AP Language Multiple Choice Strategies and Tips | Coach Hall Writes
Summary
TLDRThis video offers essential tips for tackling the reading sections of standardized tests like the AP English exams, ACT, and SAT. It emphasizes strategies such as not lingering on tough questions, trusting your first instincts, managing time effectively, and using educated guesses when necessary. The creator highlights techniques like active test-taking, speed reading, and eliminating incorrect answers efficiently. The video also suggests tailoring test-taking strategies to personal preferences by practicing with sample tests. These tips aim to help students improve their performance and confidently approach test day.
Takeaways
- 📅 The video discusses preparing for standardized tests like AP English, ACT, and SAT, especially focusing on the reading sections.
- ⌛ Tip 1: Don't linger on difficult questions—make a guess and move on to save time.
- 🧠 Tip 2: Avoid second-guessing yourself—go with your gut when unsure between two answer choices.
- ⏳ Tip 3: Divide your time evenly across sections and passages based on the number of questions and total time available.
- ⏱️ Tip 4: Get a non-smart watch for testing to manage time properly since some testing room clocks may not work.
- ❓ Tip 5: Answer all questions since there is no penalty for guessing on the AP, ACT, and SAT exams.
- 🔍 Tip 6: Use active test-taking strategies by crossing out wrong answer choices to stay focused and avoid wasting time.
- 📖 Tip 7: Practice skimming and speed reading to get the gist of passages rather than reading every word.
- 🧑🎓 Tip 8: Experiment with different strategies—either reading the passage first or reading questions first to find what works best.
- 🔡 Tip 9: Don't try to find patterns in answers, such as choosing the same letter repeatedly or guessing based on myths like 'C is common.'
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video?
-The main focus of the video is providing tips for students preparing for the reading sections of standardized tests like the AP English exams, ACT, and SAT, with more specific advice for AP Lang and AP Lit later in the video.
Why does the speaker recommend taking multiple practice tests?
-The speaker recommends taking multiple practice tests to experiment with different strategies in a low-pressure environment. This helps students discover what methods work best for them before the actual test.
What should students do if they are stuck between two answer choices on a difficult question?
-If students are stuck between two answer choices, they should make their best guess and move on, avoiding spending too much time on a single question to ensure they finish the test.
Why is second-guessing discouraged during the exam?
-Second-guessing is discouraged because many students change their answers and often switch to incorrect ones. It's better to trust their initial instincts, especially if they have narrowed down the options.
How should students manage their time during the reading sections of the test?
-Students should divide their time evenly by calculating how much time they have per passage. For example, on the AP Lang exam, it's recommended to spend about 15 minutes per passage. Keeping a non-smart watch can help manage time effectively.
What should a student do if they don't finish all questions in a section?
-If students don't finish all the questions, they should guess and move on, as there is no penalty for incorrect answers on tests like the AP exams, ACT, and SAT.
What does being an 'active test taker' involve?
-Being an 'active test taker' involves marking up the exam by crossing out wrong answers and focusing only on the remaining options, which helps save time and avoids re-reading eliminated choices.
What is a recommended strategy if a student is pressed for time on a reading passage?
-If pressed for time, a student can skim the passage, focusing on the first and last paragraphs to get the gist. However, this strategy may not work for everyone, and it is advised to practice it first to see if it's effective.
What are some strategies to simplify complex answer choices?
-Students should omit extra words like adverbs or focus on key terms in the question. For example, they can eliminate words with positive or negative connotations that don't match the tone of the passage.
What is the speaker's advice for answering multiple questions in a row if running out of time?
-If running out of time and facing multiple questions, the speaker advises selecting one letter (e.g., 'D') and using that for all remaining questions. This avoids trying to create patterns, which decreases the chances of answering correctly.
Outlines
📚 Preparing for AP, ACT, and SAT Reading Sections
In this introduction, the host welcomes viewers and highlights that April marks the start of testing season for many students, especially for the AP English, ACT, and SAT exams. The reading sections of these exams are often lengthy and difficult to manage within the time limit. This video will provide general tips for preparing for these exams, especially for the reading portions. The speaker notes that these are general strategies that may not work for everyone and recommends taking multiple practice tests to find what works best in a safe environment before the actual exam day.
⏳ Managing Time During the Reading Section
The first piece of advice given is to avoid lingering on tough questions. If a student is stuck, they should make their best guess and move on, rather than wasting valuable time. The speaker emphasizes the importance of trusting one's first instincts and avoiding second-guessing, which often leads to incorrect answers. Additionally, students should divide their time evenly, ensuring they stay on track by checking their watch regularly. If time runs out during a passage, it’s better to guess and move on than to fall behind. There's no penalty for guessing on AP, ACT, or SAT exams, so it’s important to answer every question.
⏱️ Strategies for Reading Passages Efficiently
Students should learn to skim passages, focusing on getting the general idea rather than reading every word. If time is short, reading the first and last paragraphs can be a helpful shortcut. However, this strategy doesn't work for everyone. Some students do better reading the entire passage before answering questions, while others perform better by reading the questions first and using them to guide their reading. The speaker recommends experimenting with both methods during practice tests to determine which works best for the individual.
🔢 Avoiding Answer Patterns and Extra Words
The speaker debunks myths about answer patterns, urging students not to look for intentional sequences like repeating letters. If a student is running out of time, they should guess by choosing the same letter for all remaining questions instead of trying to form a pattern. The tip for AP English exams involves simplifying questions by eliminating extra words, especially adverbs, and focusing on tone and meaning. This strategy helps students choose between answer choices by understanding the overall attitude or tone of the passage. Additionally, balanced questions with two-part answers should be evaluated carefully to ensure both parts are correct.
🎯 Final Tips and Encouragement
In the conclusion, the speaker encourages students to practice regularly to build confidence with the strategies discussed. They stress that while the reading portions of standardized tests can be intimidating, consistent practice will help students feel more prepared and capable on test day. The video ends with a reminder to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more helpful content.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Testing Season
💡Reading Sections
💡Skimming
💡Time Management
💡Guessing
💡Active Test-Taker
💡Eliminating Extra Words
💡Practice Tests
💡Patterns in Answers
💡Omitting Penalty
Highlights
Introduction of tips for preparing for AP English, ACT, and SAT reading sections.
Advice to practice strategies in a safe environment using practice tests and resources like Khan Academy.
Do not linger on tough questions; make your best guess and move on to save time.
Avoid second-guessing yourself, as changing answers often leads to incorrect responses.
Divide time evenly for each passage based on the number of questions and available time.
Use a non-smartwatch to track time, as some testing room clocks may not work.
Don't compromise time for one passage; if needed, guess and move on to ensure you finish the test.
There is no penalty for guessing on AP, ACT, or SAT, so it's better to answer all questions.
Be an active test-taker by marking wrong answers to avoid re-reading them and wasting time.
Practice skimming and speed-reading to quickly grasp the main points of long, dense passages.
When pressed for time, read the first and last paragraphs to get the gist of a passage.
Experiment with reading the passage first or reading the questions first, and find which method works best for you.
Avoid looking for patterns in the answers; each question should be treated in isolation.
For tone-related questions, omit extra adverbs to focus on understanding the author's attitude.
When dealing with balanced questions, ensure both words in the pair are correct to avoid traps.
Transcripts
hey guys welcome back to the channel it
is now April which means it's about to
be testing season so a lot of students
are preparing for AP English test or
even the AC T and the SAT and so it can
be really challenging to prepare for
these tests because the reading sections
especially are very long and involved
sometimes and you feel like you have
zero time to actually answer the
questions so in today's video we're
going to talk about some basic tips that
can help you prepare for the reading
portions of these exams and as the video
progresses the testing tips get a little
bit more specific to AP lang and AP lit
so if you're in those classes I
recommend that you watch the video in
its entirety to get the most use out of
it
but I will say a quick disclaimer though
just because I'm sure someone's gonna
say oh these tips don't work for me
basically these are general tips that
have worked for some students and so
it's important that you decide what
works best for you and to do this I
highly recommend taking multiple
practice tests in order to practice
these strategies in a shall we say like
safe environment where it's okay to make
mistakes and it's okay to experiment
rather than the actual day of the test
so to do this you can buy a test prep
book you can also go on Khan Academy
there's other online resources but I
would practice these skills first to see
what works for you that way you can know
more about yourself as a test taker and
hopefully be as successful as possible
on the actual day of the exam the first
piece of advice is not to linger on
tough questions so if you're stuck
between to answer choices or you read
the question and you have zero clue what
it's talking about you need to make your
best guess and move on don't spend three
four or five minutes trying to get the
perfect answer because it's one question
so proportionately you need to not waste
time on a single question just choose an
answer and move on the next tip is not
to second-guess yourself now this goes
with not wasting time on difficult
questions a lot of times students can
narrow it down to two choices and then
they get stuck so go with your gut and
don't change it because a lot of times
students are wrong when they actually go
back and change their answers
another tip is for students to evenly
divide their time so figure out how many
questions there are and how much time
you have and then you can figure out how
much time you have per passage so for
the AP Langan examine averages out to 15
minutes per passage whereas the SAT it's
more like 13 minutes per passage on the
AP liang test there is not the same
number of questions per passage like on
the ACC and the SAT they those tend to
be much more even so the AP liang test
can be a bit tricky because students
will see that a passage might have eight
questions and they'll think oh this is
going to take me no time at all but in
actuality it's quite a dense passage and
the questions are a lot harder so it
actually eats up the clock a lot more
than you realize whereas a passage with
15 questions might seem longer but the
questions are easier to answer so what I
recommend students do is to actually get
a watch because the clocks in testing
room sometimes don't work and it can't
be a smart watch but I would time
yourself for 15 minutes check your watch
regularly because you don't want to be
trying to negotiate time so what happens
if you say I'm only gonna spend 15
minutes per passage and you only get to
question 13 out of 15 it's really
tempting to be like oh I'll just spend a
little bit extra time on this passage
don't do that because students who do
that tend to not finish the test and you
actually miss out on say five to ten
questions instead of just two so guess
and move on and if there is time at the
end you can go back to solve those
questions with the due diligence that
you need but don't try to compromise
your time currently for the AP English
exams as well as the a CT and the SAT
there's no penalty for guessing you are
rewarded for the questions that you
answer correctly as opposed to receiving
a point deduction for something that you
answer incorrectly
therefore it is actually in your best
interest as a test taker to answer every
question even if it's just a guess
another thing that you should think
about is what we call being an active
test taker and this means marking on
your exam so crossed out wrong answers
not just the letter but crossed through
the entire answer choice that way you
stop looking at it and wasting time
because you're reading something that
you have already eliminated
it probably goes without saying that the
passages on standardized tests are super
boring so you're not reading for
entertainment you're not trying to
absorb every word and enjoy it you need
to learn to speed read and so part of
this is a skill called skimming you
don't read every single word you need to
read in order to just get the gist of
the passage next tip is if you're
pressed for time read the first and last
paragraph of the passage just to get the
gist of it now I don't recommend doing
this every single time because it really
is a strategy that only works for some
students however it is something really
cool to practice if you find you're
struggling it could help you but again
this is not something that I recommend
for everyone this next tip is one that
is rather controversial in my classroom
because I have some students who need to
read the whole passage first and then
answer the questions and they score
higher whereas other students of mine
need to read the questions first and
bracket off questions like when it says
in paragraph one they'll bracket it off
and they'll play it like the number of
the question and that actually helps
them with their scores so you need to
figure out which one applies to you and
then there's like this third group of
students who like do it both ways and
they get the same score regardless so
there's that but basically you need to
think about how you want to approach the
test because remember you're doing this
for a score you're not doing this for
entertainment so figure out which way
works best for you okay so it's
important to realize that there are not
patterns on the test at least not
intentional ones so don't try to spell
words like bad or Dada and don't try to
make diagonals it's okay if you choose
the answer D for separate times all in a
row
because the answers are done
individually each question needs to be
viewed in isolation so don't try to make
patterns and also remember that it's
urban myth that the answer is C or that
it's the most common so don't
necessarily choose C if anything if
you're running out of time don't try to
make like patterns as you're guessing
let's say for some reason you have ten
questions left don't try to make a
pattern just choose one letter answer
choice all the way down so go with a or
D whatever your letter of the day is and
answer D all the way down if you're
actually not able to spend the time you
need on those questions because the
second that you try to make patterns you
actually reduce your
hood of getting it right so say you have
ten questions left and you have two
minutes just bubble in one letter the
same letter all the way down next tip
applies more readily to AP English exams
but it's important to omit extra words
actually an AP Lang release question so
it says the author's overall attitude
can best be described as so with
attitude we're looking for tone so get
rid of the adverbs in this case like
grudgingly or clearly and just look at
appreciative and non-judgmental because
those are words that you can understand
and so the minute that you omit the
extra words it actually becomes easier
now what I did here is I put little
negative signs so one of them has to
that word is more negative so it has a
harsher connotation so if you know that
the author's attitude is negative then
cross out answer choices that have
positive connotations as you're crossing
out the extra words and this will help
you simplify the answer choices and it
makes it a whole lot less confusing so
if you know it's a negative attitude and
you're stuck with to answer choices then
figure out is this very severe or is it
mildly negative and look at the
connotations of those words same
strategy can be applied to pronoun
antecedent questions so in this case
we're just isolating the nouns because
it makes it a little bit easier to
understand so again you're just crossing
out extra words so that you can narrow
your focus and better understand the
question in hopes of getting the answer
correct a balanced question is when you
have liked this word yet this word and
so both words have to be correct in
order for the answer to be correct so
don't try to rationalize wrong words if
you know that one side of it is wrong
cross it out it's not the right answer
so this is actually not a release
question it's just something that I made
up inspired by release questions just so
you can see the idea here so we have a
shift from abrasive to accepting so if
there's no acceptance in the passage
then cross out that answer basically you
need to figure out one side of them so
look at one side of the words look at
words that you're familiar with and if
that does not apply to the passage the
answer is wrong so whether it's like
this and this if the first word is
totally wrong doesn't fit cross out the
entire answer keep it as simple as
possible and don't fall for these types
of answer traps thank you guys so much
for watching I hope this video was
helpful to you because I know that it
can be really intimidating to take the
reading portion or the multiple-choice
section of any of these exams so my best
advice is to practice often and that way
you can apply these strategies
confidently on the day of the exam so if
you guys like this kind of content or
found it helpful please don't forget to
Like and subscribe
turn on your notifications and until
next time happy writing
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