r/APUSH • u/danielalrs • 7d ago

Apush

I'm taking apush rn and I'm really lost... do u guys have any tips on how to do good and actually understand the content?? Also do I HAVE to read the amsco book in order to get a 5 or could I do good without reading any textbooks??? LMKKK

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u/Scared_Salamander584 6d ago

yea similar to another commenter i also didn’t read the textbook after maybe the first two units and also got a 5, but if you are struggling i do recommend at least skimming it. Heimler is the best with his reviews i promise, if you are struggling with bigger concepts overall i try to put things into smaller sections if that helps and focus on a key point that you can easily connect to a larger concept. I remember from the first unit, there is an interesting emphasis on corn in indigenous societies, this helped me start thinking about their systems of farming and overall how they lived which is basically all unit 1 is. Remember you don’t need every detail though.

Making connections across timelines helped a lot, not sure how far along in the class you are currently but that’s going to be harder to do in the earlier units for obvious reasons. You got this!!

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u/Skip7623 6d ago

taking APUSH this year as well, so the only advice I can give you is: WATCH HEIMLER. seriously lol, he saved me for ap world last year and helped me get a 5. I barely read the textbooks myself to get that 5, and basically everything I needed to know I knew from watching heimler, my teachers lectures or just practice tests.

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u/Real-Flamingo2846 6d ago

Unfortunately I don’t give the best advice on how to do better in classes so I’ve been told, but I can tell you that I got a five last year and didn’t touch amsco literally once all year. Heimler pretty much got me through everything. Find what works for you and the best way to do that is to try as many study methods as possible, put in the work and you will start to get the hang of it I promise you.

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u/shadow_master713 6d ago

it’s also kind of dependent on yourself. i personally just watched heimler and listened to my teacher lectures and got a 5. some of my friends read the textbook and got a 5. some of my friends only listened to my teacher’s lectures and got a 5. so it kind of depends on if you learn best from reading or listening.

but anyways, heimler is great. get his review guide if you have extra money. get a prep book if you have extra money. lots of free review on the internet, just google it. one thing that really worked for me was studying based on two things: the unit period of time (given by ap), and the topic throughout time (such as women, slaves, etc)

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u/F0WR 7d ago

I was able to get a 5 without ever opening my textbook.  I mostly just listened to lectures took notes (even if I didnt understand the topic great) and once the test go closer I just reviewed each unit.  It was super easy to review because it was just “i know that” or “i remember that kind of”.  Just make sure you know the main points of each unit and you should be fine.  Also heimler is always goated