*AP Study Guide: You’ll need an AP study guide for each test you are taking. I tend to like the Princeton Review or Kaplan study guides the best. For biology, I prefer Kaplan, then Princeton, then Barron’s. Get a current version, as the information can tend to change from year to year. Look at reviews online for the previous year’s versions, though, since no one has used this year’s version yet!
*Grading: You can score between a 1 and a 5 on an AP test. 3,4, or 5 is considered passing and gives college credit.
*How much college credit: The amount of credits you get for passing an AP test will vary between colleges. Google “AP Credit Granting” and the name of the college you want to attend to find out how much credit you’d get. For example, passing US History or World History would get you 6 credits at BYU.
*Guessing: Due to a policy change last year, incorrect answers are no longer counted against your score. So it’s in your best interest to answer ALL the questions, making your best guess.
*What’s on the test & how long does it take? The test is 3 hours long and consists of 100 multiple choice questions (80 minutes), a 10 minute reading period, and 90 minute free response section.
*When: AP tests are given on specific times/dates between May 7-18. Everyone in the nation takes the tests pretty much at the same time. The exam schedule is here: http://professionals.
*How much does it cost? It costs $87 per test. It will cost you around $200-$250 per college credit, and all the tests grant at least 3 credits.
*When do I need to decide if I’m taking the test? Schools order the tests in March, so you have till then to decide if you’re ready for the test.
*AP vs other ways of earning college credit: You can also take the CLEP tests, which are easier than AP tests, to get college credit. CLEP tests are offered any time during the year and are multiple choice only. However, many colleges do not accept CLEP tests. Passing an AP tests looks good on college applications (BYU encourages AP) and is much more widely accepted. You can also earn college credit through taking Distance Ed or concurrent enrollment courses. The grade you earn in these courses will forever be on your college transcript, whereas if you
don’t pass an AP test, that is not recorded on an official transcript.
*How hard are AP tests? AP tests are not simple. You definitely do need to learn the topic and study. However, you do not need to know everything about the topic perfectly; it is still possible to pass with around 50-60% correct.
*I’m a homeschooler, why would I want to “study for the test”? Of course you get college credit, but AP testing works well for homeschoolers who learn for the sake of learning. Those who do best on AP tests are those who understand the concepts, rather than those who try to cram in all the information and memorize it for the test. You will have to put in some extra time reviewing for the test, but if you try hard to understand the concepts throughout the year, you will have a much easier time on the test.
*How can an AP mentor help? I will give you encouragement to keep going throughout the year, as well as specific techniques to help you better memorize and understand concepts. So even if you’re not taking the AP test, these techniques will help you with learning no matter what courses you’re taking.
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