Preparing for the AP Literature Exam
With winter break behind us, the spring term is finally in sight—the cherry blossoms will soon be blooming, sparrows and chickadees singing, and endless showers bringing about new growth. Oh, and AP exams. With exams being administered in-person again this year (barring any unforeseen circumstances), ‘tis the season to begin preparing!
The AP English Literature and Composition course (or simply “AP Lit”) is notoriously difficult, for a variety of reasons. We’re here to help you understand the format of the exam and how to begin your preparations early, of course with the support of those singing birds, Cinderella style.
About the AP Lit Exam
AP Lit focuses on students’ literary analysis skills, primarily the evaluation of works of fiction, poetry, and drama. The texts covered in this course typically employ complex prose, such as Toni Morrison’s Beloved, William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
The AP Lit exam is three hours long and comprised of two sections. The first part is an hour-long set of 55 multiple-choice questions. The second section has students write three essays: the first two essays are based respectively on excerpts of poetry and prose, while the third is a Thematic Analysis essay on a text of your choice (view examples here). AP Lit’s last free response question is known for being particularly challenging, as students have to pick a text to analyze of “comparable literary merit” to classics such as Death of a Salesman or Mrs. Dalloway.
Studying for the AP Lit Exam
Students should be sure to review the study tips we’ve already written about in our post about the AP English Language exam. Let’s review some more strategies for preparing for the AP Lit exam:
Read poetry! Poetry is difficult, and students might not have as much familiarity reading poetry as they do reading fiction or prose. Some of our favorites that are included on College Board’s list of recommended poetry are Derek Walcott’s “A City’s Death By Fire,” Anne Sexton’s “Crossing the Atlantic,” and Eduard Kamau Brathwaite’s “Bermudas.”
Hone your close reading skills. We get it. Teachers are always harping on about “close reading” without ever really explaining what it means. The way we like to think about close reading is evaluating what the author means by examining why they chose to present their meaning using those particular words. What is it about the author’s precise language that lends itself to creating meaning?
Practice (again.) Practice multiple-choice questions are available in Collegeboard’s AP Lit Course Description, and past free-response questions (with scored student responses) are available elsewhere on College Board’s AP Central website. If you’re looking for more realistic practice, we regularly host remotely proctored practice APs.
The AP Lit exam can be brutal, as this course expects students to be comfortable with complex analysis of college-level literary texts. If you need support, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team of expert AP tutors.