Ready or not, AP testing is rapidly approaching. If you’re signed up for AP Environmental Science — sometimes shortened to just AP Environmental or APES — your test is on May 13, which leaves only three short weeks until test day. Luckily, there are still plenty of resources available to help you study. With this article, reviewed by a certified AP Environmental teacher here at North, Mrs. Judge, you’ll be all ready to conquer your AP test and earn a 5 — complete with places to find practice tests and a comprehensive list of what to study and when.

1. Practice Questions

There are plenty of places to find practice questions. One way is to use ChatGPT. Despite the bad reputation of AI in schools, AI can actually come up with some pretty good AP-style questions. Just ask ChatGPT: “Write me some questions for AP Environmental Science Unit 2,” or any other unit you’d like to test your knowledge on. AI can give you a variety of AP-style questions, including both multiple choice and short-answer responses.

The best part about using AI is that it can grade your responses, which is especially helpful for multiple-choice questions. It gives feedback based on what could be tweaked or added according to the College Board rubric and provides you with a final grade at the end. This can be useful for nearly any AP class that includes a test.

You can also search online for PDFs of old AP Environmental Science tests, as the College Board releases them to the public at the end of each AP testing season. These are the most accurate resources for what you’ll see on the real test since they’re from real past exams.

Additionally, you can ask your teacher to assign you UWorld or College Board practice tests. UWorld is a great resource because its questions are similar in style to the AP test, and it explains incorrect answers in great detail, helping you learn from your mistakes. College Board’s official practice platform mimics the digital test format very closely, which can help you feel more prepared.

2. Free Response Questions (FRQs)

For free-response questions, or FRQs, it is essential to understand what each task verb means, as it can determine the length and depth of the response the College Board is expecting. Knowing this can save you precious minutes — which could make or break your score. Here are some key task verbs you should know:

• “Describe how amphibians might be affected by changes in their population density.”
  The key word is describe — the graders are looking for 2–3 sentences explaining the scenario.

• “Identify one environmental advantage and one disadvantage of monoculture agriculture.”
  The key word is identify — 1 sentence, maximum 2. Since this question asks for two separate things, write 1–2 sentences for each.

• “Explain one way the mining operation could affect nearby aquatic ecosystems.”
  When they ask you to explain, write 2–3 detailed sentences that follow a logical sequence.

While the test will likely include other task verbs, these are among the most common. As stated previously, keeping your FRQs concise and clear (rather than overwriting) can help you avoid rushing at the end of the test.

Another note for answering FRQs: avoid “double-dipping.” Questions are typically broken down into parts A, B, and C. It’s important to demonstrate a broad range of concepts without repeating the same idea across parts. For example:

• (a) Describe how distance from the mainland influences species richness on islands.

• (b) Explain how invasive species can affect native island species.

In part A, refrain from mentioning invasive species, since you’ll address that in part B.

3. Memorization

The good thing about APES for some — and the hard thing for others — is that it primarily requires memorizing concepts and terms. Unlike classes such as AP Lang or AP Chemistry, which focus more on applications and equations, APES content can largely be memorized using tools like Quizlet.

One of the best ways to use Quizlet is to create your own study sets. While premade sets are useful in a pinch, making your own flashcards helps reinforce the information. Additionally, watching YouTube videos from channels like Mr. Smedes or Bozeman Science — both certified APES teachers — and then creating flashcards based on what you need to learn is a smart strategy.

Khan Academy is also a fantastic, free resource. It breaks the material down unit by unit and chapter by chapter, with a mix of videos, readings, and multiple-choice practice questions at the end of each section.

In conclusion, a 5 on your AP Environmental Science test is within reach. With a mix of study strategies — including watching videos, reviewing readings, doing practice questions, and using flashcards — you can prepare efficiently and confidently.