luck in studying for the AP US History exam!
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