How to Self-Study for an AP Exam in High School: Three Tips to Follow
Interested in learning how you can self-study for an AP Exam with just an internet connection? Curious to know what resources to use, or unsure of what course to choose, or even how to study effectively? Read on!
How to Self-Study for an AP Exam
In this article, I will be explaining how any student with an internet connection can successfully self-study for an AP Exam. This is of particular importance to those who don't have access to AP classes at their schools or lack the means of pursuing AP subjects interesting to them. Through this article, I aim to answer the following questions:
What resources should I use?
How do I know I am picking the right course?
How can I ensure I am studying effectively?
Picking the Course
Congratulations! You have decided to pursue AP credit on your own, which is an impressive achievement on its own! While this task may seem daunting, self-studying for an AP exam is not nearly as bad as one might think. The first step in this journey is picking a course to pursue. Ideally, this is a course that you are interested in and not simply taking to acquire AP credits. Additionally, certain classes will be more difficult than others, so be wise in the course you select.
Here is the link to CollegeBoard’s list of course offerings along with descriptions for each class. Under each course you will find the recommended prerequisites and what AP credit in that class will translate to in terms of college credit.
Studying for the Exam
Once you have picked a course that you intend to pursue, it is time to start organizing plans to ensure you are studying effectively. As a self-studier, a student should aim to spend 3-5 hours a week learning material. Based on your school schedule and extracurriculars, pick the days and times you plan to study your course. You may find that certain scheduling works better or worse for you, but you should aim to have an established routine by Week 3. Remember, the most important part of self-studying is consistency.
Of course, these timing suggestions may vary from week to week and might be different for each student. Some may find they spend more than 5 hours a week, while others may spend less than 3. This is okay, as every individual is different in their learning progress. While these timing suggestions are helpful to devising a study schedule, the other fundamental component is creating milestones.
As a rule of thumb, you want to ensure you have covered the entire course’s material by sometime in March, as that will leave you an entire month to review and do practice exams. The easiest way to achieve this is to acquire a prep-book of some sort. The book does a lot of work for you, as it contains all the necessary information for the AP exam in one place and paces you well. Typically, Baaron’s book, Princeton Review, or Kaplan’s Review are the best brands. An important note is to ensure you are acquiring the most up to date edition of the book, as AP exams have changed over the years.
Another - slightly more difficult - method is planning out your own curriculum by using the Course and Exam description CollegeBoard provides for each of its AP exams. While it clearly lays out the course content and can provide guidance, devising one’s own schedule based on it can be overwhelming, making this method less favorable .
FREE and EFFECTIVE Resources
Studying on your own can be challenging, especially because it will often be new material that may not always make sense. If you do not have access to someone who can answer your questions, do not fret. There are plenty of great resources that are effective and free.
The first great resource for AP test prep comes from CollegeBoard. Their Youtube account has posted recordings of review sessions for each unit in every AP course. The material is taught by AP teachers and addresses released questions from CollegeBoard, making the information reliable and accurate for the AP exam.
Another great resource is Khan Academy. They have almost every AP course available to study for free, and provide material that cater to every learning style.
Conclusion
In this article, we have addressed how to pick the right AP course to pursue, how to self-study for an AP exam, and how to choose free resources that can aid you along the way. Remember, this adventure may be challenging, but you are taking the first step in the direction of responsibility and enrichment, a quality colleges love to see. Good luck!
