I know a lot of US History info from previous classes, Wikipedia binges, and suchlike, so I'm hoping to get a 5 on the APUSH test even though I haven't actually taken the APUSH class.
So far I've taken part of a practice test and watched some videos on how to score well on the free response (key point: write formulaically). My plan is to self-study to fill in some of my content gaps, do more practice tests, and study with a friend at another school who is taking the test and the APUSH class and apparently got a 5 on AP Euro last year. Here's hoping all that's enough to get me a 5 as well! But we'll see.
General policy for my markets: In the rare event of a conflict between my resolution criteria and the agreed-upon common-sense spirit of the market, I may resolve it according to the market's spirit or N/A, probably after discussion.
1,000
3.00Thoughts going into tomorrow: I feel on the borderlands of a 4 and a 5. Great on multiple choice but it's only 40% of the exam. All of the practice writing stuff I've done, my knowledgeable apush friend thinks is more 4-quality than 5-quality, mostly for not explicitly tying things to the thesis enough and being specific enough. But that was like a week ago and I thiiiink I understand my mistakes and will be careful enough tomorrow to get a 5. And maybe some luck would help. Anyway, time to get some sleep!
Update: my friend thinks my practice test was more like a 3, but gave me some helpful advice and thinks I’ll improve quickly on the next practice test. I have to answer questions more explicitly, follow the format better, write more words on the next DBQ, and also do it on a separate sheet of paper instead of trying to fit it in the test book. We’re both optimistic since I think these are pretty surface-level things, and I pretty much have the required content/historical understanding.
Did a practice test yesterday! 38/55 on multiple choice, with a few clear areas for improvement (I'm very weak on the early 1600s history questions) but it's only 40% of the score. Most of the test is writing - short answers, document-based questions, long essays. Watched some videos (from Heimler History on YouTube) about it, which go over the AP rubrics and the formula you should use.
I think I did a decent job executing this on my practice test, though it's hard to tell what score I would've gotten. Depending on how to interpret the AP rubric, I think my answers are probably in 4/5 territory, and I expect to improve as I practice more.
Overall I'm feeling good! Motivated. I didn't even feel like the practice test was torturous, although my hand was quite sore.
@Conflux How's your complexity and sourcing?
Also, are you doing practice tests from College Board? Do those give feedback on SA/LE/DB questions?
@puntabulous I think I’ve got a Princeton Review book? Maybe a different brand, but that style.
Have you taken APUSH/Euro/World? Maybe we can chat