AP Literature Exam Six-Day Prep Plan

Timeline & Mindset

The AP Literature & Composition exam is exactly 6 days away (according to the speaker’s time-stamp).
Distinction the author makes: “You don’t need to study for the AP Lit exam, but you do need to prep for it.”
- Implies that rote memorization of massive content isn’t as useful as targeted strategic preparation.
- Focus on skills (analysis, argumentation, close reading) rather than cramming facts.

Purpose: Devices function as analytical “tool-belt” items you can quickly spot and discuss in both prose and poetry passages.
Action Steps:
- Open an online resource (e.g.
- Quizlet sets titled “AP Lit Literary Devices,” “Poetic Terms,” etc.).
- Cherry-pick a personal shortlist of devices you continually notice in class readings; the speaker implies you don’t need the full glossary, just reliable go-tos.
Recommended Device Categories (examples):
- Figurative Language: metaphor, simile, personification, synecdoche, metonymy.
- Sound Devices: alliteration, assonance, consonance, cacophony/euphony, onomatopoeia.
- Form & Structure: enjambment, caesura, anaphora, epistrophe, parallelism, juxtaposition.
- Narrative Techniques: stream of consciousness, unreliable narrator, frame narrative.
- Irony & Tone Shifters: dramatic irony, situational irony, verbal irony, understatement.
Goal: Be able to (a) recognize them instantly and (b) articulate how they contribute to meaning/theme.

Task Summary:
- You will receive an open prompt (e.g. “Choose a novel or play in which X occurs and write an essay …”).
- You must craft a line of reasoning supported by textual evidence from a work of “literary merit.”
Why Depth > Breadth:
- Deep familiarity with ~3 texts ensures you can adapt to almost any thematic angle (identity, power, morality, societal critique, etc.).
- Surface knowledge of 10 books often yields shallow, derivative essays; focus enables specificity (quotes, nuanced analysis).
Speaker’s Personal Picks:
1. Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)
2. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
3. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
- Rationale: All three offer rich themes (creation & responsibility, colonialism & religion, dystopian control) and complex characters, meeting College Board’s “literary merit” standard.
Action Items:
- Reread or skim annotated chapters focusing on key scenes.
- Identify versatile themes (e.g. Frankenstein: ambition, isolation, nature vs. nurture).
- Memorize at least 2 concise, high-impact quotations per theme.
- Plan thesis templates you can tweak on exam day. Example:
  > “In \textit{Frankenstein}, Mary Shelley employs [device/technique] to reveal that …”

Purpose: Visual condensation of an entire novel/play into a single glance.
Recommended Branches:
- Themes/Motifs
- Characters & Arcs
- Key Plot Points
- Setting & Atmosphere
- Symbolism & Recurring Images
- 2–3 Quotations (with page numbers if possible)
Practical Tips:
- Color-code themes vs. symbols.
- Use arrows to connect related motifs and character decisions.
- Keep mind map visible in study space for quick “refresh” sessions.

The MCQ section = 45% of composite score (per recent exam structure).
Sources for Practice:
- Official AP Classroom progress checks (ask teacher to unlock).
- Released exams (e.g. 1999, 2012, 2016 sample sets).
- Commercial prep books (Princeton Review, Barron’s) – focus on newest editions for alignment with current style.
Strategy:
- Time yourself: 55 questions in 60 minutes ≈ \frac{60}{55} \approx 1.09 minutes per question.
- After each set, annotate why distractors are wrong; convert tricky items into flashcards.

Day -6

Day -5

Day -4

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Day -1

Exam Morning

Ethical Dimension: Avoid over-reliance on formulaic “five-paragraph” structures; aim for nuanced interpretations that respect textual complexity.
Real-World Parallel: Skills practiced (close reading, evidence-based argument) mirror college-level literary analysis and even professional editorial work.
Connection to Prior Coursework:
- Devices & close reading echo AP Lang rhetorical analysis but applied to imaginative literature.
- MCQ practice similar to SAT reading but with denser, older texts.

Anaphora: repetition at beginnings of clauses (emphasizes urgency).
Caesura: mid-line pause in poetry (creates tension or natural speech rhythm).
Chiasmus: inverted parallelism (ABBA structure) to highlight contrast.
Metonymy vs. Synecdoche: part-for-whole semantics (clarify which is used).
Asyndeton/Polysyndeton: omission vs. proliferation of conjunctions (affects pacing).
Juxtaposition: placing unlike ideas side by side (spotlight differences).

The speaker scored a top-score 5 using precisely this condensed plan.
Key mantra: “Exposure to exam style + depth on a few texts = success.”
Comment section call-to-action: audience invited to request guidance on other AP exams.