Studying for AP United States Government and Politics as a 9th Grader
Dealing with the Pressure
Studying for any Advanced Placement (AP) course is a grueling task. As a 9th grader, studying for AP United States Government and Politics, an upperclassmen AP, was excruciatingly stressful. Nevertheless, I had my eyes set on attending an Ivy League school, which meant that I had to work harder and smarter than other students. The key to dealing with pressure was to look at the big picture. APs, especially high-level ones like AP United States Government and Politics, immensely boost a high school resume. I reminded myself of my Ivy League goals every time I felt pressured. Therefore, although the pressures of studying an AP were unavoidable, I mitigated them by thinking about my college goals.
Study Habits
I started to self-study AP United States Government and Politics outside of school around September of 2019 for the May 2020 AP exam. Due to inexperience and laziness, I was not equipped to handle the workload. Receiving 40 pages of reading and two (2) pages of writing, which had to be completed by hand, almost every class was impossible to comprehend. My work ethic was so poor that, from November to December 2019, my phone and hanging out privileges were revoked by my self-study tutor. If I had continued to be unproductive, I would not even have been allowed to participate in school basketball. During this time, without distractions, I was able to build up my work ethic and produce higher-quality work. After scoring an AP 1 on a practice test at the end of winter break, my scores on practice tests bounced up to mostly AP 5s. Productivity and grit, which increase over the course of learning an AP, were required.
Toughest Units to Study
AP United States Government and Politics consists of five (5) units: 1) foundations of American democracy; 2) interactions among branches of government; 3) civil liberties and civil rights; 4) American political ideologies and beliefs; and 5) political participation. I found that units #3, #4 and #5 were considerably harder than units #1 and #2. This is because unit #1 consists mostly of dates while unit #2 consists mostly of laws or concepts that never change. As a result, perfecting understanding of these units only requires memorization. However, perfecting understanding of units #3, #4 and #5 requires strong critical thinking and writing skills. This is because civil liberties, political ideologies and political participation have drastically transformed over American history. Therefore, strong analytical skills are required to apply these concepts to free-response questions (FRQs). The most volatile and ambiguous concepts are the most difficult to grasp.
Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) and Free-Response Questions (FRQs)
The two types of questions that exist in the AP exams are Section 1 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and Section 2 free-response questions (FRQs). I always found MCQs to be significantly easier, as they only require memorizing content. On the other hand, FRQs require sharp writing and analytical skills. This is because the typical exam consists of three concept application FRQs and an essay. To adequately prepare, one must be able to not only argue a certain perspective, but be prepared to provide a counterargument. Furthermore, one must be organized and use logical reasoning to back up an argument. Therefore, writing needs to be coherent and articulate. This is beneficial to both self-study AP courses and classes at school.
What Did My Score Prove?
On July 15, 2020, AP scores were released. I was ecstatic to be part of the 12.9% of test takers to acquire an AP 5. This score translates to an A or A+ in a college political science course. This proved that I could achieve high levels of academic success and that I had the ability to slowly build up my resume for elite college applications. Furthermore, this year, as a 10th grader, I am taking three (3) APs. These include AP Human Geography and two (2) upperclassmen APs, which are AP Comparative Government and Politics, and AP Statistics. I know I can achieve AP 5s on them like I did with AP United States Government and Politics if I work hard. Therefore, studying AP United States Government and Politics was a valuable process that developed my work ethic to AP standards.
Works Cited
“Civil Rights Movement Timeline.” history.com, Jan 16 2020, https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/civil-rights-movement-timeline. Accessed Sept 6 2020.
“How Penn’s Tuition Hike Stacks Up Across The Ivy League.” Daily Pennsylvania, March 28 2018, https://www.thedp.com/article/2018/03/upenn-penn-philadelphia-tuition-increase-harvard-cornell-brown-financial-aid-ivy-league-yale-university-college. Accessed September 6 2020.
“Presidential Greeting Cards.” military.com, 2020, https://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits/presidential-greeting-cards.html. Accessed Oct 22 2020.
“Start Writing: Choose a Topic, Audience, and Venue.” questoraclecommunity.org, June 27 2019, https://questoraclecommunity.org/learn/blogs/start-writing-choosing-a-topic-audience-and-venue/. Accessed Sept 6 2020.
