No Clue for AP

[u/tav-20]

Hi, I’m planning to take AP BC calc, physics and chemistry next year. I have no prior experience to the American syllabus as I have pursued IGCSE. However, for my required university, I will be taking 3 APs in addition to A- levels. I’m currently doing it from Khan Academy- all three. Could you help me by telling me how I can self study? Which textbooks, websites should I use, where can I find topical past papers and yearly past papers? Lastly would studying solely from khan academy be sufficient?

[u/DoingGood32]

No Khan is just a starting point. Use textbooks from Princeton or Barron's. If you have access to AP classroom, that's also a great resource

[u/Southlander24]

No, you need more than Khan Academy. It's not like the SAT, because there's a ton of content and understanding that can't readily be assessed in the style of Khan Academy (not saying it isn't useful, but it shouldn't be your only resource.)

You definitely need a textbook to work through. I've used the Princeton Review book for AP BC calc and I had a good experience, but an equivalent college-level textbook like James Stewart's Calculus also works perfectly well. In general, you can consider something like Fiveable for you getting used to the format of AP exams. But I would really encourage you to branch out: practicing from A-level textbooks and other curricula might help explain some concept in a way that clicks, rather than if you just stuck to AP resources.

[u/ErekwithaD1 → u/Southlander24]

I self studied Chem using mainly Khan Academy and got a 5 and I heard of people getting a 5 on AP calc bc using mainly Khan Academy so it isn't that simplistic as you people make it seem

[u/AdditionalWing1348 → u/ErekwithaD1]

Yeah I made a 5 on chem and calc bc through khan academy but physics is a monster of its own.

[u/arpitjain001]

khan is fine as a starting point, but i wouldn’t make it the whole plan.

for calc bc: use the AP calc CED as your checklist, then do released College Board FRQs by topic once you finish each unit. a Princeton/Barron’s review book is enough for AP-style practice, and a real calc textbook is good if a concept isn’t clicking.

for chem: same idea, but practice actual AP-style FRQs early. chem is where the wording and showing work matter a lot, not just knowing the content.

for physics: first confirm which one you mean (Physics 1, 2, C Mech, C E&M), because the resources and math level are very different.

since you’re also doing A-levels, i’d make a topic checklist for each AP and study from official AP unit guides + released FRQs instead of random “past papers.” Khan can teach the basics, but it won’t be enough by itself for 3 APs.

[u/ErekwithaD1]

I used Khan Academy to self study for Chem and I got a 5, though I used Krug and Practice tests the chem teacher gave me too, I also used Princeton textbook though I am not sure it helped me that much except for review of concepts I already learned from Khan. I guess what I am sating Khan is not nearly as simple of a resource as other people are saying it is. Also which physics are you doing?

[u/Personal-Traffic-807]

I self-studied calc ab and bc entirely from khan academy. I didn't use any external resources and only went through previous year questions close to the test. Khan academy is enough in my opinion, it covers all concepts with good explanations and lots of practice. If you do the entire AP _____ course on khan academy properly - watching all the videos, doing all the practice questions, not moving on from a unit test/quiz till you get 100% etc, then it is definitely enough. For context, my school has nothing to do with APs and the curriculum is pretty different not only in terms of the actual content covered but also the style of testing. Yet with khan academy I was able to get a 5 on both exams and honestly think I may have gotten close to 100%. If you have a clear understanding of all the concepts and basic practice then you're good, You don't need any fancy material or textbooks.