How hard is AP english literature and composition?

How to Prepare for the AP English Literature & Composition

• Answer:

  Doing well on the AP English Literature and Composition exam can help you earn college credit, which lets you save money on tuition and complete part of your core curriculum. Taking your school's AP course is essential to doing well on the test, but there is much more preparation you can do. If you understand the format of the questions, review essential literary texts, and employ specific test-taking strategies, you will improve your overall score on this challenging exam. Difficulty: Moderately Challenging Instructions Understand the format of the test. The College Board, which oversees all AP exams, provides a course overview and test information on its website. Download and read this document to understand the format of the AP exam and the types of questions that will be asked. You will be better prepared and more confident about the test if you thoroughly understand it well before the day of the exam. Take a practice test. A practice test lets you assess your strengths and weaknesses. Also, it builds familiarity with the test and the way questions are worded. Invest in a test-taking guide that offers several different practice exams. Some examples of guidebooks are "Cracking the AP English Literature & Composition Exam" by Princeton Review and "Barron's AP English Literature and Composition" by George Ehrenhaft. Practice writing timed essays. The test requires you to answer three essay questions in two hours. Set aside two uninterrupted hours to practice. Use the essay questions listed on The College Board website. These questions appeared on previous exams. Complete several of these practice sessions before your exam. Ask a teacher to grade your completed essays against the scoring guidelines used by AP graders. These are included on the College Board website. Learn strategies for multiple choice questions. The exam has multiple-choice questions that are classified as easy, medium, and hard; however, each is worth the same number of points. Using practice tests, identify the harder questions. Train yourself to avoid spending too much time on these questions. Opt to skip a question if you can't narrow down the choices because there is a 1.25 point penalty for guessing incorrectly. Leave the answer blank and you will not lose any points. Review what you read in high school. Study thoroughly the books from your AP Literature course, and review works of English literature you read throughout high school. Go over all your old notes, essays, and tests. Also, refresh your memory on any classic books you read for pleasure. For some of the essay questions, you can choose the text on which you will write. Knowing several books well, including plot, characters, symbols, and motifs, helps you answer these questions. Tips & Warnings Warning: Don't overload on studying the night before the test. Get plenty of sleep.