ap research lit review length

AP ® Research Handbook

Chapter 2 literature review.

List resources for conducting literature review. Show example of literature review with inline citations. Show ways to keep track of sources for bibliography.

• contains example literature reviews from political science, philosophy, and chemistry.

Consider using a reference management system like Mendeley to organize your sources as you conduct your literature review. In fact, Mendeley has a Literature Search function, so you can manage sources and conduct literature reviews at the same time. See the Bibliography Management Section for more information on managing sources.

Databases for Literature Reviews

• Browse by subjects in the humanities and sciences. This can be your starting point if you have not developed a research topic.
• Open-access journal articles in fields such as mathematics, statistics, economics, physics, quantitative biology, quantiative finance, and electrical engineering
• arXiv to BibTex : Outputs automated citations in BibTeX and other formats by typing the arXiv number of the article. For instance, just type in 1905.03758 into the search engine if the article is labeled arXiv: 1905.03758.
• Alternatively, use Mendeley Web Importer to import article into Mendeley Desktop for automated citation outputs.
• Download Mendeley Desktop and register for a free account. Mendeley Desktop syncs with your online Mendeley account, but the literature search is currently only available in the desktop version.
• Mendeley is primarly a reference managements software, so you can organize your citations as you conduct your literature review.
• Search engine with the world’s largest collectin of open-access research papers.
• For batch searches of metadata and full texts, you may consider requesting a free API key to use the Core API .
• Search for content, authors, collections, and journals in the advanced search , where you have the option to search by discipline or key word.
• Search for articles in clincial sciences, biochemistry, public health, physical chemistry, and materials engineering.
• Search open-access journals and dissertations. Note that dissertations can vary in quality, since they have not gone through peer review.
• AP Research students should have access to a free EBSCO account from the AP Capstone program.
• Many of the social science articles are free access.
• Search for articles related to to education research.
• The search engine includes the open to search for full-text articles.
• Index of major computer science publications.
• Option to search for open-access articles.
• Search for journal articles, working papers, and conference papers in economics and business.
• You can sign up for a free MyJSTOR account to access up to six articles a month for free.
• This may be helpful for accessing articles that are not open access.

Tips for Accessing Paywalled Articles

• Search for the author’s website. Many researchers have draft manuscripts on their websites or research profiles on sites such as ResearchGate .
• Consult your school’s research librarian for other ways to access the article.
• Send the author an e-mail to request for a digital copy of the article. You should provide context in the e-mail request by including a brief description of your AP Research project and its relevance and connection to the author’s article.

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The Ultimate Guide to Acing the AP Research Exam

By Eric Eng

Are you looking for tips and strategies to conquer the AP Research Exam? Look no further! This comprehensive guide will break down everything you need to know to ace this challenging test. From understanding the importance of the exam to studying effectively, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dive in!

What is the AP Research Exam?

The AP Research Exam is a rigorous assessment administered by the College Board . It is part of the Advanced Placement (AP) Program, which offers college-level courses and exams to high school students. AP Research is the culmination of the AP Capstone Diploma program and is designed to provide students with valuable research skills that are applicable across various disciplines.

The exam is typically taken in the final year of high school and requires students to complete a major academic research project. This project allows students to explore a research question or problem of their choice, design a study, analyze data, and present their findings in a written report and an oral presentation.

Undertaking the AP Research Exam is a significant endeavor that requires students to demonstrate their ability to think critically, analyze complex information, and communicate their findings effectively. The exam is divided into the academic paper and the presentation. The academic paper is a written document that showcases the student’s research process, including the research question, methodology, data analysis, and conclusions. The presentation, on the other hand, allows students to present their research findings concisely and engagingly.

One of the key aspects of the AP Research Exam is the freedom it offers students in choosing their research topic. This allows students to explore their interests and passions, making the research process more engaging and meaningful. Whether it’s investigating the impact of climate change on local ecosystems, analyzing the effectiveness of educational policies, or exploring the cultural significance of art forms, students can delve into a subject they are truly passionate about.

Students are encouraged to think critically and problem-solve throughout the research process. They must identify gaps in existing research, develop research questions that address them, and design appropriate methodologies to gather and analyze data. This enhances their research skills and fosters a deeper understanding of the subject matter they are studying.

Moreover, the AP Research Exam equips students with valuable skills that extend beyond the classroom. The ability to conduct independent research, analyze data, and present findings is highly valued in college and professional settings. By successfully completing the AP Research Exam, students demonstrate their readiness for higher education and the workforce challenges.

In conclusion, the AP Research Exam is a comprehensive assessment that allows high school students to showcase their research skills and explore a topic of their choice. Through completing a major academic research project, students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills essential for college success and beyond. The exam provides a valuable learning experience and prepares students for the rigors of higher education and the demands of the modern workforce.

What is on the AP Research Exam?

The AP Research Exam includes an academic paper, presentation, and oral defense. The academic paper is a written report that outlines your research question, methodology, findings, and conclusions. The presentation and oral defense require you to present a summary of your research and answer questions from a panel of evaluators.

It is crucial to thoroughly understand and demonstrate proficiency in the following skills to excel in the AP Research Exam:

• Formulating a research question
• Conducting literature reviews
• Designing and executing a research plan
• Analyzing and interpreting data
• Communicating research findings effectively

Formulating a research question is the first step in conducting any research. It involves identifying a specific problem or topic of interest and formulating a clear and concise question you seek to answer through your research. This skill requires critical thinking and identifying gaps in existing knowledge.

Conducting literature reviews is an essential part of any research project. It involves searching for and reviewing relevant academic articles, books, and other information sources related to your research question. This skill requires strong research skills and synthesizing information from multiple sources.

Designing and executing a research plan involves developing a detailed plan for how you will collect and analyze data to answer your research question . This includes selecting appropriate research methods, determining the sample size, and ensuring that ethical considerations are considered. This skill requires careful planning and attention to detail.

Analyzing and interpreting data is a critical skill in research. It involves organizing and summarizing data, identifying patterns and trends, and drawing meaningful conclusions. This skill requires proficiency in statistical analysis and critically evaluating the findings’ significance.

Communicating research findings effectively is the final step in the research process. It involves presenting your findings clearly and concisely in writing and orally. This skill requires strong communication skills and the ability to convey complex information to various audiences effectively.

Following the Understanding by Design (Wiggins and McTighe) model, the curriculum framework aims to offer a precise and comprehensive outline of the necessary course requirements for achieving student success. This conceptual approach will direct the creation and arrangement of learning outcomes, progressing from broad to specific, ultimately resulting in focused statements concerning the content knowledge and skills essential for excelling in the course.

The AP Research curriculum comprises five overarching concepts. As always, you can structure the course content as you see fit.

• Big Idea 1: Question and Explore
• Big Idea 2: Understand and Analyze 
• Big Idea 3: Evaluate Multiple Perspectives
• Big Idea 4: Synthesize Ideas
• Big Idea 5: Team, Transform, and Transmit

The course and exam description for AP Research delineates specific abilities, referred to as transferable skills and proficiencies, which students are encouraged to cultivate and apply consistently throughout the academic year.

AP Research Exam Scoring Breakdown

The AP Research Exam is an important assessment that allows students to showcase their research skills and academic abilities. It is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score. The exam consists of three major components: the academic paper, the presentation, and the oral defense. Each component is evaluated based on specific criteria and rubrics provided by the College Board.

The academic paper, which accounts for 75% of the total score, is a comprehensive research document that demonstrates a student’s ability to conduct independent research, analyze data, and draw meaningful conclusions. This paper is a culmination of months of hard work and dedication, and it is crucial for students to carefully review the scoring guidelines to understand what the evaluators are looking for.

These components contribute to the remaining 25% of the total score regarding the presentation and oral defense. The presentation allows students to communicate their research findings to an audience effectively. It requires strong public speaking skills and creating visually engaging and informative slides. On the other hand, the oral defense is a chance for students to defend their research and respond to questions from a panel of evaluators.

Students need to approach the AP Research Exam with a strategic mindset. By thoroughly understanding the scoring breakdown and the expectations set by the College Board, students can tailor their preparation to maximize their scores. This may involve seeking feedback from teachers or mentors, conducting practice presentations, and revising the academic paper to ensure it meets the highest standards.

Furthermore, the AP Research Exam is an opportunity for students to earn college credit and develop valuable skills that will benefit them in their future academic and professional endeavors. Through conducting research, students learn how to formulate research questions, gather and analyze data, and present their findings clearly and concisely. These highly transferable skills will serve students well in college and beyond.

The AP Research Exam is a comprehensive assessment that evaluates students’ research skills and academic abilities. Students can increase their chances of earning a high score by understanding the scoring breakdown and investing time and effort into each component. Moreover, the skills developed throughout this process will prove valuable in future academic and professional pursuits.

Why is the AP Research Exam important?

The AP Research Exam holds significant value for students for several reasons. Firstly, successfully completing the AP Research course and exam signals to colleges and universities that you have demonstrated high research skills and academic rigor. This can give you a competitive edge in the college admissions process.

AP programs are designed to provide high school students with college-level content, allowing them to earn college credit and potentially skip introductory-level courses when they enter college. Here are key aspects of Advanced Placement programs:

1. Course Offerings:

• AP courses cover a wide range of subjects, including but not limited to mathematics, sciences, social sciences, languages, arts, and humanities. Each AP course is designed to reflect the content and difficulty of a comparable introductory college-level course.

2. Curriculum Rigor:

• AP courses are known for their challenging curriculum. They go beyond the depth and complexity of typical high school courses, requiring students to engage in critical thinking, analysis, and application of knowledge.

3. Exam Structure:

• Each AP course culminates in a standardized exam administered by the College Board. The exams typically consist of a multiple-choice section and a free-response section. The exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score.

4. College Credit and Placement:

• A primary incentive for students to take AP courses is the opportunity to earn college credit. Many colleges and universities in the United States and worldwide recognize high AP exam scores and may grant credit or advanced placement to students who perform well.

5. College Admissions:

• Completing AP courses and performing well on the exams can enhance a student’s college application. Colleges often view participation in AP programs as an indicator of a student’s commitment to academic excellence and preparedness for the challenges of higher education.

6. Flexibility and Choice:

• Students can take one or more AP courses based on their interests and academic goals. The program’s flexibility allows students to tailor their coursework to align with their intended college majors or career paths.

7. Global Recognition:

• AP programs are recognized globally, and students from various countries participate in AP courses and exams. This international recognition can be advantageous for students considering higher education abroad.

8. AP Capstone Program:

• The AP Capstone Program is a set of two courses, AP Seminar and AP Research, designed to develop students’ research, collaboration, and presentation skills. Completion of the AP Capstone Program is recognized by colleges as a significant academic accomplishment.

9. Professional Development for Teachers:

• The College Board provides professional development opportunities for teachers who instruct AP courses. This training ensures that educators are well-prepared to deliver the rigorous content of AP programs.

Important Notes:

• Student Choice: While participation in AP programs is encouraged, students must choose courses that align with their interests and academic strengths.
• Preparation: Success in AP courses often requires strong study habits, time management, and dedication. Adequate preparation is crucial for performing well on AP exams.
• College Policies: College credit policies vary, and students need to research the credit-granting policies of the specific colleges they plan to apply to.

Here are other reasons why the AP Research exam is important:

• Opportunity to delve deep into a personally interesting topic.
• Focus on cultivating critical thinking skills.
• Emphasis on honing problem-solving abilities.
• Skills acquired are highly valued in higher education.
• Skills are transferable and beneficial in the workforce.
• The AP Research Exam contributes to personal growth and future success.
• Showcases the ability to conduct independent research.
• Demonstrates proficiency in analyzing complex information.
• Signals readiness to excel in a rigorous academic environment.
• Encourages the exploration of personal interests.
• Provides a structured and academic framework for pursuing passions.
• Allows the selection of a captivating research topic.
• Immersion in a subject of genuine passion.
• Facilitates a more fulfilling and rewarding learning journey.
• Encourages engagement and enthusiasm throughout the course.
• Challenge to analyze complex issues.
• Emphasis on evaluating evidence and drawing reasoned conclusions.
• Applicability of skills not only in academia but also in real-world scenarios.
• Opportunities for collaboration with peers.
• Development of effective communication skills through projects and presentations.
• Preparation for an interconnected world that values teamwork.
• Acquisition of valuable research skills.
• Ability to gather and analyze data.
• Proficiency in conducting literature reviews and presenting findings.
• Ethical Considerations in Research:
• Understanding the importance of ethical considerations.
• Learning about the responsible conduct of research.
• Ensuring integrity and respect for the rights and well-being of research participants.

The AP Research Exam is an important milestone for students, offering numerous benefits beyond earning college credit. It provides an opportunity to showcase research skills, explore personal interests, develop critical thinking abilities, foster collaboration, and acquire valuable research skills. By successfully completing the AP Research Exam, students enhance their college applications and gain a solid foundation for future academic and professional success.

Who should take the AP Research Exam?

The AP Research Exam is designed for students who have completed the AP Research course, which is part of the AP Capstone Program. Here are the key considerations for determining who should take the AP Research exam:

Enrollment in AP Research Course:

Students typically take the AP Research Exam after completing the AP Research course. This course is part of the AP Capstone Program and provides students with the opportunity to conduct independent research on a topic of their choice.

Completion of Prerequisites:

Students should have successfully completed any prerequisites for the AP Research course as determined by their school. Prerequisites may vary, but they often include completion of other AP courses or specific coursework in research-related skills .

Interest in Independent Research:

The AP Research Exam suits students who are genuinely interested in conducting independent research. Students should be motivated to explore a research question in depth and demonstrate their ability to design, implement, and present a research project.

Commitment to the Research Process:

Students taking the AP Research Exam should be willing to commit time and effort to the research process. This includes formulating a research question, conducting a literature review, designing a methodology, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting findings.

Effective Communication Skills:

The exam includes an oral presentation and defense, requiring students to communicate their research process and findings effectively. Students should be comfortable presenting their work and responding to questions from a panel of evaluators.

Academic Preparedness:

AP Research Exam students should be academically prepared to engage in a rigorous research project. This includes critically analyzing research literature, designing a research plan, and demonstrating a deep understanding of the subject matter.

Desire for College-Level Challenge:

The AP Capstone Program, including AP Research, is designed to provide students with a college-level academic experience. Students seeking a challenging and intellectually stimulating course beyond the typical high school curriculum may find the AP Research Exam suitable.

College and Career Goals:

Students considering the AP Research Exam should reflect on their college and career goals. If their intended field of study or future career involves research, critical analysis, and effective communication, the experience gained through the AP Research course and exam can be highly beneficial.

Do colleges care about the AP Research exam?

Colleges often view the AP Research Exam, part of the AP Capstone Program, as a valuable and rigorous academic achievement. The AP Capstone Program, consisting of AP Seminar and AP Research, is designed to cultivate students’ research, analysis, and effective communication skills. Here are several reasons why colleges may value the AP Research Exam:

1. Research and Inquiry Skills:

• The AP Research course focuses on research methodology, allowing students to design, execute, and present an academic research project. Colleges appreciate students who have honed these critical research and inquiry skills, as they are applicable across various academic disciplines.

2. Preparation for College-Level Work:

• Engaging in the AP Capstone Program, including AP Research, gives students a taste of college-level research and inquiry. The skills developed in the course can contribute to a smoother transition to the demands of higher education.

3. Interdisciplinary Approach:

• AP Research encourages an interdisciplinary research approach. Colleges often appreciate students who can bridge the gap between different fields of study, as this mirrors the collaborative nature of academic research.

4. Independent Learning:

• The nature of the AP Research course requires students to work independently on a research project. Colleges value students who can take initiative, manage their time effectively, and demonstrate self-directed learning.

5. Critical Thinking and Analysis:

• The AP Research Exam assesses students’ ability to analyze and synthesize information critically. These skills are highly transferable and crucial for success in college and beyond.

6. Communication Skills:

• Presenting research findings is a key component of the AP Research Exam. Colleges appreciate students who can effectively communicate their ideas, as strong communication skills are essential in academia and many professional fields.

7. Preparation for Advanced Courses:

• Completing the AP Capstone Program, including the AP Research Exam, can signal to colleges that students are prepared for more advanced and specialized courses in their chosen field of study.

8. Unique Accomplishment:

• The AP Research Exam is a unique accomplishment that sets students apart. Not all high school students have the opportunity to engage in such advanced research projects, making it a distinctive aspect of a student’s academic profile.
• College-Specific Policies: While many colleges recognize the value of the AP Research Exam, its importance may vary among institutions. Students are encouraged to research the specific policies of the colleges they are interested in.
• Holistic Admissions: Colleges typically use a holistic admissions process, considering a variety of factors in addition to standardized test scores and AP exams. The AP Research Exam is considered within the broader context of a student’s academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and personal qualities.

How hard is the AP Research Exam?

The difficulty level of the AP Research Exam varies from student to student. As with any challenging exam, the difficulty level depends on various factors, including your preparation, study habits, and prior research experience. However, you can overcome the challenges and succeed with the right approach and dedication.

Regarding the AP Research Exam, it is important to note that the content of the exam itself does not solely determine the difficulty level. The exam assesses your ability to conduct independent research and evaluate sources critically. Therefore, the difficulty lies in your ability to effectively apply research methods and analytical skills to a research question or problem.

One factor that can influence the difficulty level of the exam is your level of preparation. The AP Research course is designed to help you develop the necessary skills and knowledge to tackle the exam successfully. Through coursework, discussions, and practice assignments, you will learn how to formulate research questions, design studies, collect and analyze data, and communicate your findings effectively. The more time and effort you invest in your preparation, the better equipped you will be to handle the challenges of the exam.

Another factor that can impact the difficulty level is your study habits. Effective time management, organization, and self-discipline are crucial when preparing for the AP Research Exam. By creating a study schedule, breaking down the material into manageable chunks, and consistently reviewing and practicing, you can enhance your understanding of the content and improve your performance on the exam .

Prior research experience can also play a role in determining the difficulty level of the exam. Suppose you have had previous exposure to conducting research projects or have participated in science fairs, debates, or other research-oriented activities. In that case, you may find certain aspects of the exam more familiar and less challenging. However, even with limited research experience, the AP Research course is designed to provide you with the necessary skills and support to succeed.

It is important to remember that the AP Research Exam is not meant to be easy. It assesses your ability to think critically, conduct independent research, and effectively communicate your findings. The exam will require you to apply your knowledge and skills to real-world problems or questions, which can be intellectually demanding. However, with proper preparation, a strong work ethic, and a growth mindset, you can rise to the challenge and succeed on the AP Research Exam.

What factors affect the difficulty of the AP Research Exam?

Several factors can influence the difficulty of the AP Research Exam. Firstly, the complexity and scope of your research question or problem can play a significant role. Choosing a too broad or narrow topic can make the research process more challenging.

When selecting a research question, it is important to strike a balance between a topic that is too broad and one that is too narrow. If your research question is too broad, you may be overwhelmed with much information to sift through and analyze. On the other hand, if your research question is too narrow, you may struggle to find sufficient sources and data to support your findings. Therefore, it is crucial to carefully consider the scope of your research question to ensure that it is manageable and allows for in-depth analysis.

Additionally, your time and effort in your research project can impact the difficulty level. Adequate planning, organization, and consistent work throughout the course can help you manage the workload and reduce stress.

Embarking on an AP Research project requires a significant time commitment. It is essential to allocate enough time for conducting thorough research, analyzing data, and writing your final paper. By dedicating sufficient time to each stage of the research process, you can ensure that you produce a high-quality project that meets the rigorous standards of the AP Research Exam.

Furthermore, effective organization is key to successfully navigating the AP Research Exam. Keeping track of your sources, notes, and drafts can help you stay organized and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Creating a detailed timeline or schedule can also assist you in managing your time effectively and staying on track with your research goals.

Consistency is another crucial factor in determining the difficulty of the AP Research Exam. Regularly working on your research project and making steady progress can help you avoid last-minute cramming and reduce stress. By setting aside dedicated time each week to focus on your research, you can ensure ample time to refine your ideas, conduct a thorough analysis, and produce a well-structured final paper.

In conclusion, the difficulty of the AP Research Exam is influenced by various factors. The complexity and scope of your research question and the amount of time and effort you invest in your project play significant roles. By carefully selecting a manageable research question, planning and organizing your work effectively, and consistently working on your project, you can confidently navigate the AP Research Exam.

How long is the AP Research Exam?

The total time allotted for the AP Research Exam, including both the academic paper submission and the oral defense, is typically around 20 to 25 minutes. This time includes both the presentation and the question-and-answer session with the panel.

It’s important to note that specific details about the AP Research Exam, including format and timing, may be subject to change. Students are advised to check the most recent information on the College Board’s official website or consult their school’s AP coordinator for the latest and most accurate details regarding the AP Research Exam.

Is it a good idea to take the AP Research exam?

Taking the AP Research Exam can be a good idea for students interested in conducting independent research, developing strong analytical skills, and showcasing their abilities in academic inquiry. Here are some factors to consider when deciding whether to take the AP Research Exam:

1. Interest in Research:

• If you are genuinely interested in conducting research and exploring a topic in-depth, the AP Research course and exam provide an opportunity to pursue your passion. The course allows you to choose a research topic that aligns with your interests.

2. Academic Challenge:

• The AP Research Exam is designed to be academically challenging, offering a rigorous experience that goes beyond standard high school coursework. If you enjoy intellectual challenges and want to engage in advanced academic work, the AP Research Exam may be a good fit.

3. Development of Skills:

• The course emphasizes developing critical research skills, including formulating research questions, designing studies, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting findings. Regardless of your chosen field, these skills are valuable in college and beyond.

4. Preparation for College:

• Engaging in the AP Research program can provide a taste of college-level research and prepare you for the expectations of independent study and inquiry that you may encounter in higher education.

5. Communication Skills:

• The exam includes a presentation component, allowing you to communicate your research findings. If you want to hone your communication skills and effectively present complex information, the AP Research Exam offers a platform for this development.

6. College Credit and Recognition:

• Depending on the college, a high score on the AP Research Exam may earn you college credit or advanced placement. Additionally, colleges often view completion of the AP Capstone Program positively in the admissions process.

7. Personal Challenge and Growth:

• Undertaking the AP Research Exam is a personal challenge that can lead to significant intellectual and personal growth. It requires self-discipline, time management, and the ability to work independently.

Considerations:

• Time Commitment: The AP Research course and exam require a significant time commitment. Be sure to assess your schedule and ensure that you can dedicate the necessary time to conduct research and prepare for the exam.
• Availability of Resources: Ensure that your school offers the AP Research course and that you have access to the resources needed to conduct research, such as a mentor or advisor, library resources, and research materials.
• Individual Goals: Consider how the AP Research Exam aligns with your academic and career goals. If you are considering a field that values research and critical analysis, the experience gained in the AP Research program can be particularly beneficial.

What is the format of the AP Research Exam?

The AP Research Exam assesses students on their ability to design, plan, and conduct independent research and present and defend their findings. The exam consists of three major components:

1. Academic Paper:

• Format: The academic paper is a major written document that presents the student’s research. It should adhere to the guidelines specified in the AP Research Course and Exam Description.
• Length: The recommended length for the academic paper is around 4,000 to 5,000 words.
• Content: The paper should include an introduction, literature review, research question, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. It should be well-organized, clearly written, and properly cited.
• Submission: The academic paper is submitted electronically as a PDF through the AP Digital Portfolio. It is typically due in early May.

2. Presentation:

• Format: Students must create and deliver an oral presentation based on their research. The presentation should effectively communicate key aspects of the research project.
• Time Limit: The presentation is limited to a maximum of 15 minutes.
• Content: The presentation should cover the research question, methodology, results, and the significance of the findings. It should be well-organized, engaging, and clearly articulate the research process.
• Submission: The presentation file (usually a video recording) is submitted electronically as part of the AP Digital Portfolio.

3. Oral Defense:

• Format: Following the presentation, students participate in an oral defense. This is a question-and-answer session during which students respond to inquiries from a panel of evaluators.
• Time Limit: The oral defense typically lasts for about 10 minutes.
• Content: Students should be prepared to discuss various aspects of their research, including their research question, methodology, data analysis, and the implications of their findings.
• Evaluation: The oral defense is evaluated based on the student’s ability to articulate their research process, respond to questions, and demonstrate a deep understanding of the subject matter.

Additional Considerations:

Evaluation Criteria: The exam is scored by a panel of college professors and experienced high school teachers. They assess the academic paper, presentation, and oral defense based on predetermined criteria outlined by the College Board.

Use of Technology: The AP Research Exam involves using technology to submit the academic paper and presentation. Students should ensure that they are familiar with the technical requirements and guidelines for submission.

Digital Portfolio: All components of the AP Research Exam, including the academic paper, presentation, and oral defense, are submitted through the AP Digital Portfolio, an online platform provided by the College Board.

It’s important for students to carefully review the guidelines and requirements outlined in the AP Research Course and Exam Description and to stay updated on any additional information or changes provided by the College Board. Additionally, practicing presentations and participating in mock oral defenses can help students feel more confident and prepared for the exam.

How to study for the AP Research Exam

Preparing for the AP Research Exam requires research skills, critical thinking, and effective communication. Here’s a detailed guide on how to study for the AP Research Exam:

1. Understand the Exam Format:

• Familiarize yourself with the format of the AP Research Exam. Understand the components, including the written academic paper, presentation, and oral defense.

2. Review the AP Research Course and Exam Description:

• The College Board provides a detailed Course and Exam Description (CED) for AP Research. Review this document thoroughly to understand the expectations, assessment criteria, and exam structure.

3. Select a Research Topic:

• Choose a research topic that aligns with your interests and allows in-depth exploration. Ensure it is a genuinely passionate topic, as sustained interest will be crucial throughout the research process.

4. Develop a Research Question:

• Craft a well-defined research question that is specific, relevant, and aligned with your chosen topic. Your question should guide your research and provide a clear focus for your investigation.

5. Conduct a Comprehensive Literature Review:

• Research existing literature related to your topic. A thorough literature review establishes the context for your research and helps you identify gaps or areas where you can contribute new insights.

6. Design a Methodology:

• Clearly outline your research methodology, including data collection methods and analysis techniques. Justify your choices and demonstrate an understanding of research design principles.

7. Collect and Analyze Data:

• Implement your research plan, collecting relevant data. Apply appropriate analytical methods to interpret your findings. Ensure that your data collection aligns with the ethical standards outlined in the AP Research Exam guidelines.

8. Draft Your Academic Paper:

• Organize your research findings into a well-structured academic paper. Follow the guidelines provided by the College Board for formatting, citations, and overall presentation. Clearly articulate your research question, methodology, and results.

9. Peer Review and Revision:

• Seek feedback from peers, teachers, or mentors. Use their input to revise and refine your academic paper. Pay attention to clarity, coherence, and the overall persuasiveness of your argument.

10. Prepare for the Presentation:

• Develop a compelling presentation that effectively communicates your research. Practice delivering your presentation to ensure you can articulate your findings clearly within the allotted time.

11. Rehearse the Oral Defense:

• Familiarize yourself with the oral defense process. Be prepared to answer questions from your peers and the evaluation panel. Practice articulating your research methodology, results, and the significance of your findings.

12. Review Sample Questions and Rubrics:

• Practice with past exam questions and review the scoring rubrics the College Board provides. Understand how your work will be evaluated and tailor your preparation accordingly.

13. Time Management:

• Develop a study schedule that allocates sufficient time for each stage of the research process. Effective time management is crucial to completing your research, paper, and presentation.

14. Utilize AP Classroom Resources:

• Take advantage of resources provided on the AP Classroom platform, including practice exams, sample papers, and additional materials. These resources can help you become familiar with the exam format and expectations.

15. Stay Updated on Guidelines:

• Regularly check for updates or clarifications on exam guidelines and requirements. The College Board may release additional information or resources leading up to the exam.

16. Manage Stress:

• Prioritize self-care to manage stress. Adequate rest, healthy nutrition, and breaks are essential for maintaining focus and productivity during preparation.

17. Seek Support:

• Don’t hesitate to seek guidance from your teacher, mentor, or classmates. Collaborative discussions can provide valuable insights and perspectives on your research.

18. Reflect on Feedback:

• Use feedback from practice sessions, peer reviews, and teacher evaluations to improve your work continuously. Reflecting on feedback and making strategic revisions is part of the learning process.

19. Simulate Exam Conditions:

• As you approach the exam date, simulate exam conditions during practice sessions. This includes adhering to time limits for paper writing, presentation, and oral defense.

20. Confidence and Positive Mindset:

• Approach the exam with confidence in your preparation. Maintain a positive mindset and focus on showcasing the depth of your research, analytical skills, and communication abilities.

By following these steps and maintaining a systematic approach to your research and exam preparation, you can enhance your chances of success in the AP Research Exam. Remember that the AP Research Exam is an opportunity to demonstrate your research skills and ability to contribute meaningfully to academic discourse.

Tips on the day of the exam

On the AP Research Exam day, being well-prepared and staying focused is crucial. Here are some tips to help you perform your best:

• Get a good night’s sleep: Ensure you get enough rest the night before the exam. A well-rested mind will be more alert and capable of handling complex tasks.
• Eat a nutritious meal: Fuel your body and brain with a balanced meal before the exam. Avoid heavy or sugary foods that may cause energy crashes.
• Arrive early: Give yourself ample time to get to the exam venue. Arriving early will help you settle in, calm your nerves, and review any last-minute notes.
• Read instructions carefully: Pay close attention to the exam instructions and follow them precisely. Missing out on important details can cost you valuable points.
• Stay calm and focused: Maintain a positive mindset and avoid getting overwhelmed. Take deep breaths to relax and stay focused throughout the exam.

When is the AP Research exam in 2024?

The AP Research exam 2024 will be administered in the afternoon on April 30, 2024. It’s important to note that April 30, 2024 (11:59 p.m. ET) is the deadline for AP Research students to submit performance tasks as final and for their presentations to be scored by their AP Seminar or AP Research teachers.

For a complete list of the 2024 AP Exam dates, here’s a full list:

When do AP scores come out?

AP scores are typically released in early to mid-July of the year the exams were taken. The exact release date may vary slightly from year to year, but students who took their AP exams in May can generally expect their scores to become available.

You can check for updates on the College Board’s official AP scores website if you are waiting for your AP scores. They will also email you when your scores are added to your score report. If you haven’t received your scores by mid-August, contacting AP Services for Students is recommended for assistance.

Post-exam tips

Congratulations! You have completed the AP Research Exam. However, your journey does not end here. Here are some post-exam tips to make the most of your experience:

• Reflect on your performance: Take some time to reflect on your strengths and areas for improvement. Use this self-reflection as a learning opportunity to enhance your research skills further.
• Seek feedback from evaluators: If possible, request feedback from the panel of evaluators. Their insights can provide valuable guidance for future research projects or academic pursuits.
• Celebrate your accomplishment: Regardless of the outcome, acknowledge your hard work and celebrate your achievements. Completing the AP Research Exam is a commendable accomplishment.
• Apply your research skills: The research skills you have honed throughout the AP Research course and exam can be applied to future academic and professional endeavors. Utilize these skills to pursue your passions and contribute to society.

By following this ultimate guide and implementing effective strategies, you are well on your way to the AP Research Exam . Remember, it is not just about the exam itself – the knowledge and skills you gain along the way make the AP Research experience invaluable. Good luck!

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The Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum is administered by the College Board and serves as a standardized set of year-long high school classes that are roughly equivalent to one semester of college-level coursework. Although most students enroll in an actual course to prepare for their AP exams, many others will self-study for the exams without enrolling in the actual AP class.

AP classes are generally stand-alone subjects that easily translate to traditional college courses. Typically, they culminate in a standardized exam on which students are graded using a 5-point scale, which colleges and universities will use to determine credit or advanced standing. Starting in fall of 2014, though, this traditional AP course and exam format has begun to adapt in efforts by the College Board to reflect less stringent rote curriculum and a heavier emphasis on critical thinking skills.

The AP Capstone program is at the center of these changes, and its culmination course is AP Research. If you are interested in learning more about the AP Research Course and Assessment, and how they can prepare you for college-level work, read on for CollegeVine’s Ultimate Guide to the AP Research Course and Assessment.

About the Course and Assessment

The AP Research course is the second of two classes required for the AP Capstone™ Diploma . In order to enroll in this course you need to have completed the AP Seminar course during a previous year. Through that course, you will have learned to collect and analyze information with accuracy and precision, developed arguments based on facts, and effectively communicated your conclusions. During the AP Research course, you apply these skills on a larger platform. In the AP Research course, you can expect to learn and apply research methods and practices to address a real-world topic of your choosing, with the end result being the production and defense of a scholarly academic paper. Students who receive a score of 3 or higher on both the AP Seminar and AP Research courses earn an AP Seminar and Research Certificate™. Students who receive a score of 3 or higher on both courses and on four additional AP exams of their choosing receive the AP Capstone Diploma™.    

The AP Research course will guide you through the design, planning, and implementation of a year-long, research-based investigation to address a research question of interest to you. While working with an expert advisor, chosen by you with the help of your teacher, you will explore an academic topic, problem, or issue of your choosing and cultivate the skills and discipline necessary to conduct independent research and produce and defend a scholarly academic paper. Through explicit instruction in research methodology, ethical research practices, and documentation processes, you will develop a portfolio of scholarly work to frame your research paper and subsequent presentation of it.

Although the core content and skills remain standardized for every AP Research course, the implementation of this instruction may vary. Some AP Research courses may have a specific disciplinary focus wherein the course content is rooted in a specific subject, such as AP Research STEM Inquiries or AP Research Performing and Visual Arts. Similarly, other AP Research courses are offered in conjunction with a separate and specific AP class, such as AP Research and AP Biology wherein students are concurrently enrolled in both AP courses and content is presented in a cross-curricular approach. Alternatively, AP Research may be presented in the form of an internship wherein students who are already working with a discipline-specific expert adviser conduct independent studies and research of the student’s choosing while taking the AP Research class. Finally, some AP Research courses are delivered independently as a research methods class. In this style of class, students develop inquiry methods for the purpose of determining which method best fits their chosen topic of inquiry/research question, and each student then uses a selected method to complete his or her investigation.    

Only schools that currently offer the AP Capstone Diploma may offer the AP Research course. Because it is a part of a larger comprehensive, skills-based program, students may not self-study for the AP Research course or final paper. At this time, home-schooled students, home-school organizations, and online providers are not eligible to participate in AP Capstone.

Your performance in the AP Research course is assessed through two performance tasks. The first is the Academic Paper, which accounts for 75% of your total AP score. In this paper, you will present the findings of your yearlong research in 4,000-5,000 words. Although the official submission deadline for this task is April 30, the College Board strongly recommends that this portion of your assessment be completed by April 15 in order to allow enough time for the second of your performance tasks.

The second performance task is your Presentation and Oral Defense, which accounts for the remaining 25% of your total AP score. Using your research topic, your will prepare a 15-20 minute presentation in an appropriate format with appropriate accompanying media. Your defense will include fielding three to four questions from a panel consisting of your AP Research teacher and two additional panel members chosen at the discretion of your teacher.    

In 2016, fewer than 3,000 students submitted an AP Research project, but enrollment is projected to grow rapidly, since 12,000 students took the AP Seminar assessment in 2016 and most will presumably go on to submit an AP Research project in 2017. Scores from the 2016 AP Research projects reveal a high pass rate (score of three or higher) but a difficult rate of mastery. While 67.1% of students taking the assessments scored a three or higher, only 11.6% received the highest score of a five, while nearly 40% received a three. Only 2% of students submitting research projects received the lowest score of one.    

A full course description that can help to guide your planning and understanding of the knowledge required for the AP Research course and assessments can be found in the College Board course description .

Read on for tips for successfully completing the AP Research course.

How Should I Prepare for the AP Research Course?

As you undertake the AP Research course and performance tasks, you will be expected to conduct research, write a scholarly paper, and defend your work in a formal presentation.   Having already completed the AP Seminar course, these skills should be familiar to you. You should use your scores on the AP Seminar performance task to help guide your preparations for the AP Research performance tasks.

Carefully review your scores from AP Seminar. Make sure you understand where points were lost and why. It may be helpful to schedule a meeting with your AP Seminar teacher to review your work. Alternatively, your AP Research teacher may be willing to go over your AP Seminar projects with you. You might also ask a classmate to review your projects together to get a better idea of where points were earned and where points were lost. Use this review as a jumping point for your AP Research studies. You should go into the course with a good idea of where your strengths lie, and where you need to focus on improving.

A sample timeline for the AP Research course is available on page 36 of the course description . One detail worth noting is that the recommended timeline actually begins not in September with the start of the new school year, but instead begins in May with the completion of the AP Seminar course during the previous school year. It is then that you should begin to consider research topics, problems, or ideas. By September of the following school year, it is recommended that you have already finalized a research question and proposal, completed an annotated bibliography, and prepared to begin a preliminary inquiry proposal for peer review.    

What Content Will I Be Held Accountable For During the AP Research Course?

To be successful in the AP Research class, you will begin with learning to investigate relevant topics, compose insightful problem statements, and develop compelling research questions, with consideration of scope, to extend your thinking.   Your teacher will expect you to demonstrate perseverance through setting goals, managing time, and working independently on a long-term project. Specifically, you will prepare for your research project by:

• Identifying, applying, and implementing appropriate methods for research and data collection
• Accessing information using effective strategies
• Evaluating the relevance and credibility of information from sources and data
• Reading a bibliography for the purpose of understanding that it is a source for other research and for determining context, credibility, and scope
• Attributing knowledge and ideas accurately and ethically, using an appropriate citation style
• Evaluating strengths and weaknesses of others’ inquiries and studies

As in the AP Research course, you will continue to investigate real-world issues from multiple perspectives, gathering and analyzing information from various sources in order to develop credible and valid evidence- based arguments. You will accomplish this through instruction in the AP Research Big Ideas, also called the QUEST Framework. These include:

• Question and Explore: Questioning begins with an initial exploration of complex topics or issues. Perspectives and questions emerge that spark one’s curiosity, leading to an investigation that challenges and expands the boundaries of one’s current knowledge.
• Understand and Analyze Arguments: Understanding various perspectives requires contextualizing arguments and evaluating the authors’ claims and lines of reasoning.
• Evaluate Multiple Perspectives: Evaluating an issue involves considering and evaluating multiple perspectives, both individually and in comparison to one another.
• Synthesize Ideas: Synthesizing others’ ideas with one’s own may lead to new understandings and is the foundation of a well-reasoned argument that conveys one’s perspective.
• Team, Transform, and Transmit: Teaming allows one to combine personal strengths and talents with those of others to reach a common goal. Transformation and growth occur upon thoughtful reflection. Transmitting requires the adaptation of one’s message based on audience and context.

In addition, you will use four distinct reasoning processes as you approach your research. The reasoning processes are situating, choosing, defending , and connecting . When you situate ideas, you are aware of their context in your own perspective and the perspective of others, ensuring that biases do not lead to false assumptions. When you make choices about ideas and themes, you recognize that these choices will have both intended and unintentional consequences. As you defend your choices, you explain and justify them using a logical line of reasoning. Finally, when you connect ideas you see intersections within and/or across concepts, disciplines, and cultures.

For a glossary of research terms that you should become familiar with, see page 62 of the course description .

How Will I Know If I’m Doing Well in the AP Research Course?

Because your entire score for the AP Research course is determined by your research paper and presentation, which come at the very end of the course, it can be difficult to gauge your success until that point. Do yourself a favor and do not wait until your final scores come back to determine how successful you have been in the course.

As you undertake the AP Research course, there will be many opportunities for formative assessments throughout the semester. These assessments are used to give both you and your teacher an idea of the direction of instruction needed for you to master the skills required in the AP Research course. You should use these assessments to your advantage and capitalize on the feedback you receive through each. A list of possible activities used for these assessments can be found on page 41 of the course description .

Another way that you and your teacher will track your progress is through your Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP). The PREP serves to document your development as you investigate your research questions, thereby providing evidence that you have demonstrated a sustained effort during the entire inquiry process. You will review your PREP periodically with your teacher, who will use it as a formative assessment to evaluate your progress.

Throughout the course, you will be assigned prompts and questions to respond to in your PREP. You will use this portfolio to document your research or artistic processes, communication with your expert adviser, and reflections on your thought processes. You should also write freely, journaling about your strengths and weaknesses with regard to implementing such processes and developing your arguments or aesthetic rationales. 

Your final PREP should include:

• Table of contents
• Completed and approved proposal form
• Specific pieces of work selected by the student to represent what he or she considers to be the best showcase for his or her work. (Examples might include: in-class (teacher-directed) free-writing about the inquiry process, resource list, annotated bibliography of any source important to the student’s work, photographs, charts, spreadsheets, and/or links to videos or other relevant visual research/project artifacts, draft versions of selected sections of the academic paper, or notes in preparation for presentation and oral defense.)
• Documentation of permission(s) received from primary sources, if required — for example, permission(s) from an IRB or other agreements with individuals, institutions, or organizations that provide primary and private data such as interviews, surveys, or investigations
• Documentation or log of the student’s interaction with expert adviser(s) and the role the expert adviser(s) played in the student’s learning and inquiry process (e.g., What areas of expertise did the expert adviser have that the student needed to draw from? Did the student get the help he or she needed — and if not, what did he or she do to ensure that the research process was successful? Which avenues of exploration did the expert adviser help the student to discover?)
• Questions asked to and feedback received from peer and adult reviewers both in the initial stages and at key points along the way
• Reflection on whether or not the feedback was accepted or rejected and why
• Attestation signed by the student which states, “I hereby affirm that the work contained in this Process and Reflection Portfolio is my own and that I have read and understand the AP Capstone TM Policy on Plagiarism and Falsification or Fabrication of Information”

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to maintain strong communications with your teacher as you progress through the AP Research course. Not only is your teacher your best resource for learning new skills and knowledge, but also it is your teacher who will be responsible for grading your final performance tasks and as such, you should always have a strong understanding of how your work is being assessed and the ways in which you can improve it. Remember, your teacher wants you to succeed just as much as you do; work together as a team to optimize your chances.

How Should I Choose a Research Topic?

You will begin to consider research topics before the school year even starts. If your AP Research class is offered in conjunction with another course, such as those rooted in a specific subject or linked to another concurrent AP course, you will have some idea of the direction in which your research should head. Regardless of whether you know the precise subject matter of your topic, you should begin by asking yourself what you want to know, learn, or understand. The AP Research class provides a unique opportunity for you to guide your own learning in a direction that is genuinely interesting to you. You will find your work more engaging, exciting, and worthwhile if you choose a topic that you want to learn more about.

As you begin to consider research topics, you should:

• Develop a list of topics and high-level questions that spark your interest to engage in an individual research project
• Identify potential expert advisers to guide you in the planning and development of your research project (For tips on how to find a mentor, read CollegeVine’s “ How to Choose a Winning Science Fair Project Idea ”)
• Identify potential opportunities (if you are interested) to perform primary research with an expert adviser during the summer, via internships or summer research projects for high school students offered in the community and local higher education institutions
• Discuss research project planning skills and ideas with students who are currently taking or have already taken the AP Research course

You might also find inspiration from reading about past AP Research topics. One list of potential research questions can be found here and another can be found here . Keep in mind that these lists make great starting points and do a good job of getting you thinking about important subjects, but your research topic should ultimately be something that you develop independently as the result of careful introspection, discussions with your teacher and peers, and your own preliminary research.

Finally, keep in mind that if you pursue a research project that involves human subjects, your proposal will need to be reviewed and approved by an institutional review board (IRB) before experimentation begins. Talk with your teacher to decide if this is the right path for you before you get too involved in a project that may not be feasible.

Once you have decided on a research topic, complete an Inquiry Proposal Form. This will be distributed by your teacher and can also be found on page 55 of the course description .

How Do I Conduct My Research?

By the time you begin your AP Research course, you will have already learned many of the basics about research methods during your AP Seminar course. You should be comfortable collecting and analyzing information with accuracy and precision, developing arguments based on facts, and effectively communicating your point of view. These will be essential skills as you move forward in your AP Research project.

As you undertake your work, remember the skills you’ve already learned about research:

• Use strategies to aid your comprehension as you tackle difficult texts.
• Identify the author’s main idea and the methods that he or she uses to support it.
• Think about biases and whether other perspectives are acknowledged.
• Assess the strength of research, products, and arguments.
• Look for patterns and trends as you strive to make connections between multiple arguments.
• Think about what other issues, questions, or topics could be explored further.

You should be certain to keep track of all sources used in your research and cite them appropriately. The College Board has a strict policy against plagiarism. You can read more about its specifics on page 60 of the course description .

How Do I Write My Paper?

Before you begin writing your final paper, make sure to thoroughly read the Task Overview handout which will be distributed by your teacher. If you would like to see it beforehand, it can be found on page 56 of the course description . You should also review the outline of required paper sections on page 49 of the course description .

Your paper must contain the following sections:

› Introduction

› Method, Process, or Approach

› Results, Product, or Findings

› Discussion, Analysis, and/or Evaluation

› Conclusion and Future Directions

› Bibliography

Before you begin writing, organize your ideas and findings into an outline using the sections listed above. Be sure to consider how you can connect and analyze the evidence in order to develop an argument and support a conclusion. Also think about if there are any alternate conclusions that could be supported by your evidence and how you can acknowledge and account for your own biases and assumptions. 

Begin your paper by introducing and contextualizing your research question or problem. Make sure to include your initial assumptions and/or hypothesis. Next, include a literature review of previous work in the field and various perspectives on your topic. Use the literature review to highlight the gap in the current field of knowledge to be addressed by your research project. Then, explain and justify your methodology, present your findings, evidence, or data, and interpret the significance of these findings. Discuss implications for further research or limitations of your existing project. Finally, reflect on the project, how it could impact its field, and any possible next steps. Your paper should conclude with a comprehensive bibliography including all of the sources used in your process.

Make sure to proofread and edit your paper yourself, have it proofread and edited by a friend, and then proofread and edit it again before you complete your final draft.

How Do I Prepare For My Oral Defense?

Once your paper is finished, you may be tempted to sit back and rest on your laurels. Although you’ve no doubt expended a tremendous about of energy in producing a final product you can be proud of, don’t forget that the work is not over yet. Your oral defense accounts for 25% of your total score so it should be taken seriously.

Your oral defense is a 15-20 minute presentation that uses appropriate media to present your findings to an oral defense panel. You may choose any appropriate format for your presentation, as long as the presentation reflects the depth of your research. If your academic paper was accompanied by an additional piece of scholarly work (e.g., performance, exhibit, product), you should arrange with your teacher for him or her, along with the panelists, to view the scholarly work prior to your presentation.

As you plan your presentation, consider how you can best appeal to your audience. Consider different mediums for your presentation, and how those mediums might affect your credibility as a presenter. You want to be engaging to your audience while still being taken seriously.

Following your presentation, you will field three or four questions from your panelists. These will include one question pertaining to your research or inquiry process, one question focused on your depth of understanding, and one question about your reflection throughout the inquiry process as evidenced in your PREP. The fourth question and any follow-up questions are at the discretion of the panel. A list of sample oral defense questions begins on page 52 of the course description . For a complete outline of the oral defense, see page 49 of the course description . 

How Will My Work Be Assessed?

Because this assessment is only available to students enrolled in the AP Capstone program, your teacher will register you for the assessment when you enroll in the course. You should confirm with your teacher that you are registered for the assessment no later than March 1. 

You will submit your final paper and complete your oral presentation no later than April 30, at which point your teacher will submit your work and scores through an AP Digital Portfolio. Your presentation will be scored by your teacher alone. Your paper will be scored by your teacher and validated by the College Board.

You may find the scoring rubric from the 2016 performance tasks available here . You may find a collection authentic student research papers and scoring explanations available here .

Preparing for any AP assessment can be a stressful process. Having a specific plan of attack and a firm grasp of how your work is assessed will help you to feel prepared and score well. Use CollegeVine’s Ultimate Guide to the AP Research Course and Assessment to help shape your understanding of the course and how to complete your performance tasks effectively. When submission day arrives, you should feel better prepared and informed about the work you have produced.

For more about information about APs, check out these CollegeVine posts:

• Can AP Tests Actually Save You Thousands of Dollars?

• Should I Take AP/IB/Honors Classes?

• How to Choose Which AP Courses and Exams to Take

• What If My School Doesn’t Offer AP or IB Courses?

• Are All APs Created Equal in Admissions?

Want access to expert college guidance — for free? When you create your free CollegeVine account, you will find out your real admissions chances, build a best-fit school list, learn how to improve your profile, and get your questions answered by experts and peers—all for free. Sign up for your CollegeVine account today to get a boost on your college journey.

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AP Research Performance Task Sample and Scoring Information Archive

Download sample Academic Papers along with scoring guidelines and scoring distributions.

If you are using assistive technology and need help accessing these PDFs in another format, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 212-713-8333 or by email at [email protected] .  

AP® English Literature

The best ap® english literature review guide for 2024.

• The Albert Team
• Last Updated On: January 29, 2024

Scoring a 5 on the AP® English Literature and Composition exam is no easy task. In 2019, for example, only 6.2% of students earned a 5 on the test. While this statistic may be discouraging at first glance, it does indicate that a perfect score is possible for those willing to do extra preparation and practice. In 2022, nearly 17% of test-takers earned a 5 – a big improvement!

It may take some hard work, but it’s possible to ace this exam! We’re here to help.

In this comprehensive review, we’ll unpack the exam’s basic format, analyze the common structures and shapes of AP® Literature questions, provide useful tips and strategies for scoring a 5, and offer a variety of helpful additional resources and study tools.

Let’s get to it!

What We Review

How is the AP® English Literature and Composition Exam formatted? 

The AP® English Literature and Composition exam is divided into two sections: multiple-choice and free-response. 

The multiple-choice section is broken into five chunks equipped with 8-13 questions each, totaling 55 questions. You will be asked to analyze excerpts from diverse literary texts, including prose fiction, drama, or poetry. Moreover, there will always be at least 2 prose fiction passages and 2 poems in this section of the exam. The fifth text can be either. 

The multiple-choice section has a time limit of 1 hour, and it counts as 45% of your overall exam score. 

Section 2 of the exam, often informally called the “essay section,” contains 3 free-response prompts which demand literary analysis of a given poem, a passage of prose fiction, or an excerpt from a play. 

The first two prompts will provide a passage or a poem requiring analysis, while the third and final prompt will ask you to engage with a concept, issue, or element in a literary work that you are expected to have encountered during the school year. A list of appropriate works is provided for the third prompt. 

You have 2 hours to complete Section 2, which comprises 55% of your final exam score.

Return to the Table of Contents

How Long is the AP® English Literature and Composition Exam?

The AP® English Literature and Composition exam is 3 hours long. Students will have 1 hour to complete the multiple-choice section (55 questions) and 2 hours to complete the free-response section (3 questions). 

Since you must answer 55 questions in 60 minutes on the multiple-choice portion of the exam, you should pace yourself at about 1 minute per question and about 12 minutes per passage. 

Likewise, since the free response section is timed at 120 minutes, you should aim to complete each essay in 40 minutes or under.

Time yourself when you practice, and don’t get caught up trying to answer a question that you totally do not know the answer to. Don’t rush through the test, but don’t take too much time.

How Many Questions Does the AP® English Literature and Composition Exam Have? 

Section i: multiple-choice.

• 5 passages, 55 questions total: 8-13 questions per passage
• Passages include 2 Prose, 2 Poems, and 1 of either

Section II: Free-Response

• 1 literary analysis of a given poem
• 1 literary analysis of a given passage of prose fiction
• 1 literary argument

What Topics are Covered on the AP® English Literature and Composition Exam? 

Perhaps the best way to begin thinking about the topics covered on the exam is through a holistic approach. Overall, the test assesses the six big ideas covered within the AP® English Literature and Composition course itself: 

• Figurative Language
• Literary Argumentation

These components comprise the whole exam, and you will be tested specifically on material from these broad concepts. 

Now, let’s return to its formatting. Remember, the exam is divided into multiple choice and free response, each carrying its own set of demands and topics.

Section I: Multiple Choice

Since the AP® English Literature and Composition exam is a skills-based test, there’s no way to know what specific passages or topics might appear on the official exam. Rather, CollegeBoard uses a variety of excerpts from literary texts, including prose, poetry, and drama. 

The passages often range from the 16th to the 21st century, and the authors and literary works change yearly. So it is imperative that you sharpen your critical reading skills and hone your ability to engage with the forms, styles, and content of a diverse range of literature. 

However, we have some good news. We do know how the multiple choice section is organized and weighted. It is divided into three broad units: short fiction, poetry, and longer fiction or drama, with each unit carrying its own weighted percentage. The chart below outlines this weighting:

Moreover, the multiple choice portion of the exam can be further broken down into 7 assessed skills:

Remember, the multiple-choice section will include five sets of 8 to 13 questions per set, so be prepared to encounter many if not all of these skill sets per passage. But it is safe to say that you should review certain skill categories more thoroughly than others on account of how frequently they appear on the exam. 

Below we’ve compiled a descending list of priorities for you to consider. 

• Skill Category 4 : Explain the function of the narrator or speaker
• Skill Category 1 : Explain the function of character
• Skill Category 3 : Explain the function of plot and structure
• Skill Category 5 : Explain the function of word choice, imagery, and symbols
• Skill Category 7 : Develop textually substantiated arguments about interpretations of part or all of a text
• Skill Category 6 : Explain the function of comparison
• Skill Category 2 . Explain the function of setting

Section 4, “Explain the function of the narrator or speaker,” should be studied the most since it holds a substantial amount of weight in determining your score. Skill category 2, as you see above, accounts for a small percentage of the exam so we recommend you don’t spend hours upon hours brushing up on the function of the setting. Don’t blow it off, though!

Section II: Free Response

Like the multiple choice section, the free response portion is also skills-based. We cannot predict what specific passages or poems will make it onto the test, but we do know the type(s) of essays you will be required to write:

• 1 Poetry Analysis: After reading a poem of 100 to 300 words, you will respond to a prompt based on the poem with a well-developed essay. Your essay, of course, must offer a defensible interpretation, make adequate use of textual evidence, engage critically with cited evidence, and use appropriate grammar and punctuation when communicating its argument. These requirements are present throughout all three free-response essays. 
• 1 Prose Fiction Analysis: This part of the free response section will provide a passage of prose fiction (500 to 700 words) and, like the poetry analysis, ask you to respond to a prompt through writing a well-developed essay. Your argument must adhere to the rigor and clarity outlined above in the poetry analysis description.
• 1 Literary Argument Essay: Here, you will be given an open-ended topic and be asked to write an evidence-based argumentative essay in response to the topic. There will be a quote or small passage to read, a corresponding prompt, and an extensive list of literary works you may use when developing your argument. While you do not have to use a work from this list, you must select a work of literary merit. Avoid choosing fantasy novels or works designed more for pure entertainment. It needs to be a work of “deep” literature.

What Do the AP® English Literature and Composition Exam Questions Look Like?

Multiple choice examples:.

The Course and Exam Description (CED) for AP® Lit provides 10 practice questions that address prose fiction and 9 practice questions that address poetry.

Below, we’ll look at examples of each question type and cover the skills and essential knowledge they address. First, we will examine the multiple-choice questions involving prose fiction:

Skill: 5.B Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a text.

Essential Knowledge: FIG-1.M Descriptive words, such as adjectives and adverbs, qualify or modify the things they describe and affect readers’ interaction with the text.

Skill: 4.C Identify and describe details, diction, or syntax in a text that reveal a narrator’s or speaker’s perspective.

Essential Knowledge: NAR-1.R Information included and/or not included in a text conveys the perspective of characters, narrators, and/or speakers.

Skill: 3.C Explain the function of structure in a text.

Essential Knowledge: STR-1.F A text’s structure affects readers’ reactions and expectations by presenting the relationships among the ideas of the text via their relative positions and their placement within the text as a whole

Now that we’ve taken a look at samples of multiple-choice questions involving prose fiction, let’s turn our attention toward questions that address poetry. 

Skill 7.B: Develop a thesis statement that conveys a defensible claim about an interpretation of literature and that may establish a line of reasoning. 

Essential Knowledge: LAN-1.D A thesis statement expresses an interpretation of a literary text, and requires a defense, through use of textual evidence and a line of reasoning, both of which are explained in an essay through commentary.

Skill 4.C: Identify and describe details, diction, or syntax in a text that reveal a narrator’s or speaker’s perspective.

Essential Knowledge: NAR-1.X Multiple, and even contrasting, perspectives can occur within a single text and contribute to the complexity of the text.

Skill: 5.D Identify and explain the function of an image or imagery.

Essential Knowledge: FIG-1.O Descriptive words, such as adjectives and adverbs, contribute to sensory imagery.

As you see, these questions force you to engage with literature more critically and technically. CollegeBoard’s main objective is to shape you into a budding literary critic capable of producing college-level work, so they consistently ask questions that look like those above. 

To develop your skills to a level that would be acceptable by a university, then, the test-makers over at CollegeBoard often craft questions involving analysis of literary devices, character perspective, figurative language, and more. The individual skills assessed by these questions are designed to take your thinking to a much higher level.

Free Response Examples: 

The Course and Exam Description (CED) for AP® Lit also provides samples of free response questions. Let’s begin by taking a look at a sample of a poetry-based free response prompt.

Poetry Analysis

Skills: 4.C, 7.A, 7.B, 7.C, 7.D, 7.E

Note how the prompt is somewhat vague and open-ended. While it does ask you to hone in on a specific topic within the poem—aging—through discussion of the writer’s use of poetic elements and techniques, it also does not specify which of those elements and techniques should be discussed:

• Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Emerson uses poetic elements and techniques to convey the speaker’s complex perspective on aging.

So, it is imperative that you come to this exam with a deep and clear understanding of literary devices and motifs such as parallelism, imagery, irony, etc.

If you struggle with literary and rhetorical terms, check out our guide on essential AP® Literature Rhetorical Terms !

In a bit, we’ll provide some additional resources to help you build your knowledge of these literary tools.

Prose Fiction Analysis

Skills: 1.A, 7.A, 7.B, 7.C, 7.D, 7.E

The prompt requires you to read the excerpt and construct a well-developed literary analysis in response. Like the poetry prompt, note how this prompt is somewhat vague and open-ended. Again, it points you in a direction but leaves it up to you on how you’re going to get there:

• Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Kincaid uses literary elements and techniques  to portray the complexity of the narrator’s new situation.

Therefore, it is imperative that you come to the test prepared with knowledge of literary elements and techniques.

Literary Argument 

Skills: 1.E, 2.C, 7.A, 7.B, 7.C, 7.D, 7.E

Unlike the other two essays, this prompt contains neither a prose excerpt nor a poem. Rather, it provides a brief quote and then asks you to expand on its central concept and, in our case, the notion of home. 

It then provides a list of works that would suit your analysis. You are to select one work from the list or choose another work of literary merit and analyze it in the context of the prompt. Again, note how much of the analysis is up to you. The prompt points you in a direction and then leaves you on your own to select how you’re going to get there. 

Therefore, it is imperative that you have not only a solid understanding of literary terms and concepts but also a diverse and deep history of reading. We will direct you toward some additional resources that will strengthen your knowledge below but start by consulting our Ultimate AP® English Literature Reading List to get started!

And if you’re not an avid reader, do not fret! You can guarantee the AP® English Literature and Composition course itself will cover at least one of the books on the list. You will likely be familiar with at least 2-3 of the texts just from taking the course. And if all else fails, you may select your own work of literary merit to discuss!

Free Response Rubric Breakdowns

In previous years, the AP® Lit essays were scored using holistic rubrics on a scale of 0-9. However, after the 2019 exam, the evaluation changed to a new analytic rubric which runs on a scale of 0-6. 

Switching to an analytic rubric from a holistic one can be difficult, especially if you’ve already taken another AP® English class or prepared using the holistic version. But, unlike the holistic rubric, the analytic model tells you exactly what to include in your essay to earn maximum points. 

Consider the new analytic rubric a How-To Guide, designed to earn you a 6 on each essay. And, unlike the AP® Lang exam, all three AP® Lit essays are graded essentially through the same rubric.

Below, we’ll spend some time breaking down the elements of the new rubric. First, let’s take a look at the Thesis row.

Row A: Thesis (0-1 Points)

A well-developed thesis statement is crucial to making your overall argument effective and convincing. Unsurprisingly, the Thesis row on the rubric is essentially all or nothing; you either earn the point or you don’t.

Let’s break down the wording on the rubric to further understand the significance of the thesis point.

It’s important to note what the rubric warns against: 

• No thesis at all
• The thesis only restates the prompt
• The thesis merely summarizes 
• The thesis does not respond to the prompt 

Doing any of these will miss the mark, and a weak thesis often leads to a weak essay. Rather, the rubric emphasizes that you: 

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation of the poem, prose passage, or selected work.

Easier said than done, we know. But notice the key phrase, “defensible interpretation.” The basis of your argument, the rubric insists, is entirely up to you as long as you adequately defend and your point. This means you must be ready to dig into the text, cite textual evidence, and analyze your findings sophisticatedly and persuasively. Your thesis, then, must contain a claim. 

If thesis statements are particularly troubling to you, we recommend tuning into CollegeBoard’s official online workshop . It’s helpful, really. 

Below are two examples of thesis statements from the 2019 exam:

• This thesis statement thoroughly considers both the positive and negative consequences of idealism and explains how this portrayal illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.
• This thesis statement fails to identify a character and confusingly identifies the government’s repressive efforts as presenting a “fabricated view of an Ideal world.” It ultimately makes no claim and overly generalizes.

Row B: Evidence and Commentary (0-4 Points)

Think of evidence and commentary as the meat of your essay. This is where you will really dig into your argument, cite the text, and make specific claims and arguments.

As mentioned, this portion of the rubric works on a scale of 0-4:

As you see, earning all four points requires direct and specific textual citation and thorough, deep analysis throughout your entire essay. Cite evidence that fits your main argument, do not simply cite for the sake of citation. Always avoid paraphrasing (except on the third free-response question where paraphrasing is acceptable). Do not simply cite text and then give a basic summary. Dig deep and analyze. 

If you struggle with analyzing evidence and developing commentary, check out one of our many practice models ! 

Row C Sophistication (0-1 Points)

Similar to the Thesis row, the Sophistication evaluation is also all or nothing — you either earn the point or you don’t. 

However, earning the sophistication point is not as cut and dry as earning the thesis point. You can’t really pinpoint or locate sophistication in the way you can a thesis statement. If it’s there, it’s everywhere; if not, it’s nowhere. 

So to unpack this complex idea, let’s return to the rubric. 

The rubric states that essays that earn the point “demonstrate sophistication of thought and/or develop a complex literary argument.” 

To be more precise, this means that your essay does these four things: 

• Identifies and explores complexities or tensions within the poem, prose passage, or selected work. 
• Situates your overall interpretation within a broader, more universal context. 
• Accounts for alternative interpretations of the poem, prose passage, or selected work. 
• Employs a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive.

Conversely, then, you will not earn the point if your essay:

• Contains sweeping generalizations
• Only hints at other positions or interpretations
• Uses overly complex sentences or language that doesn’t add anything to the argument

Above all, sophistication cannot be reduced to a checkbox. You can’t really add it here or there. It must pervade the entire essay for you to earn the point. It’s a difficult task, but it can be done with a little practice and perseverance. 

For additional tips on writing well-developed analyses, check out our guide on how to tackle prose passages !

What Can You Bring to the AP® English Literature and Composition Exam?

If you’re taking the  digital  exam, you must use a laptop computer (Mac, Windows, or school-managed Chromebook). Because the full-length digital AP® Exams require typewritten free responses, the exams can’t be taken on smartphones. For more details,  here is the full digital AP® exam specifications  from College Board.

If you’re traveling to a testing location to take an in-person exam, make sure to arrive early. If you’re testing digitally from home, be sure all of your digital login details are confirmed beforehand.

Given the sheer importance and seriousness surrounding AP® exams, the College Board has imposed very strict rules and regulations regarding what you can and cannot bring into your testing room (if you’re testing in-person at a school). Not adhering to these rules can lead to score invalidation and even room-wide exam cancellation, so it’s important to know what you can and cannot bring with you on testing day!

What You Should Bring to Your AP® English Literature Exam

If you’re taking the paper AP® English Literature exam in-person at school, you should bring:

• At least 2 sharpened No. 2 pencils for completing the multiple choice section
• At least 2 pens with black or blue ink only. These are used to complete certain areas of your exam booklet covers and to write your free-response questions. CollegeBoard is very clear that pens should be black or blue ink only, so do not show up with your favorite neon gel pen!
• You are allowed to wear a watch as long as it does not have internet access, does not beep or make any other noise, and does not have an alarm. It should be a standard analog or digital watch, nothing fancy!
• If you do not attend the school where you are taking an exam, you must bring a government issued or school issued photo ID.
• If you receive any testing accommodations , be sure that you bring your College Board SSD Accommodations Letter.

What You Should NOT Bring to Your AP® English Literature Exam

If you’re taking the paper AP® English Literature exam in-person at school, you should NOT bring:

• Electronic devices. Phones, smartwatches, tablets, and/or any other electronic devices are expressly prohibited both in the exam room and break areas. Seriously, do not bring these into the testing room. You could invalidate the entire room’s scores.
• Books, dictionaries, highlighters, or notes 
• Mechanical pencils, colored pencils, or pens that do not have black/blue ink. Sometimes the lead used in mechanical pencils cannot be read when run through the scantron reader, so it is best to just avoid them altogether. 
• Your own scratch paper
• Reference guides
• Watches that beep or have alarms
• Food or drink

This list is not exhaustive. Be sure to double-check with your teacher or testing site to make sure that you are not bringing any additional prohibited items.

How to Study for AP® English Literature and Composition: 7 Steps

Start with a diagnostic test to see where you stand. Ask your teacher if they can assign you one of our full-length practice tests as a starting point. Your multiple choice will be graded for you, and you can self-score your free response essays using the College Board’s scoring guidelines. If you would prefer to take a pencil and paper test, Princeton Review or Barron’s are two reputable places to start. Be sure to record your score.

Once you’ve completed and scored your diagnostic test, it’s time to analyze the results and create a study plan. 

• If you used Albert, you’ll notice that each question is labeled with the skill that it assesses. If any skills stand out as something you’re consistently getting wrong, those concepts should be a big part of your study plan. 
• If you used Princeton Review, Barron’s, or another paper test, do your best to sort your incorrect answers into the skill buckets from Albert’s AP® English Literature and Composition Standards Practice .

The tables below sort each set of skills into groups based on their Enduring Understandings and Big Ideas.

Big Idea: Character 

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: Characters in literature allow readers to study and explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms represented by those characters.

Big Idea: Setting

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: Setting and the details associated with it not only depict a time and place, but also convey values associated with that setting.

Big Idea: Structure

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: The arrangement of the parts and sections of a text, the relationship of the parts to each other, and the sequence in which the text reveals information are all structural choices made by a writer that contribute to the reader’s interpretation of a text.

Big Idea: Narration

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: A narrator’s or speaker’s perspective controls the details and emphases that affect how readers experience and interpret a text.

Big Idea: Figurative Language

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: Comparisons, representations, and associations shift meaning from the literal to the figurative and invite readers to interpret a text.

Big Idea: Literary Argumentation 

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: Readers establish and communicate their interpretations of literature through arguments supported by textual evidence.

Once your list of practice questions is complete, check out our Ultimate List AP® English Literature Tips for some pointers.

Now that you’ve developed a study plan for the multiple choice section, it’s time to tackle the FRQs. You should have self-scored your essays using CollegeBoard’s scoring guidelines . If you notice that there is one particular prompt you struggled with, use Albert’s AP® Lit FRQ Approach Guide to help hone your skills!

Check out Albert’s AP® Lit FRQ prompts for more practice!

If you didn’t struggle with a particular prompt as much as you did a particular part of the rubric, try to figure out what went wrong. Does your thesis restate the prompt instead of proposing your own position? Did you generalize too much? Did you remember to provide evidence but forget to augment it with commentary and analysis? Maybe your word choice wasn’t varied enough to earn the sophistication point.

Whatever element you struggled with, have a look at our comprehensive page dedicated to AP® Lit for some expert advice!

Once you’ve developed an effective study plan using the links and practice above, and you’ve identified the skills which need more practice, it’s time to set your plan in motion. Check and mark your calendar. How many days, weeks, or months do you have until your exam? Pace your studying according to this time-frame. Pro-tip: If you only have a few weeks or days to go, prioritize the skills that you scored the lowest on. 

About halfway through your study schedule, plan to take a second practice test to check your progress. You can either have your teacher assign another full-length Albert practice test or use one of the additional practice tests included in whatever AP® English Literature and Composition review book you purchased. Use these results to inform the rest of your study schedule. Are there skills that you improved on or scored lower on this time? Adjust accordingly, and use our tips in the next section to guide you.

AP® English Literature and Composition Review: 15 Must Know Study Tips

5 AP® English Literature and Composition Study Tips for Home

1.  read as much as possible..

And read widely. Read everything from epic poetry and Victorian novels to New Yorker articles and album reviews to Buzzfeed-style listicles. Read a combination of high and lowbrow texts to make your knowledge more worldly and syncretic.

Make a schedule for personal reading time and stick to it. Reading widely, of course, has incalculable benefits that will not only help you score a 5 on the test but also strengthen your academic performance across the board. 

Reading will help you develop a more impressive vocabulary and a better understanding of varied sentence structure and syntax. The more you read, the better equipped you will be to score a 5 on this exam.

2. Become familiar with the Western Canon.

The Western canon, often referred to simply as “The Canon,” is the body of high-culture literature, music, philosophy, and works of art that is highly valued in the West, i.e., the poems, prose passages, and drama selections that you will mostly see on the AP® Lit exam. 

The canon contains the “classics,” so to speak, and it includes everything from Homer to Junot Diaz. Cultivating a basic understanding of these texts and their authors will not only familiarize you with the history and development of the English tradition but also strengthen your understanding of the so-called “conversation of literature,” the innumerable and complex ways that authors and their works speak to each other and interact. We recommend reading at least the first chapter of Harold Bloom’s book on the subject to get a basic understanding. 

We also insist that you familiarize yourself with the various problems that the perseverance of such a canon produces. During the 80s and 90s, a canon war of sorts took place among English departments, with progressives aiming to dismantle the canon on the grounds that it neglects many African-American, female, queer, and impoverished writers in favor of spotlighting “dead white males.” 

This friction between advocates and opponents of the canon is extremely important to the history and status quo of literary criticism, and understanding this battle will deeply enrich your understanding of literature and increase your chances of scoring a 5 on the exam.

3. Read Thomas Foster’s How To Read Literature Like a Professor .

This book is a lively and entertaining introduction to the tools frequently used in literary criticism, including symbolism, theme, context, irony, and more. It is an excellent way to begin thinking deeply about literature, and it offers clear examples of close-reading.

It also discusses a wide variety of works that will help familiarize you with the canon. It’s very accessible too. Buy it, read it, mark it up, and keep it by your side throughout class. It’s a great tool. 

4. Make flashcards.

You will need to have a strong understanding of different literary devices, authors, works, and rhetorical techniques, and you don’t want to waste time scrambling for definitions on the day of the exam. 

Make yourself some flashcards with the most common literary devices, authors, works, and rhetorical techniques, and carve out at least 30 minutes per day to review. If you’d prefer to use an online resource, make some flashcards over at Quizlet ! 

5. Form study groups!

The beauty of reading literature is that it often produces different and conflicting responses in people, so discussing literature with your friends is a good way to explore new and diverse perspectives. 

What you bring to a text, for instance, may be completely different from what your friend or peer brings. Discussion is a great way to comprehend and investigate difficult works. And it’s also pretty fun!

5 AP® English Literature and Composition Multiple Choice Study Tips

1. practice, practice..

Practice answering multiple choice questions as often as you can. AP® English Literature and Composition multiple choice questions will address either fiction, poetry, or drama, and they will ask you to identify and analyze various literary devices, techniques, and motifs. So study these very devices. If you find yourself totally stuck, consult our guide on how to tackle the multiple choice section . 

2. Sharpen your close-reading skills.

The true key to acing the multiple choice section of this exam is staying engaged with the passages provided to you and actively reading. That means staying alert through the passages, marking them up, and engaging with them directly, not passively skimming them.

Find a method of active reading that works best for you. Some like to mark up the passage extensively, while others prefer to just read the passage twice and take notes here and there. Select which method works for you and go with it. However, do not just choose the easy or lazy way out. You’ll regret it later when you receive your scores. 

3. Look over the questions before reading the passage.

This is often a semi-controversial piece of advice because it doesn’t work for all readers. But it can be helpful if you’re someone who gets easily distracted when reading old prose passages or difficult poetry! 

If you find your mind wandering when reading AP® Lit passages, glancing at the questions beforehand can give your brain a purpose to focus on and a point of entry into the passage. It’s always easiest to begin searching when you know what you’re looking for.

4. Use process of elimination.

Often, an AP® Lit multiple choice question will have one or two answer choices that can be crossed off pretty quickly. So try and narrow your choices down to two possible answers, and then choose the best one. 

If this strategy isn’t working on a particularly difficult question or it seems to hold you up longer than you’d like, it’s perfectly okay to circle it, skip it, and come back to it at the end. Do not get hung up on eliminating choices. Rather, use this strategy to make your reading more efficient and quicker. 

5. It doesn’t hurt to guess.

Obviously, while guessing on every single question isn’t a good strategy and will lead to a 1 on the exam, an educated guess on particularly difficult questions that you truly don’t know how to answer can help. You are scored only on the number of correct answers you give, not the number of questions you answer, so it makes sense to guess on questions that you seriously have no idea how to answer.  

5 AP® English Literature and Composition FRQ Study Tips

1. practice your writing skills by answering questions from collegeboard’s archive of past exam questions or explore our free response practice modules ..

Typically, the same skills are assessed from year to year, so practicing with released exams is a great way to brush up on your analysis skills, and our review practice allows you to pinpoint skills you may need help with.

2. Explore and use the rubric!

The best part about the updated AP® English Literature and Composition revised rubrics and scoring guidelines is that it’s very clear to discern which elements are needed to earn full credit for your essay. Granted, it can be tough to include each element—especially that tricky sophistication section—but the rubric’s outline offers a clear and concise portrait of the perfect essay .

Be sure to construct your thesis statement into a clear and definable interpretation. Provide specific evidence and compelling commentary that supports your thesis. If you check these boxes, then you will have a much greater chance of developing a clear and defensible interpretation. 

3. Pay attention to the task verbs employed in your free response prompts .

Task verbs are verbs that essentially indicate what it is you should do in your free response. The three common task verbs include: 

• Analyze: Examine methodically and in detail the structure of the topic of the question for purposes of interpretation and explanation.
• Choose: Select a literary work from among provided choices.
• Read: Look at or view printed directions and provided passages.

4. Have a solid understanding of literary devices.

Most of the FRQ’s require you to not only specifically identify a passage’s array of literary and rhetorical devices but also analyze and unpack how those devices construct mood, meaning, tone, and more. Study up, read the aforementioned Foster book , and take a look at our list of 15 Essential Rhetorical Terms to Know For AP® English Literature . 

5. Fine-tune your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement is arguably the most important sentence in your essay. It informs the reader of your central argument and summarizes your interpretation, and it sets the tone for the rest of your essay. It is imperative that you master the tricky art of the thesis statement before taking your exam. 

Many university writing centers offer online education on thesis statements that can prove extremely beneficial. Consult UNC Chapel Hill’s thesis statement handout for extra help!

The AP® English Literature and Composition Exam: 5 Test Day Tips to Remember

Be sure you put at least something in your stomach before taking the exam, even if it might be in knots from nerves. You don’t need to eat a deluxe breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, biscuits, etc. (unless that’s your routine), but you do need to eat at least something . Your brain and your body need the energy. If you’re hungry during the exam, it might be harder for you to focus, leading to a lower score or an incomplete exam.

2. Make sure you know the location of your testing site before taking the test.

You do not want to be scrambling and running around the school trying to find your testing room on the day of the exam. Know your room number and know how to get there. There’s truly nothing worse than running around your school trying to find a room when a hugely-important test is underway. 

If you’re getting a ride from a parent or friend, be sure they know the address beforehand. If you’re taking public transit, check the schedule. If you are taking your exam at your own school, don’t get too comfortable. Be sure you know the room number! This is something small but impactful that you can do to reduce your stress the morning of your exam.

3. Prepare everything you need the night before.

Waking up and scrambling to choose an outfit, find pencils, or make breakfast will just stress you out and put you in a negative headspace. Plan your outfit the night before to reduce stress and have an easy breakfast ready to go.

Being prepared saves time and cuts back unnecessary stress. 

And wear something comfortable. You don’t want to be adjusting your outfit throughout the test. It’ll just be distracting. 

4. Bring mints or gum with you.

The rules say that you can’t have food or drink in the testing room, but mints and/or gum are usually allowed unless it’s against your testing site’s own rules. If you find yourself getting distracted, pop a mint or a stick of gum in your mouth! This can help to keep you more awake and focused.

5. Remember to breathe and just relax.

Seriously, just breathe. If you’ve followed the rest of the tips in this post, listened to your teacher, read up on your literary devices, and done your homework, then you’re well-prepared for this exam. Trust yourself. Know that you have done all you can do to prepare and don’t cram the morning of the exam. Last-minute studying helps no one, and it often just leads to stress!

AP® English Literature and Composition Review Notes and Practice Test Resources

Ap® collegeboard’s official youtube channel.

This YouTube channel provides tons of tips, advice, and strategies for tackling the AP® English Literature and Composition exam. It offers online seminars and classes on a diverse range of Lit-related topics such as plot structure, unpacking symbolism, and crafting strong commentary. The best thing about it is that real-life teachers lead the classes, so they feel very personalized.

If you’re a more visual learner who thrives on video content, then this channel is perfect for you!

How-to Guide for Literary Analysis Essays

While we 100% do not condone using Sparknotes textual summaries to get your way through AP® English Literature, we do recommend taking a look at some of their guides and workshops and using them as supplementary resources. This how-to guide offers a 7-step method of approaching literary analysis that might help you get the ball rolling if you’re totally stuck.

This guide is perfect for anyone needing to brush up on their writing skills or anyone needing to find a solid step-by-step approach to writing the free response questions.

AP® English Literature Jeopardy Game

This online Jeopardy game is not only tons of fun but also super helpful in developing your memory and strengthening your understanding of basic literary elements and devices. It contains categories involving poetry terms, general Lit, syntax, style, and figurative language. It’s a great way to review basic terms for the exam, and you can play with up to ten people through its make-your-team feature.  

This is a perfect review for anyone looking to quickly review literary terms in a fun way.

Ms. Effie’s Lifesavers

If you’re a seasoned AP® English teacher, Ms. Effie (Sandra Effinger) probably needs no introduction! Ms. Effie’s Lifesavers website has helped many AP® Lang and AP® Lit teachers plan effective and thoroughly aligned lessons and assignments. Sandra was an AP® Reader for many years, so she knows her stuff. She has tons of free content on her page, as well as a Dropbox full of AP® English goodies for anyone who makes a donation via her PayPal. You’ll find resources for both AP® Language and AP® Literature here. 

Ms. Effie’s webpage is perfect for all students. Really, it has material that would benefit those looking for quick reviews, deeper analysis of free response questions, or help with multiple choice questions.

Summary: The Best AP® English Literature and Composition Review Guide

Remember, the structure of the AP® Lang exam is as follows:

Because AP® English Literature and Composition is a skills-based course, there’s no way to know what specific passages, poems, authors, or concepts might make it onto the official exam. But, we do know exactly which skills will be assessed with which passages, so it’s best to center your studying around brushing up on those skills!

Use the provided charts to help you understand which skills you should focus on, and use Albert’s AP® English Literature and Composition Course Guide to brush up on your understanding of each skill and its corresponding essential knowledge.

Start with a diagnostic test, either on Albert or with a pencil and paper test via Princeton Review or Barron’s . Once you’ve completed and scored your diagnostic, follow our 7 steps on how to create an AP® English Literature and Composition study plan. 

And remember: start reading now! The more you read, the more equipped you will be to ace this exam. Review the Western Canon, study your literary terms, and begin critically engaging with writers!

Practice answering multiple choice questions on Albert and free-response questions from The College Board’s archive of past exam questions. 

If you’ve followed the rest of the tips in this post, listened to your teacher, and done your homework, you’re well-prepared for this exam. Trust that you have done all you can do to prepare and don’t cram the morning of. Last-minute studying helps no one!

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Expert's Guide to the AP Literature Exam

Advanced Placement (AP)

If you're planning to take the AP English Literature and Composition exam, you'll need to get familiar with what to expect on the test. Whether the 2023 test date of Wednesday, May 3, is near or far, I'm here to help you get serious about preparing for the exam.

In this guide, I'll go over the test's format and question types, how it's graded, best practices for preparation, and test-day tips. You'll be on your way to AP English Lit success in no time!

AP English Literature: Exam Format and Question Types

The AP Literature Exam is a three-hour exam that contains two sections in this order:

• An hour-long, 55-question multiple-choice section
• A two-hour, three-question free-response section

The exam tests your ability to analyze works and excerpts of literature and cogently communicate that analysis in essay form.

Read on for a breakdown of the two different sections and their question types.

Section I: Multiple Choice

The multiple-choice section, or Section I of the AP Literature exam, is 60 minutes long and has 55 questions. It counts for 45% of your overall exam grade .

You can expect to see five excerpts of prose and poetry. You will always get at least two prose passages (fiction or drama) and two poetry passages. In general, you will not be given the author, date, or title for these works, though occasionally the title of a poem will be given. Unusual words are also sometimes defined for you.

The date ranges of these works could fall from the 16th to the 21st century. Most works will be originally written in English, but you might occasionally see a passage in translation.

There are, generally speaking, eight kinds of questions you can expect to see on the AP English Literature and Composition exam. I'll break each of them down here and give you tips on how to identify and approach them.

"Pretty flowers carried by ladies" is not one of the question types.

The 8 Multiple-Choice Question Types on the AP Literature Exam

Without further delay, here are the eight question types you can expect to see on the AP Lit exam. All questions are taken from the sample questions on the AP Course and Exam Description .

#1: Reading Comprehension

These questions test your ability to understand what the passage is saying on a pretty basic level . They don't require you to do a lot of interpretation—you just need to know what's going on.

You can identify this question type from words and phrases such as "according to," "mentioned," "asserting," and so on. You'll succeed on these questions as long as you carefully read the text . Note that you might have to go back and reread parts to make sure you understand what the passage is saying.

#2: Inference

These questions ask you to infer something—a character or narrator's opinion, an author's intention, etc.—based on what is said in the passage . It will be something that isn't stated directly or concretely but that you can assume based on what's clearly written in the passage. You can identify these questions from words such as "infer" and "imply."

The key to these questions is to not get tripped up by the fact that you are making an inference—there will be a best answer, and it will be the choice that is best supported by what is actually found in the passage .

In many ways, inference questions are like second-level reading comprehension questions: you need to know not just what a passage says, but also what it means.

#3: Identifying and Interpreting Figurative Language

These are questions for which you have to either identify what word or phrase is figurative language or provide the meaning of a figurative phrase . You can identify these as they will either explicitly mention figurative language (or a figurative device, such as a simile or metaphor ) or include a figurative phrase in the question itself.

The meaning of figurative phrases can normally be determined by that phrase's context in the passage—what is said around it? What is the phrase referring to?

Example 1: Identifying

Example 2: Interpreting

#4: Literary Technique

These questions involve identifying why an author does what they do , from using a particular phrase to repeating certain words. Basically, what techniques is the author using to construct the passage/poem, and to what effect?

You can identify these questions by words/phrases such as "serves chiefly to," "effect," "evoke," and "in order to." A good way to approach these questions is to ask yourself: so what? Why did the author use these particular words or this particular structure?

#5: Character Analysis

These questions ask you to describe something about a character . You can spot them because they will refer directly to characters' attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or relationships with other characters .

This is, in many ways, a special kind of inference question , since you are inferring the broader personality of the character based on the evidence in a passage. Also, these crop up much more commonly for prose passages than they do for poetry ones.

#6: Overall Passage Questions

Some questions ask you to identify or describe something about the passage or poem as a whole : its purpose, tone, genre, etc. You can identify these by phrases such as "in the passage" and "as a whole."

To answer these questions, you need to think about the excerpt with a bird's-eye view . What is the overall picture created by all the tiny details?

#7: Structure

Some AP Lit questions will ask you about specific structural elements of the passage: a shift in tone, a digression, the specific form of a poem, etc . Often these questions will specify a part of the passage/poem and ask you to identify what that part is accomplishing.

Being able to identify and understand the significance of any shifts —structural, tonal, in genre, and so on—will be of key importance for these questions.

#8: Grammar/Nuts & Bolts

Very occasionally you will be asked a specific grammar question , such as what word an adjective is modifying. I'd also include in this category super-specific questions such as those that ask about the meter of a poem (e.g., iambic pentameter).

These questions are less about literary artistry and more about the fairly dry technique involved in having a fluent command of the English language .

That covers the eight question types on the multiple-choice section. Now, let's take a look at the free-response section of the AP Literature exam.

Keep track of the nuts and bolts of grammar.

Section II: Free Response

The AP Literature Free Response section is two hours long and involves three free-response essay questions , so you'll have about 40 minutes per essay. That's not a lot of time considering this section of the test counts for 55% of your overall exam grade !

Note, though, that no one will prompt you to move from essay to essay, so you can theoretically divide up the time however you want. Just be sure to leave enough time for each essay! Skipping an essay, or running out of time so you have to rush through one, can really impact your final test score.

The first two essays are literary analysis essays of specific passages, with one poem and one prose excerpt. The final essay is an analysis of a given theme in a work selected by you , the student.

Essays 1 & 2: Literary Passage Analysis

For the first two essays, you'll be presented with an excerpt and directed to analyze the excerpt for a given theme, device, or development . One of the passages will be poetry, and one will be prose. You will be provided with the author of the work, the approximate date, and some orienting information (i.e., the plot context of an excerpt from a novel).

Below are some sample questions from the 2022 Free Response Questions .

Essay 3: Thematic Analysis

For the third and final essay, you'll be asked to discuss a particular theme in a work that you select . You will be provided with a list of notable works that address the given theme below the prompt, but you can also choose to discuss any "work of literary merit."

So while you do have the power to choose which work you wish to write an essay about , the key words here are "literary merit." That means no genre fiction! Stick to safe bets like authors in the list on pages 10-11 of the old 2014 AP Lit Course Description .

(I know, I know—lots of genre fiction works do have literary merit and Shakespeare actually began as low culture, and so on and so forth. Indeed, you might find academic designations of "literary merit" elitist and problematic, but the time to rage against the literary establishment is not your AP Lit test! Save it for a really, really good college admissions essay instead .)

Here's a sample question from 2022:

As you can see, the list of works provided spans many time periods and countries : there are ancient Greek plays ( Antigone ), modern literary works (such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale ), Shakespeare plays ( The Tempest ), 19th-century English plays ( The Importance of Being Earnest ), etc. So you have a lot to work with!

Also note that you can choose a work of "comparable literary merit." That means you can select a work not on this list as long as it's as difficult and meaningful as the example titles you've been given. So for example, Jane Eyre or East of Eden would be great choices, but Twilight or The Hunger Games would not.

Our advice? If you're not sure what a work of "comparable literary merit" is, stick to the titles on the provided list .

You might even see something by this guy.

How Is the AP Literature Test Graded?

The multiple-choice section of the exam comprises 45% of your total exam score; the three essays, or free-response section, comprise the other 55%. Each essay, then, is worth about 18% of your grade.

As on other AP exams, your raw score will be converted to a score from 1-5 . You don't have to get every point possible to get a 5 by any means. In 2022, 16.9% of students received 5s on the AP English Literature test, the 14th highest 5 score out of the 38 different AP exams.

So, how do you calculate your raw scores?

Multiple-Choice Scoring

For the multiple-choice section, you receive 1 point for each question you answer correctly . There's no guessing penalty, so you should answer every question—but guess only after you're able to eliminate any answer you know is wrong to up your chances of choosing the right one.

Free-Response Scoring

Scoring for multiple choice is pretty straightforward; however, essay scoring is a little more complicated.

Each of your essays will receive a score from 0 to 6 based on the College Board rubric , which also includes question-specific rubrics. All the rubrics are very similar, with only minor differences between them.

Each essay rubric has three elements you'll be graded on:

• Thesis (0-1 points)
• Evidence and Commentary (0-4 points)
• Sophistication (0-1 points)

We'll be looking at the current rubric for the AP Lit exam , which was released in September 2019, and what every score means for each of the three elements above:

To get a high-scoring essay in the 5-6 point range, you'll need to not only come up with an original and intriguing argument that you thoroughly support with textual evidence, but you’ll also need to stay focused, organized, and clear. And all in just 40 minutes per essay!

If getting a high score on this section sounds like a tall order, that's because it is.

Practice makes perfect!

Skill-Building for Success on the AP Literature Exam

There are several things you can do to hone your skills and best prepare for the AP Lit exam.

Read Some Books, Maybe More Than Once

One of the most important steps you can take to prepare for the AP Literature and Composition exam is to read a lot and read well . You'll be reading a wide variety of notable literary works in your AP English Literature course, but additional reading will help you further develop your analytical reading skills .

I suggest checking out this list of notable authors in the 2014 AP Lit Course Description (pages 10-11).

In addition to reading broadly, you'll want to become especially familiar with the details of four to five books with different themes so you'll be prepared to write a strong student-choice essay. You should know the plot, themes, characters, and structural details of these books inside and out.

See my AP English Literature Reading List for more guidance.

Read (and Interpret) Poetry

One thing students might not do very much on their own time but that will help a lot with AP Lit exam prep is to read poetry. Try to read poems from a lot of eras and authors to get familiar with the language.

We know that poetry can be intimidating. That's why we've put together a bunch of guides to help you crack the poetry code (so to speak). You can learn more about poetic devices —like imagery and i ambic pentameter —in our comprehensive guide. Then you can see those analytical skills in action in our expert analysis of " Do not go gentle into that good night " by Dylan Thomas.

When you think you have a grip on basic comprehension, you can then move on to close reading (see below).

Hone Your Close Reading and Analysis Skills

Your AP class will likely focus heavily on close reading and analysis of prose and poetry, but extra practice won't hurt you. Close reading is the ability to identify which techniques the author is using and why. You'll need to be able to do this both to gather evidence for original arguments on the free-response questions and to answer analytical multiple-choice questions.

Here are some helpful close reading resources for prose :

• University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center's guide to close reading
• Harvard College Writing Center's close reading guide
• Purdue OWL's article on steering clear of close reading "pitfalls"

And here are some for poetry :

• University of Wisconsin-Madison's poetry-reading guide
• This guide to reading poetry at Poets.org (complete with two poetry close readings)
• Our own expert analyses of famous poems, such as " Ozymandias ", and the 10 famous sonnets you should know

Learn Literary and Poetic Devices

You'll want to be familiar with literary terms so that any test questions that ask about them will make sense to you. Again, you'll probably learn most of these in class, but it doesn't hurt to brush up on them.

Here are some comprehensive lists of literary terms with definitions :

• The 31 Literary Devices You Must Know
• The 20 Poetic Devices You Must Know
• The 9 Literary Elements You'll Find In Every Story
• What Is Imagery?
• Understanding Assonance
• What Is Iambic Pentameter in Poetry?
• Simile vs Metaphor: The 1 Big Difference
• 10 Personification Examples in Poetry, Literature, and More

Practice Writing Essays

The majority of your grade on the AP English Lit exam comes from essays, so it's critical that you practice your timed essay-writing skills . You of course should use the College Board's released free-response questions to practice writing complete timed essays of each type, but you can also practice quickly outlining thorough essays that are well supported with textual evidence.

Take Practice Tests

Taking practice tests is a great way to prepare for the exam. It will help you get familiar with the exam format and overall experience . You can get sample questions from the Course and Exam Description , the College Board website , and our guide to AP English Lit practice test resources .

Be aware that the released exams don't have complete slates of free-response questions, so you might need to supplement these with released free-response questions .

Since there are three complete released exams, you can take one toward the beginning of your prep time to get familiar with the exam and set a benchmark, and one toward the end to make sure the experience is fresh in your mind and to check your progress.

Don't wander like a lonely cloud through your AP Lit prep.

AP Literature: 6 Critical Test-Day Tips

Before we wrap up, here are my six top tips for AP Lit test day:

• #1: On the multiple-choice section, it's to your advantage to answer every question. If you eliminate all the answers you know are wrong before guessing, you'll raise your chances of guessing the correct one.
• #2: Don't rely on your memory of the passage when answering multiple-choice questions (or when writing essays, for that matter). Look back at the passage!
• #3: Interact with the text : circle, mark, underline, make notes—whatever floats your boat. This will help you retain information and actively engage with the passage.
• #4: This was mentioned above, but it's critical that you know four to five books well for the student-choice essay . You'll want to know all the characters, the plot, the themes, and any major devices or motifs the author uses throughout.
• #5: Be sure to plan out your essays! Organization and focus are critical for high-scoring AP Literature essays. An outline will take you a few minutes, but it will help your writing process go much faster.
• #6: Manage your time on essays closely. One strategy is to start with the essay you think will be the easiest to write. This way you'll be able to get through it while thinking about the other two essays.

And don't forget to eat breakfast! Apron optional.

AP Literature Exam: Key Takeaways

The AP Literature exam is a three-hour test that includes an hour-long multiple-choice section based on five prose and poetry passages and with 55 questions, and a two-hour free-response section with three essays : one analyzing a poetry passage, one analyzing a prose passage, and one analyzing a work chosen by you, the student.

The multiple-choice section is worth 45% of your total score , and the free-response section is worth 55% . The three essays are each scored on a rubric of 0-6, and raw scores are converted to a final scaled score from 1 to 5.

Here are some things you can do to prepare for the exam:

• Read books and be particularly familiar with four to five works for the student-choice essays
• Read poetry
• Work on your close reading and analysis skills
• Learn common literary devices
• Practice writing essays
• Take practice tests!

On test day, be sure to really look closely at all the passages and really interact with them by marking the text in a way that makes sense to you. This will help on both multiple-choice questions and the free-response essays. You should also outline your essays before you write them.

With all this in mind, you're well on your way to AP Lit success!

What's Next?

If you're taking other AP exams this year, you might be interested in our other AP resources: from the Ultimate Guide to the US History Exam , to the Ultimate AP Chemistry Study Guide , to the Best AP Psychology Study Guide , we have tons of articles on AP courses and exams for you !

Looking for practice exams? Here are some tips on how to find the best AP practice tests . We've also got comprehensive lists of practice tests for AP Psychology , AP Biology , AP Chemistry , and AP US History .

Deciding which APs to take? Take a look through the complete list of AP courses and tests , read our analysis of which AP classes are the hardest and easiest , and learn how many AP classes you should take .

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Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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How Can I Get a 5 in AP Research?

6 min read • july 11, 2024

Introduction

Hey! So you completed AP Seminar, and now you're in the second half of the class: AP Research. While you wrote multiple research papers last year and assembled plenty of evidence to build your argument, you face a more difficult task this year: completing your independent research.

Unlike Seminar, there will be no "mock" writing; rather, your work on Day 1 will accumulate until you have your presentation/oral defense and submit your 4,000-5,000 word research paper. ✍️

To get a 5 in AP Research, the most important thing to know is to have a holistic understanding of the exam format.

How to get a 5

1. understand the format of the exam..

Exam...is not necessarily the best representation of your AP score you'll receive in July. Unlike AP Seminar, you will only turn in your research paper while your teacher submits your presentation and oral defense score. There is  no tested portion of AP Research !

Here is how the exam breaks down:

• 4,000 - 5,000 words (10% over acceptable)
• 15-20 minute presentation with 3-4 questions asked from a panel The academic paper is  graded on a six-row holistic rubric . However, the presentation and oral defense use a separate,  seven-row analytical rubric . The academic paper's holistic rubric means that graders can determine whether your paper "overall" is a 3, 4, or a 5; on the other hand, the POD's analytical rubric is graded on a "points" scale, with the possibility of scoring up to 24 points.

One of the best things to do before you begin your own writing is to look at multiple example papers!

2. Read sample papers to understand the expectations.

To understand how you should structure your paper, you can and should analyze past papers. What's incredibly important is that you read papers at multiple levels - don't just read the best or worst published academic papers. 🖊️

As one former AP Research student notes:

"Read sample papers to get a gauge of what is expected of the paper (most people come in too ambitious)"

By reading practice papers, you can set a benchmark of the expectations for your academic paper. However, this shouldn't be something that you do at the beginning of AP Research. Make sure that you're taking a look at a variety of research papers throughout August and May.

Your teacher may have asked past Research students for papers to use as examples; in addition, College Board has published  2019 sample papers  and  papers from 2016-2018  (some of which may have had different rubrics). One thing to do that may help you is to "be an AP reader" and grade the practice papers you read - that way, you can see the differences in you and the real AP Readers' reasoning.

In addition to looking at practice papers, you should watch some practice presentations!

3. Watch previous AP Research presentations.

Your teacher should have access to past PODs, from their training or in their AP Classroom. These are incredibly helpful, as they serve as a model for your presentations. Similar to practice papers, you should check these out throughout the year!

You can also practice be a panelist and grade students during their presentation; this way, you'll understand what to do and what not to do during your POD.

If you want some more inspiration or assistance with your presentations, YouTube has an excellent library of AP Research presentations from past years. 🗣️

4. Think long term with your work.

As another former AP Research student excellently notes:

"You need to think LONG TERM with all your work--how your literature creates a framework and where the gap is, and be good at communicating it! Our teacher told a story from the AP reading about how one of his students got a 4 because she left out a single statement that created a gap in her logic. The readers are looking for high level communication and you need to be clear about your assumptions, your theories, and your gap in the literature."

This is a very important piece of advice for AP Research! Often times, you will write the beginning of your paper in August and then conclude in March. As a result, you need to think about what you'll be writing in six months at the beginning of the research process! ↩️

Another critical aspect of the paper that you will be writing and editing, later on, is the literature review. 📚

5. Constantly conduct a review of the literature.

One of the most important parts of the research paper is the literature review, where you basically look at existing published research and find the gap to begin your research.

Many AP Research students will write their literature review section before November; make sure that you continually survey the literature (check databases and journals in your field) throughout the year!

Speaking of the different sections of the research paper, it's important that you stay organized (both internally and externally) while writing the paper.

6. Have a clear structure and time schedule to keep yourself on track 📆

There is really one nightmare scenario for AP Research students: it's April 30, a few hours before the deadline, and you're desperately trying to add words to get to the 4,000-5,000 word limit.

Thankfully, many teachers try to prevent this by giving you multiple deadlines to submit each section of the research paper. Yet, I highly recommend you download a time management and/or to-do list app to plan out what days and times you'll write. I currently use  Toggl  and  Todoist  - both free and offered on all platforms!

If your teacher does not give you deadlines, make sure you give yourself time to write and receive edits for each section of the paper. Setting word goals is also helpful for different sections of the essay - a good person to ask about how long each of your sections should be is an expert advisor!

7. Try to find an expert advisor.

AP Research is, by definition, an independent study course, meaning that you will not have peers to work together with on your paper or presentation. However, you should obtain an advisor to help you with the process. After figuring out what topic you want to pursue, try asking teachers at your school who have degrees in the field or even contacting professors from local community colleges or universities.

Expert advisors are extremely helpful, as they can assist you with any questions you have about prior research in the field or your analysis. While they  can't write portions of your paper , they can give you feedback and advice to help you score a coveted 5.

Even with an expert advisor, another great group of people can immensely help you in AP Research: your peers. 🎒

8. Get feedback from your peers.

Your classmates who are also taking AP Research will likely be conducting inquiries into topics that may wildly differ from you; however, that doesn't mean you can't ask them for help!

For instance, I researched whether the lack of milk competitors in elementary schools was due to Congressional lobbying by corporations. I sought feedback from someone researching whether companies should compensate people for using their data! 💻

They will be able to answer any quick questions you have about your research question, citations, a gap in research, and more! 

Ultimately, AP Research's independence may feel like a double-edged sword at first, but with these eight tips, you can succeed and score a 5️⃣ !

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