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Based on the results of various IBCC applicants and their respective IBCC equivalence certificates, it has become pretty clear that doing well on AP tests for those who graduate from U.S. high schools can significantly raise your IBCC score, directly increasing your chances of getting into both government and private medical college s in Pakistan as a foreigner. Because how one does on an AP test, unlike much of the rest of the process of applying to many of these medical colleges, is in a person's control, I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread to help those who are going to be taking AP tests.
Fortunately I recently graduated from high school so I remember a good deal of what's covered on these exams as well as how I myself prepared for them. As much as I'd like to make a general statement on how to do well on all the tests, it really varies from subject to subject.
For chemistry, you really have to know your stuff. I bought a Princeton Review review book which was pretty good in terms of reviewing the basic concepts and giving a good preview of the exact testing format. I would say that the Chemistry AP test is the most fair of any of the three sciences (Bio, Chem, Physics), and that you really have to know your stuff. It's best to use a good general chem textbook. I would strongly recommend Chemistry by Zumdahl, fifth or sixth edition. The examples in it are extremely clear and will really help you master all the math you need to know. As for concepts, it might be a bit wordy but it's pretty easy to understand.
For physics, which in my opinion is the hardest AP test of the three subjects, the key is to get a lot of practice with the different formulas and problem types. The overwhelming aspect of the Physics B AP test is that it tests such a wide array of different concepts with over a page of different formulas that by the time the AP test date comes around, a lot of people are overwhelmed with the variety of material that's tested. The key is to build confidence as opposed to being intimidated. You should do a lot of practice problems to familiarize yourself with the basic concepts and the formulas so that you know when to apply what equation. I would highly recommend buying a review book for the Physics B AP test, preferably 5 Steps to a 5 by McGraw-Hill. I can't stress enough how much this book helped me. It's not one of those 400 page review books that basically repeats everything that's in your textbook. It cuts right to the chase and tells you exactly what's going to be on the AP test in exactly how much detail you need to know it. It gives you basic examples and equations as examples, later providing more complex problems that might come up on the AP test, but nothing too overwhelming. The actual text of the book isn't more than 250 pages, and even then a good portion is just practice problems and examples. It also provides 1-2 practice tests to guage how you're doing.
The biology AP test, in my opinion, is by far the easiest of the three major AP tests. The curve on it is huge, so even if you don't know much compared to the physics and chemistry AP tests, you'll do a lot better than you expected. I really didn't learn anything through my course, but since 5 Steps to a 5 helped me with Physics, I decided to try my luck again with the same series and I bought the Biology text of the same company. It helped me even more! I literally just studied about 2-3 months before the AP test straight from this book, reviewing it once or twice briefly after the first read through. Since it's just a review book, though, you have to REALLY know it well. I would highly recommend this as a good review book, and although it's all I studied, I would definitely recommend studying through a textbook such as Campbell-Reece or any similar general biology text before plowing through a review book. The review books don't "tie it all together" as well as textbooks, but if you go through the review books thoroughly and whole-heartedly, they will prove a huge asset (and you won't complain about the results #wink).
I don't have much advice to offer on the English Literature and Composition test (that's the one I took, I didn't take English Language and Composition). I really didn't study for it. I just remember reading about 5-10 well-known novels during my junior year (when I took the test) that came in handy for one of the essays which I can list if anyone needs them. Other than that, my teacher would have us take practice tests when he was absent and had a sub watch over us (they were really hard!) So I guess my advice would be to buy a review book with tons of practice questions and practice tests to familiarize yourself with the content of the English exams. Time is really short on the English Lit. and Comp. exam, so really practice budgeting time. If you're not a big reader, this exam is really tough. The questions are SUPER tricky and sometimes the answers are really weird. If there's one test where exposure to the exam format and question-type comes in extremely handy, it's this one.
That's pretty much my experience with the main AP tests that can boost your IBCC marks.
Fortunately I recently graduated from high school so I remember a good deal of what's covered on these exams as well as how I myself prepared for them. As much as I'd like to make a general statement on how to do well on all the tests, it really varies from subject to subject.
For chemistry, you really have to know your stuff. I bought a Princeton Review review book which was pretty good in terms of reviewing the basic concepts and giving a good preview of the exact testing format. I would say that the Chemistry AP test is the most fair of any of the three sciences (Bio, Chem, Physics), and that you really have to know your stuff. It's best to use a good general chem textbook. I would strongly recommend Chemistry by Zumdahl, fifth or sixth edition. The examples in it are extremely clear and will really help you master all the math you need to know. As for concepts, it might be a bit wordy but it's pretty easy to understand.
For physics, which in my opinion is the hardest AP test of the three subjects, the key is to get a lot of practice with the different formulas and problem types. The overwhelming aspect of the Physics B AP test is that it tests such a wide array of different concepts with over a page of different formulas that by the time the AP test date comes around, a lot of people are overwhelmed with the variety of material that's tested. The key is to build confidence as opposed to being intimidated. You should do a lot of practice problems to familiarize yourself with the basic concepts and the formulas so that you know when to apply what equation. I would highly recommend buying a review book for the Physics B AP test, preferably 5 Steps to a 5 by McGraw-Hill. I can't stress enough how much this book helped me. It's not one of those 400 page review books that basically repeats everything that's in your textbook. It cuts right to the chase and tells you exactly what's going to be on the AP test in exactly how much detail you need to know it. It gives you basic examples and equations as examples, later providing more complex problems that might come up on the AP test, but nothing too overwhelming. The actual text of the book isn't more than 250 pages, and even then a good portion is just practice problems and examples. It also provides 1-2 practice tests to guage how you're doing.
The biology AP test, in my opinion, is by far the easiest of the three major AP tests. The curve on it is huge, so even if you don't know much compared to the physics and chemistry AP tests, you'll do a lot better than you expected. I really didn't learn anything through my course, but since 5 Steps to a 5 helped me with Physics, I decided to try my luck again with the same series and I bought the Biology text of the same company. It helped me even more! I literally just studied about 2-3 months before the AP test straight from this book, reviewing it once or twice briefly after the first read through. Since it's just a review book, though, you have to REALLY know it well. I would highly recommend this as a good review book, and although it's all I studied, I would definitely recommend studying through a textbook such as Campbell-Reece or any similar general biology text before plowing through a review book. The review books don't "tie it all together" as well as textbooks, but if you go through the review books thoroughly and whole-heartedly, they will prove a huge asset (and you won't complain about the results #wink).
I don't have much advice to offer on the English Literature and Composition test (that's the one I took, I didn't take English Language and Composition). I really didn't study for it. I just remember reading about 5-10 well-known novels during my junior year (when I took the test) that came in handy for one of the essays which I can list if anyone needs them. Other than that, my teacher would have us take practice tests when he was absent and had a sub watch over us (they were really hard!) So I guess my advice would be to buy a review book with tons of practice questions and practice tests to familiarize yourself with the content of the English exams. Time is really short on the English Lit. and Comp. exam, so really practice budgeting time. If you're not a big reader, this exam is really tough. The questions are SUPER tricky and sometimes the answers are really weird. If there's one test where exposure to the exam format and question-type comes in extremely handy, it's this one.
That's pretty much my experience with the main AP tests that can boost your IBCC marks.
