AP World Multiple Choice Strategy Overview

Overview of AP World Multiple Choice Strategy

• Objective: Teach a strategy for answering 55 AP world multiple choice questions in 10 minutes (averaging around 10 seconds per question).
• Claim: This technique can help in securing a score of 75-80% or a 5 on the AP exam.
• Disclaimer: This method is not recommended for the actual exam where the allotted time is 55 minutes. This strategy is for training purposes only.

Importance of the Strategy

• Purpose: To improve pacing while taking the AP exam, making it easier to answer questions efficiently without feeling rushed.
• Reason: Recognizing question patterns and cues aids in answering quickly on the actual exam.

Core Strategy

• Skipping the Stimulus:
    - The main technique involves not reading the long blocks of text or quotes (the stimulus) that accompany the questions.
    - Aim to recognize the question patterns by treating it as a game or challenge instead of a traditional test.

Training Process

• Practice Materials:
    - Utilize online resources such as Crack AP which compile questions from various review books like Princeton and Barron's.
• Repetition:
    - Run the strategy 2-3 times before attempting a full practice exam within the traditional 55-minute time limit.
• Full Exam Experience:
    - Taking a traditional practice exam after training will feel relaxed, as the student will have adapted to filtering through unimportant details quickly.

Key Considerations

• Targeted Reading:
    - Focus on short segments of information such as:
      - Source headings
      - Authors of sources
      - Document dates
    - Avoid lengthy passages.
• Understanding Historical Context:
    - Familiarity with chronological sequences and broad cause-and-effect relationships in history is crucial.
    - Memorization of specific dates is not necessary; understanding general timelines is more important.
• Use of Common Sense:
    - Apply logical reasoning to eliminate incorrect options.
    - Example: If a question involves a source from 1400s England, do not consider modern political systems like communism as valid answers.
• Eliminating Wrong Answers:
    - Quickly identify and eliminate obviously incorrect choices to refine the options.
    - Aim to eliminate two answers, which is facilitated by the speed-training technique that minimizes confusion from reading the stimulus.
    - Only eliminate options if there is at least a 99% certainty of their incorrectness.
• Objective Thinking:
    - Questions in AP world are broader than those in specific subjects (like AP US History), requiring a general understanding of important trends in history.

Example of Implementation

• The presentation will showcase an example stimulus, such as an analysis of an Aztec temple and a quote from Hernan Cortez, dated back to the early 16th century:
    - Analysis Duration: Less than 10 seconds to interpret the stimulus.
• Next Steps:
    - Questions will be displayed for practice, encouraging students to pause the video to answer.
    - All answers and explanations will be provided in a pinned comment for further clarification.

Conclusion

• Encouragement: Good luck on the exam! Consider subscribing for more educational content if you found these strategies useful.