Pearl - Cracking the AP European History Exam, 2014 Edition

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Robert Franek, Senior VP, Publisher
Selena Coppock, Senior Editor
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eBook ISBN: 978-0-307-94623-2
Trade Paperback: 978-0-307-94622-5

Editor: Selena Coppock
Production Editor: Kathy Carter
Production Artist: Craig Patches

2014 Edition

v3.1

Thank you to Allison Fischer for her careful review of the the 2014 edition of this book.

Your route to a high score on the AP European History Exam depends a lot on how you plan to use this book. Start thinking about your plan by responding to the following questions.

1. What is your level of confidence about your knowledge of the content tested by the AP European History Exam?

A. Very confidentI know it all

B. Im pretty confident, but there are topics for which I could use help

C. Not confidentI need quite a bit of support

D. Im not sure

2. If you have a goal score in mind, circle your goal score for the AP European History Exam:

3. What do you expect to learn from this book? Circle all that apply to you.

A. A general overview of the test and what to expect

B. Strategies for how to approach the test

C. The content tested by this exam

D. Im not sure yet

This book is organized to provide as muchor as littlesupport that you need, so you can use this book in whatever way will be most helpful to improving your score on the AP European History Exam.

• The remainder of will provide guidance on how to use this book and help you determine your strengths and weaknesses.
• of this book will:

• provide information about the structure, scoring, and content of the AP European History Exam
• help you to make a study plan
• point you towards additional resources

• of this book will explore various strategies:

• how to attack multiple-choice questions
• how to write effective essays: document-based questions (DBQ) and free-response questions
• how to manage your time to maximize the number of points available to you

• of this book covers the content you need for the AP European History Exam.
• of this book contains practice tests.

You may choose to use some parts of this book over others, or you may work through the entire book. Your approach will depend on your needs and how much time you have. Lets now look how to make this determination.

1. Take a Test
   Before you can decide how to use this book, you need to take a practice test. Doing so will give you insight into your strengths and weaknesses, and the test will also help you make an effective study plan. If youre feeling test-phobic, remind yourself that a practice test is a tool for diagnosing yourselfits not how well you do that matters but how you use information gleaned from your performance to guide your preparation.
   So, before you read further, take Practice Test 1 starting at of this book. Be sure to do so in one sitting, following the instructions that appear before the test.
2. Check Your Answers
   Using the answers/explanations that start on , count the number of questions you got right and how many you missed. Dont worry about the explanations for now, and dont worry about why you missed questions. Well get to that soon.
3. Reflect on the Test
   After you take your first test, respond to the following questions::
   • How much time did you spend on the multiple-choice questions?
   • How much time did you spend on each essay?
   • How many multiple-choice questions did you miss?
   • Do you feel you had the knowledge to address the subject matter of the essays?
   • Do you feel you wrote well-organized, thoughtful essays?
   • Circle the content areas that were most challenging for you and draw a line through the ones in which you felt confident/did well.
4. Read of this Book and Complete the Self-Evaluation
   As discussed in the Goals section above, will provide information on how the test is structured and scored. It will also set out areas of content that are tested.
   As you read , you will revisit and refine the questions you answer above. You will then be able to make a study plan, based on your needs and time available, that will allow you to use this book most effectively.
5. Engage with as Needed
   Notice the word engage. Youll get more out of this book if you use it intentionally than if you read it passively, hoping for an improved score through osmosis.
   Strategy chapters will help you think about your approach to the question types on this exam. will open with a reminder to think about how you approach questions now and then close with a reflection section asking you to think about how/whether you will change your approach in the future.
   Content chapters are designed to provide a review of the content tested on the AP European History Exam, including the level of detail you need to know and how the content is tested. You will have the opportunity to assess your mastery of the content of each chapter through test-appropriate questions and a reflection section.
6. Take Test 2 and Assess Your Performance
   Once you feel you have developed the strategies you need and gained the knowledge you lacked, you should take Test 2, which starts at of this book. You should do so in one sitting, following the instructions at the beginning of the test.
   When you are done, check your answers to the multiple-choice sections. See if a teacher will read your essays and provide feedback.
   Once you have taken the test, reflect on what areas you still need to work on, and revisit the chapters in this book that address those deficiencies. Through this type of reflection and engagement, you will continue to improve.
7. Keep Working
   As well discuss in the next section, , there are other resources available to you, including a wealth of information at AP Central, which is the AP section of the College Boards website. You can continue to explore areas that can stand to improve and engage in those areas right up to the day of the test.