Dear (insert your name(s) here), Before the AP exam, I will admit, I was actually kind of relaxed.

I was highlighting review books between classes, but otherwise I was fine. A couple of the books I used were the Kaplan AP World History Express, and the 5 Steps to a 5 500 AP World History Questions to Know by Test Day book. I also reread A History of the World in 6 Glasses. I would highly recommend the Kaplan Express book, especially at this stage, because it summarizes large time periods and units in just a few paragraphs, in ways that get all the key points and even some context. The 500 Questions book isnt great, but its pretty good despite multiple typos and obviously wrong information. If you get it, although its usually right, be careful. Rereading 6 Glasses was also super helpful because of how it ties basically everything large and decently important into something fun and light. Because of these things, and the help of Ms. Murphy and Ms. Strobel, I personally felt really strong on topics from 1914 to the present, and progressively less strong as the topics went further back in history. For example, I was much stronger on imperialism than I was on Greece, which in turn was much stronger than Mesopotamia. Also, because of a pre-test review Ms. Murphy did for us, I felt really strong on migrations. I also felt strong on the DBQ and CCOT essays, but less strong on the comparison essay. During the exam, I was relieved that all of my studying had come to good use. The multiple choice questions were essentially identical to ones Ms. Murphy had previously given us. I made a few dumb mistakes, but overall, because I had around 20 minutes left, I was able to correct some of those mistakes. For the essays, the DBQ and CCOT essays were easy, especially since Ms. Murphy had basically predicted what the CCOT essay would be, but my comparison essay was rather lacking. I feel like studying specific empires beforehand would have helped. I wrote about 3 pages for the DBQ, 4 for my CCOT, and 2 for my comparison essay, and finished with about an hour left to go, leaving me plenty of time to edit. One thing I did to kill time, but also to recheck work, was to open up to the question, and write my answer to each requirement next to the bulleted list. For example, I wrote my thesis next to wherever it said has an appropriate thesis, listed my comparisons next to whichever requirement asked for that, etc. Hopefully you wont get that bored, but you can copy me in case you do. Some things that really helped the essay writing process were Ms. Murphys practice essays and charts, and the Kaplan Express book. The practice essays were very close to what the actual essays were going to be like, and to be honest, Ms. Murphy is probably a harder grader than the actual AP graders. If I had actually thoroughly studied the charts, I would have done much better on the comparison, but it did help with CCOT and with the multiple choice questions in general. Finally, the Kaplan Express book was pretty good at summarizing each unit by showing changes, continuities, and comparisons between religious, empires, and many other things. One random thing I regret was not bringing a clipboard or some hard surface to write on. To put it lightly, the science lecture hall is horrifying. Its cold, the seats are

hard, and the desks are tiny. If you know youre in that room, bring multiple layers, maybe a pillow or a blanket, and definitely a clipboard. I survived, but just barely. Another thing you should do is bring a timer or a watch, especially if youre in the science lecture hall. It might just be me because I have terrible eye sight, but it was a pain in the butt to keep looking up and squinting at the clock. I, being a debater, brought two timers that had clocks on them, and ended up lending one out to a friend. This got me a free snack, which I was really happy about, which brings me to my next thing you should bring, being food. Food is good. Especially after youve been freezing in the science lecture hall for God knows how long. Bring tons of food. After going through a ton of multiple choice questions, the last thing you want to do is face three essays and 2ish hours with an empty stomach. On that note, the second to last thing you want to do is face multiple choice questions with an empty stomach or a tired brain, so go to sleep early. And dont study that last night. Watch TV. I watched 4ish hours of How I Met Your Mother, and went to bed at 9. But dont forget to pack your stuff the day before. Running around like a chicken with its head cut off, looking for pencils and pens and timers and food and blankets and pillows and clipboards is NOT A GOOD IDEA. But most important to bring is a good attitude. If you go to Lexington and youve had Ms. Murphy, youre more than ready. But just for fun, lets talk about your care package. Last year, someone packed a vibrating bunny in my bag, so I decided to pass it on to yours. Remember, this bunny represents a. beasts of burden that were key to agriculture everywhere but the Americas, where they only had the llama, b. the Columbian exchange which brought different animals and diseases from the New World to Europe and back, c. evolution and social Darwinism and the justifications for imperialism it brought, and finally d. the plague brought by mice and increasing regions of trade. I added bunny, bear, fish, and horse shaped erasers because, lets face it, when you get bored in the AP, you definitely want something you can put a puppet show on with. Also in the bag are the standard highlighters, pens, and pencils. These obviously need no explanation. The little pot of gold is supposed to be lucky, although it hasnt done much good for me. Maybe itll help you? Finally, there is a crayon. In my biology class, before the AP, my teacher gave us each one crayon. Take this crayon into your hand now. I would say close your eyes, but obviously you cant do that while still reading this letter. Smell it, feel it, and remember the days when the biggest decisions for you were what color to make your crayon house. Take this crayon with you into the AP, and if you ever feel scared that you dont remember a question, do what you just did, and it will calm you down. Obviously Im not giving you my crayon, because I still need that for AP Chemistry, AP Calculus, and AP US History next year, but you can have this one. And finally, I put a good luck wish in there. If you already opened it, it probably flew out already. But at least its giving someone else good luck! But if you didnt, reach your hand and grab it. In conclusion, congratulations, you are almost at the end of sophomore year. You will take the AP World History exam and pass with flying colors. And you will have

fun while doing so. Go kick some historical butt! Also, if you have any questions, or just feel like getting more erasers, feel free to email me at melissappled@gmail.com. Good luck! Melissa Wong