The readiness is all...AP LIT EXAM PREP

AP Lit Exam kids: 

As promised, here is a post taking you through all things exam related. I'll keep my editorializing to a minimum, pinkie promise. So, let's cut to the chase, shall we?

First off, here's a reminder of when the exam is (MAY 9 AT 8:00 -- delicious breakfast in 729 7:15, be there!), how the AP exam is structured, and how it is scored: 

Next, here are some places you can click to review: 

HERE FOR READING STUDY SKILLS. 

HERE FOR WRITING STUDY SKILLS. 

And HERE for some really great PRACTICE. 

And HERE for LOTS of PROMPTS & ANCHOR PAPERS & scoring commentary. These are your friends. Invest the time. 

Next up, I'd like to offer you some advice from real, live AP readers. These videos are great, and so are the people, my Internet and IRL friends. We'll watch them in class, but watch them again, and consider the advice these pros have to offer. 

Next, let's talk Hilliard's common exam-related refrains from class. And let's keep the list brief, so you can hold on to 'em: 

READING

• Read once for plot; read again for annotations & deeper understandings. 
• ​MARK THE TEXT. Marking the text is your friend. You should mark it allllll up. Apply the strategies and habits of minds you've formed this year and throughout your high school English courses. 

ESSAYS 

• Take time to think
• LEAD. WITH. INSIGHT. always -- organize your papers by insight and show your reader you understand the poem or passage and can interpret a text deeply and critically 
• P-E-E on it (point, evidence, explanation)
• ATTACK THE PROMPT -- break down prompt and create a list of tasks or questions 

MULTIPLE CHOICE  

• Lasar-like focus 
• Process of elimination 
• Preview questions before reading

But let's get for really real, shall we? 

You are insightful, perceptive students. You are adept at close reading, writing in your authentic voice, and identifying moments of beauty, meaning, and depth in literary works. You have impressed me time and again this year with your attitudes and aptitudes, your insights and your outlooks. YOU, AP Lit Class of 2018, are the cream of the crop. You will own this test. I believe in you. You believe in you. The readiness is all.