Charles Dyall AP Psychology

04/10/18 Segrist
Period 9
An Open Letter to Future AP Psychology Students

Hello! If you’re reading this, you must have chosen to take Mr. Segrist’s AP Psychology

course, which is hopefully one of many wise decisions you will make this year. Although you

will have a very fun year, this course WILL take a lot of time and effort in order to pass, and,

more importantly, receive a qualifying score (3 or above to the uninitiated) on the AP exam in

May. I hope (really) that my letter will help you to understand what you should do in order for

you to best succeed in this course, along with any tips I have gained from my experience

throughout the year. Without further ado, I give to you the very first edition of “HOW TO PASS

AP PSYCHOLOGY (and have fun doing it!)”

Reading Guides: I put this in bold, italics, AND underlined so you know how

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT these are! Completing your reading guides is ESSENTIAL to

your success in this class, as the material you learn from them is tested on exams where you will

need to answer upwards of 60 questions in the 45 minutes of your class, which prepares you for

the AP exam where you will answer 100 questions in 70 minutes. Learning this material also

prepares you for any FRQs you take, which gives you 25 minutes for each question, of which

you will have 2 for a total of 50 minutes on the AP exam. Although the material is relatively

simple, you will have to read through the chapters which can take some time, which is why I

would recommend these to be done on the weekends or over the course of several days. These

are also reinforced by your in-class lectures (over which you should DEFINITELY take notes!),

so it would be a good idea to use them along with or after covering the topic in class.

Class Work and Activities: Class work is another very important aspect of the AP

Psychology class. You will get a variety of worksheets or activities which are related to the
 Charles Dyall AP Psychology
04/10/18 Segrist
Period 9
current unit over which you are studying and will help deepen your understanding of the

textbook material. It’s very important to pay close attention to the activity so that you get a full

understanding of its purpose and application to the unit, as these activities will aid greatly in the

FRQ portion of the test by showing real-world applications of AP Psychology topics.

Exams: The exams are a very important part of this class, and passing them is crucial to

your success in both your class grade and on the AP exam. The time apportioned to the exam is

about the same as the time given on the exam in relation to the amount of questions, or about 42

seconds per question. It is important to practice moving quickly on the exam in order to complete

it within the time allotted, as you will not be able to even finish bubbling in after time is called

on the AP exam. Devices such as flashcards and