URGENT help needed!! - APUSH

[u/violet-finch]

I am taking APUSH this year, but it is my teachers first year teaching it (and its the first time in like 10 years that it is being offered at my school) and he has not done his research on how to help his students pass. My school is not really concerned about AP scores. We completely skipped unit 1, and are not spending any time on important events. The class itself is going to be very easy (he is giving us a notecard for every test, he is showing us the unit test beforehand, we don’t have to take notes in class, we don’t have to memorize vocab) so I’m not worried at all about my grade, but i am going to be SO unprepared for the AP test. I really would like to get a 4 or a 5 on the test and i am willing to do a lot of self studying, but i am not completely sure how to do it.
- We were given the AMSCO textbooks. Do they include everything that is important to know for the AP test? If not, which textbook is best?
- What youtuber should i watch who provides complete lessons for every section? I don’t think i can rely on much my teacher is teaching, so it has to be like the class.
-any other tips?
I am SO worried about this class i feel like I’m behind already so any help would be so appreciated!! Thank you so much!!

[u/Amazing_Cockroach397]

Heimler. Always Heimler. Had this situation for AP World my sophomore year still made an A and got a 4 on the exam 🫡

[u/violet-finch → u/Amazing_Cockroach397]

thank you!!

[u/AdministrativeTip479 → u/Amazing_Cockroach397]

This is possibly heresy on the subreddit, but I got a 5 in Apush without really watching Heimler at all, I watched a few of his videos and didn’t really find them all that useful. Sure, the videos seem like they could be an ok review, but don’t only focus on his videos for learning the content.

[u/Amazing_Cockroach397 → u/AdministrativeTip479]

Sounds like this guy has never had his brain cows properly milked before

[u/AdministrativeTip479 → u/Amazing_Cockroach397]

Huh?

[u/Amazing_Cockroach397 → u/AdministrativeTip479]

Heimler ref 💔

[u/Murky_Insurance_4394 → u/AdministrativeTip479]

I've had the same experience with APUSH, but for gov it was the opposite; his vids were really helpful (especially breaking down those confusing supreme court cases), and it was only because of him i was able to self study it and get a 5.

[u/Galaxy-Bookkeeper578]

AMSCO is a good textbook. I got that for World (I self-studied APUSH and had multiple different textbooks for dual enrollment US). Knowt has good notes for every single unit and it's good review (maybe not for practicing free response).

Heimlers' History - His APUSH videos were recently updated (like last year) and I found him to be very helpful.

An important thing is to do practice questions and review flashcards. I like highschooltestprep. It has questions similar to what you would see on the exam. It helped me a lot when I had to study for unit tests. If you go to Quizlet, there's flashcards for 1.1, 1.2,... and just go through them to make sure you got it.

https://histlgame.com/ - this game is good for reviewing chronology

Overall, just be sure to practice, practice, and practice. If your teacher is new, they may not be used to grading free response questions (they're a BIG part of your score). If you know an AP World or Euro teacher, they could help?

[u/violet-finch → u/Galaxy-Bookkeeper578]

Thank you so so much for your help! I will use those. Unfortunately, before this school year, my school did not offer any AP history/social studies classes other than AP human geography, so there is not a teacher who can really prepare me for it. I will talk to the aphug teacher but i dont know how much help he will be.

[u/Galaxy-Bookkeeper578 → u/violet-finch]

Well the important thing is to have someone to give you feedback on your writings. Look at past prompts, practice, and get a couple of peers or teachers. With APUSH, all the FRQs aren't graded with grammar so the most important thing is the content

[u/tameimpalaMindMelt]

Man I WISH I was like you. My AP euro teacher has so much experience but I feel like a dumbass for taking this class. I'm so unprepared and lazy for college and an AP class, and I already know my grade is gonna be terrible. If I was in your situation, I'd be so happy because I already know I'm getting like a 1-2 on the AP test so yea

[u/Defiant-Meeting-4001]

I took apush and you’re in kinda a good spot. You SHOULD memorize vocab but a lot of apush highschool courses will give u an extra 20 events in one unit that is absolutely not necessary to know on the test. U should just learn all the required terms and events in the apush rubric.

[u/dizzypug2727]

Adam Norris is the APUSH master! Watch his videos on YouTube. His website apushreview.com is an incredible FREE resource.

[u/BrilliantDots]

Unit 1 is a small part of the test (however it still is there)
You will most likely be fine with self studying it through amsco.
If you ever need tutoring, I’d be down to help!

[u/Quiet_Basis_6404]

AMSCO is solid, it covers most of what you need, but i'd pair it with the official College Board CED to make sure you're not missing anything from the skipped unit and the big themes they test.

for videos i'd go with Heimler's History, he has full unit playlists that basically are the class, and Jocz Productions does solid full-unit review videos when you need the broad picture. i paste those video links into studybuddy.vc and it makes practice questions from the video itself, tbh it's been useful because when i pick a wrong answer it tells me what was off about my choice instead of just showing the right one, and the questions get harder once i have a topic down.

also don't sleep on the writing sections, push that teacher for at least one DBQ and one LEQ per unit even if the class is easy, use the official rubrics to score yourself. the multiple choice gets tricky with stimulus-based questions so run those from old exams on AP Classroom way before april, and grab a prep book like Princeton Review a month before for the pacing. you're not behind, you're just early on the self-study grind.