How to Study for the AP Language and Composition Exam
Hi y’all! Back with a post on studying for the AP Lang exam. First, let me give you a break down of the test. The first section is multiple choice, and consists of 52-55 multiple choice questions. You’ll have 4-6 passages that range from classic to contemporary with about ten questions per passage. The MC portion is 60 min long, and counts as 45% of your grade. The second half of the exam is the writing portion. This portion is 2 hrs and 15 min, or 135 min long. You have 15 min at the beginning; this time is supposed to be where you read the essay prompts and intros, but you can use it however you like (we’ll talk abut using this time efficiently later!). Then you have 120 min or 2 hrs to write the three essays, with about 40 min for each essay. The three essays are synthesis, rhetorical strategies, and the argument, and they usually go in that order. This portion is 55% of your grade.
First off, by the time the exam comes around, you’ll be more prepared for it than you think. You have so much knowledge and know-how already, all you need to do is tap into that knowledge. When it comes down to it, taking the test will be a lot like doing practice MC in class or writing in-class essays/timed writes. You have all the skills and knowledge you need. You just need to activate it.
When should I start studying? As early as possible. I would say a month or three weeks before the exam. That early? Yup. Depending on how many other APs you’re taking, you might have a ton of other stuff to study for, and Lang might get pushed to the side. So STUDY EARLY.
Studying for the Multiple Choice:
I recommend starting practicing multiple choice in late December/early January. Start off with just one passage. Let’s say the passage has 15 questions. Theoretically, according to how much time you get on the actual exam and how many questions there are, you want to be doing a question a minute. Instead, for a 15 question passage, start off with 20 min. Keep doing a set of one passage + about 15 questions until you can do the whole thing in 15 min. Start with 20 min, then do 18 min, then 17, then 16.5, then 15, and keep shortening the time frame. Try adding another set of passage + questions. Try doing two passages in 30 min. Keep adding passages and shortening the time frame. Remember you want to average about a minute per question. Also keep in mind you have to read the passage, and you get a mix of passages. Some will be from the 1600-1800s and will take longer to read.
Start off with a set (1 passage + questions) a week. Keep adding sets until you’re doing 52-55 questions (a whole mc test) a week. The nice thing about mc is that they don’t take that long. If you don’t have enough time, just squeeze in one set and try to do it in 20 min.
Using the pomodoro technique: A nice strategy to try is using the pomodoro technique for a full mc test (52-55 questions). Do a single set, then take a five min-10 min break. Then do the next set, and take another break. Continue doing sets and taking breaks until you’ve completed a full mc test.
What you really want to do is make sure that you can complete mc in a timed setting. It’s ok if you don’t do a whole mc test every week, or in one whole sitting. As long as you can average a minute per question and get all the mc done in a timed period, you’ll be ok.
Mc passages vary in difficulty. Passages from older time periods are supposed to have easier questions. Some people find older passages easier, and others find them harder. It’s different for everyone. Work with all different kinds of passages; expose yourself to everything. You may find that a certain kind of passage is easier.
Once you finish a set or a series of questions, check your answers. When you check your answers, make sure you understand why you got questions wrong and why the correct answer is right.
There are several different types of questions. Figure out which ones are hardest for you. Look out for questions with the words NOT and EXCEPT. There is one tricky question where you have multiple possible answers. I recommend taking the first three possibilities and looking back in the text for examples of them, and checking off which ones appear.
Ex. Chavez uses pathos in the passage to communicate that violent revolution is counterproductive revolution.
Also be aware that you need to know citations, as in stuff you’d find in a bibliography, i.e. what the abbreviation for multiple authors is and whether something is a journal or magazine, etc.
Studying for the Writing Portion/Free Responses:
It depends on how much practice you’ve had writing the essays under timed conditions, but if you’ve had a lot of in class practice you should be fine. In fact, writing these essays is almost like doing an in class essay/timed write. The only difference is that you have 3 essays to write. It sounds crazy, but that’s how you should think about it. This is just another in class essay/timed write. You have done this so many times. You can write these essays.
Read sample prompts for all three essays, synthesis, rhetorical strategies, and argument. Read sample intros for the synthesis and all the sources. Practice annotating the sources. Read sample passages for the rhetorical strategies essay. Keep an eye out for what the intros/prompts are like and what they ask you for. Some will ask you for specific techniques or devices, some won’t. Some will ask you to analyze for purpose, or tone, or purpose AND tone. Some will ask about the audience. When reading sample rhetorical strategies prompts, always annotate the passages. This is a really great studying strategy. Annotate the passages, look for strategies and devices, and write the SOAPS. Familiarize yourself with what will be on the exam.
Read sample essays people have written in the past. You can access past essays and prompts here. Try scoring the essays yourself, then look at what the table readers actually gave the essay. Read the scoring guidelines/rubric. Familiarize yourself with how the essays are scored. Did they effectively analyze/synthesize? Did they adequately analyze/synthesize? Did they inadequately analyze/synthesize? What do you need to do to earn an 8 or 9? What constitutes as effective analyzation/synthesis? What constitutes as adequate analyzation/synthesis? Answer these questions for yourself.
Annotate sample prompts and read and score sample responses/essays with a study buddy. I had a study buddy all throughout lang and it helps so much to have someone to talk things over with. Sometimes someone might understand a passage or prompt better than you and they’ll be able to explain it in a way that will help you in a future. They also might be able to give you input about your commentary or essays.
Try writing practice paragraphs. What? Just paragraphs? Yup. I recommend doing just paragraphs. For synthesis, annotate the sources and then write an intro and 1 body paragraph. For analysis, write an intro and 1 BP. Do the same for the argument. Writing a whole 40 min is time consuming. Writing just the into and BP is helpful bc it teaches you to churn out intros quickly. Learn to write good intros in a short period of time. Time yourself. See how long it takes you to write an intro and BP, and then shorten that time period. Remember you want quality work over quantity work. Less commentary but good commentary is better than a lot of redundant and weak commentary.
A week or two before the exam, compare your current writing to wiring from December/January, and writing from the beginning of the school year. Do you like where you are now? Do you see improvement? I actually hated the way I wrote rhetorical strategies essays right before the exam. I liked my RS essay style from the fall and winter. I read my old essays and paragraphs and keyed in on what I disliked about my writing and what I wanted to improve. I found that my style was getting in the way, I was often restating what the author said, and my own opinions were hindering my ability to write good commentary. I kept these things in mind when writing the RS essay on the exam, and it really helped. Keep an open mind when it comes to your writing! There is always room for improvement.
Study the rhetorical devices: diction, detail, syntax, organization, and point of view. Study techniques like aphorisms, apostrophe, etc. Study persuasive techniques: pathos, ethos, logos. Study satirical devices. Make flashcards. This is where annotating passages comes into play. Annotating passages with a list of devices by your side. Practice finding devices in authors’ writing.
Here you can find real student free responses, scoring guidelines, and past essay prompts.
Here you can find a past MC test and info abt the exam.
Here are some general tips for the class itself and studying.
Here are practice MC tests, free response tests, vocab, and some other stuff.
Here is an online full practice exam.
Here is another online practice MC exam.
Here you can find practice MC and free responses.
Here is a pdf file of a full exam.
This is the CliffNotes AP Lang book which I used and highly recommend! It has practice tests w/ explanation and tons of sample essays to read and glean from.
Note: I prefer mc tests you can print out rather than online mc tests. You’ll have an actual packet on the test that you can write on, and I think it’s important to simulate that same atmosphere/environment when studying. Don’t let that stop you though! Print things out and do things online! Online tests are good for squeezing in quick study time when time is sparse!
It’s a bit too early to be studying haha! I’m on holiday and left my materials and resources at home so I’ll probably have posts on the essays up next week. In the meantime, I hope everyone who’s going back to school has a great first start!
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