Set Up Your Study Program

In this step you'll read a brief overview of the AP exam, including an outline of topics and the approximate percentage of the exam that will test knowledge of each topic. You will also follow a process to help determine which of the following preparation program is right for you:

• Full school year: September through May.
• One semester: January through May.
• Six weeks: Basic training for the exam.

Determine Your Test Readliness

In this step you'll take a diagnostic multiple-choice exam. This pretest should give you an idea of how prepared you are to take the real exam before beginning to study for the actual AP Exam.

• Go through the diagnostic exam step by step and question by question to build your confidence level.
• Review the correct answers and explanations so that you see what you do and do not yet fully understand.

Develop Strategies for Success

In this step you'll learn strategies that will help you do your best on the exam. These strategies cover both the multiple-choice and free-response sections of the exam. Since serving on the College Board committee to design the first course of study and examinations for Advanced Placement, I have worked with many students and teachers who have helped me gain insight into how they think and study. Tasks that lull you into a false sense of security with shortcuts that may not work are NOT here.

• Learn to read multiple-choice questions.
• Learn how to answer multiple-choice questions, including whether or not to guess.
• Learn how to plan and write the free-response questions.

Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High

In this step you'll learn or review the material you need to know for the test. This review section takes upi the bulk of this book. It contains:

• A comprehensive review of introductory exam material. 
  Educators do not agree on exactly what students should know after completing an introductory course, so no book can correctly forecast what concepts you need to know to get 100% of the questions on the AP exam right. But I can safely guarantee that this book includes the information that will enable you to earn a 5! 
  
  The substantial knowledge you gain from studying it will significantly increase your chances of scoring well.

Build Your Test-Taking Confidence

In this step you'll complete your preparation by testing yourself on practice exams. I have provided you with two complete exams along with scoring guides for them. Although these practice exams are not reproduced questions from actual AP exams, they mirror both the material tested by AP and the way in which it is tested.

Finally, at the back of this book you'll find additional resources to aid your preparation. These includes:

• A brief bibliography
• A list of websites related to your AP exam.
• A glossary of terms related to your AP exam.