How to Nail the A.P. Literature Exam
And only freak out a little bit
So the A.P. Lit Exam is May 9th...
Don’t worry Kermit! I'm here to help!
When you first hear about the A.P. Lit Exam, the common reaction is to freak out, and that's okay. For a little bit. But eventually you have to put on your big person pants, flip the table right side up again, and buckle down to train your brain for that test. The more you study your toushie off, the more you’ll nail that 55 question, 3 essay long test. Next are the tips that have worked the best for me on the practice exams I have taken, and the strategies that I will be using on May 9th.
Multiple Choice Strategies
1. Read and annotate the questions first
When I first get a passage of text in the question portion, I skip right over the text and go straight to the questions. I answer any that apply to a certain line or word and annotate the common themes found in the questions so I have an idea of what the exam wants me to find in the text before I actually go find it. It saves time and helps you narrow down the right answers on those tricky 99% versus 100% right questions.
2. Look for common themes/devices
From my experience, most of the practice multiple choice questions have referenced similar devices or themes in their questions and I have started to look for them when I read a passage, like buzz words. The four I have seen the most commonly referenced in questions are relationships, tone, characterization, and setting. After you read the questions, read the passage and look for the buzz words that college board likes to use as well as any other themes you noticed when you read the questions.
3. Practice
I know it's not what you want to hear, but you need to do it. The A.P. Lit exam is like the Olympics, or the Super Bowl. Athletes that participate in those events spend their whole life training, and that's what you need to do. The more practice you do, the more confidence you'll gain and endurance you'll build, and that's what they're really testing. The button below is a link to some practice multiple choice questions taken from previous A.P. tests that I have used in preparation for the Exam.
Not yet! We still have to talk about the Essays!
Essay Strategies
1. Plan. Plan. Plan.
Before I started A.P. Lit, I would say I was a semi-planner. I would jot down a couple of main ideas before I started writing, but for the most part I pretty much just word vomited all of my ideas all over the page. But Mrs. Rutan has changed my ways. The biggest thing you need to watch out for on the test, is time. Planning out your thoughts for each paragraph you want to write will help you from getting carried away and ensures that all your genius ideas get on the page so the A.P. readers can reward you for all your hard work! My favorite way to plan is the 'cause, cause, effect' method. You take two examples of evidence (themes, characters, literary devices) and explain them in their own paragraphs, then tie them together to the bigger why in your 'effect' paragraph.
|
2. Always come back to your claim
After you plan, you should write your your claim for the passage or free response. Your claim might change as you write, but that's okay. The more you write, the more you analyze, so your claim should change. In each paragraph you should be providing direct evidence from the text that support your claim or big idea. If you keep relating back to you claim, your essay feels more cohesive and well thought out. The more you push the big picture, the stronger your analyzation is, and the more the A.P. reader will be able to reward you.
3. Know your strengths (and weaknesses)
There are three different essays you have to write in a two hour period. One response to prose, one response to poetry, and one free response. That cuts out to roughly 40 minutes per essay. You have to manage you time accordingly. So if you know that the free response essay will take the most amount of time, do that one first, and after you finish that one manage your time with the other two essays accordingly.
It's okay hun, we're almost done
The A.P. Exam can be terrifying, but if you trust in the tools your teachers have given you and the practice you have done outside of class, you'll be just fine. Get a good nights sleep, eat a good breakfast, and take deep breaths. You've got this!
Good Luck!
*All Pictures Are Provided and Owned by Grace or Weebly Unless Cited Otherwise