The Tourism Industry Is A Complex System Tourism Essays

The Tourism Industry Is A Complex System Tourism Essays The Tourism Industry Is A Complex System Tourism Essay The Tourism Industry Is A Complex System Tourism Essay The touristry industry is a complex system where its necessary to look at all different sectors which are act uponing each other, to acquire a clear understanding how this system works. A helpful tool to utilize already theoretical accounts and theories, use them on different illustration and measure them. The person as a possible client has to be analysed and categorised, which is resulting a better apprehension of tourer behavior. Furthermore it helps to acknowledge their determination devising advancement for a finish, every bit good as acquiring cognition about their demands and outlook. This essay will demo the use of these theoretical accounts and theories on illustration of the Dominican Republic. Tourism can be defined as a combination of services and activities for people who travel to topographic points outside of their familiar milieus. The definition of a tourer is wide-ranging, because the intent of travel scopes from vacations, concern trips, and visits to friends and relations to assorted other grounds such as survey, faith, shopping and so on. More than an industry, it is instead like a system that sells packaged vacations, activities, attractive forces, adjustments, and amusement. It is offering the chance to interrupt away from normal life and bask leisure clip in different locations. Tourism usually does non supply merely one individual merchandise ; largely it is a bundling of assorted merchandises to fulfill the demand of the tourer. For illustration, person traveling on vacation to London would non simply consume one merchandise from one provider. It is more likely that he is using a bundle of services. He might get by plane, travel by bus/train to his hotel, di ne in a eating house, and take a sightseeing circuit. Due to the fact that about every touristry merchandise is interlinked, there is no proprietor or director with complete control of his ain fate ( Gunn A.C. 2002, p.243 ) . Additionally, other industries, such as the oil industry, are linked to the touristry industry. In recent old ages tourism become a portion of day-to-day life because people have more leisure clip than they used to hold 50 old ages ago and the position of the work-life balance has changed. Another of import point to reference is that the touristry industry is one of the largest in the universe and is making 1000000s of impermanent and lasting occupations. In 2006 the travel and touristry industry s per centum of the universe gross domestic merchandise was 10,3 % , with a turnover of US $ 6,477.2 billion. The industry supported 234 million occupations, 8.7 % of entire universe employment ( Cooper, et al 2006: 3 ) . This information represents the planetary importance and significance to the universe economic system. Tourism does non include merely the supply of hotels, beaches and travel bureaus but besides economical, environmental and socio-cultural impacts. These three countries are ever commingling and conflicting. There are people whom are merely interested in doing a net income, other people desiring to protect the environment, and yet another group of people concerned with the societal and cultural impacts of a tourer part. All three groups must accomplish a balance to enable sustainable touristry. This thought is shown on the undermentioned graphic: 3. Tourist typology and their execution to touristry theoretical accounts Stanley C. Plog One attack to understand tourer behavior is to place different types of people, whereupon they can be categorised into a series of organized psychographic types. In 1973 Stanley C. Plog created a theoretical account for the American population demoing how personal motive influences the determination for a holiday finish. He divided tourers into four types: allocentric, near-allocentric, mid-centric, and near-psychocentric/psychocentric. The allocentric type positions going as an chance to detect foreign civilizations and prefers alien finishs. They are self confident and unfastened for new experiences. The near-allocentric type is clean, seeks challenges and views the journey as a opportunity to prove a new life style. The mid-centric type looks for relaxation and pleasance in a well-known environment. They want to get away from the day-to-day modus operandi and enjoy comfy adjustment. The near-psychocentric and psychocentric types are focused on themselves and are scared to detect s omething new. These people tend to look for a safe topographic point to vacation. Their pick of finish will be a topographic point they know and where they are non that far off from their place metropolis ( Johnson A ; Thomas, 1992: 19 ) . Plog considered that there are merely a few psychocentric or allocentric types because the bulk of tourers are mid-centric. However, Plog s theoretical account is difficult to use in world. For illustration the Dominion Republic has a batch of organized mass touristry and it is possible to form a journey by yourself every bit good. Every tourer is an single, so they can non be generalized. One trip can hold a wholly different juncture and characteristic than the other 1 ( Cooper, 2008: 48 ) . Cohen s tourer typology Another theoretical account which classifies tourers is Cohen s tourer typology. He divides tourers into the organized mass tourer, the single mass tourer, the adventurer and the vagrant. Cohen explains that organized mass tourers are typically buying a ready-made bundle circuit where they have no or merely a small contact with the local people and remain most of the clip inside a resort. This is similar to Plog s psychocentrics` type. In Cohen s theory most of the tourers are single mass tourers. They are similar to the organized mass tourers, but they have more flexibleness and range for personal pick. They want to hold contact to the local people. This class is comparable to Plog s midcentric tourers and most tourers fall into this class. The 3rd tourer type is the adventurer, who organises the trip by himself and looks for something particular, something off from the typical involvements of a mass tourer. However, he is still interested in comfy adjustments. The last type, the v agrant, is wholly independent, wants to populate with local people and wants to take portion in the native civilization. Cohen s last two tourers theories, the adventurer and the vagrant, which are besides the minority in this industry, are similar to Plog s allocentric tourers. ( Cooper et Al, p.51 ) . 5. Demand for the creative activity of tourer typologies and their pattern on the illustration of the Dominican Republic The ground why we need these typologies for different tourers is to assist and to be able to develop touristry finishs. Expectations and demands from tourers on a perfect vacation can be identified, so the coveted service can be supplied. Equally shortly as we know the different motives for persons going to a peculiar finish, a specific tourer type is traveling to be targeted. This means that in illustration of the Dom. Rep. the organized mass tourers in the bulk, which are looking for a safe vacation, we know their behavior and cognize how to be after for them. Most of the resorts in Dom.Rep. are designed for this patronage and have been developed really fast during the last 20 old ages to fulfill the demand from tourers. At the first phase resorts were build for adventurer or vagrant, and since the creative activity of bundle touristry, a batch of single mass tourers came to this country. With the creative activity of all-inclusive , there is no demand for tourers to go forth the hotel. Because of look intoing the different desire of tourers and specify them, it was possible to develop this country ( National and regional touristry planning 1994, p.147 ) . 6. Doxey s Index: The socio-cultural impact of touristry The Doxey s Index describes the relationship between visitants and the visited. He developed a five phase theoretical account which describes the first measure as the approaching A?euphoriaA? when a little figure of tourers arrive therefore exciting the economic system and a big figure of new occupations are created. The following stairss are apathy and annoyance . At this phase local people get foremost used to tourers in their familiar milieus, and afterwards annoyed, because excessively many people are sing the finish. Antagonism and acceptance are the last stairss in this theory. Native people start to avoid tourers and at the last measure they accept them. Acceptance agencies, that they accept tourers in their usual life and bury how the country was before tourers arrived ( Cooper et Al, p.47 ) . Top precedence should be ever constructing better relationships between occupants and visitants, which improves societal life for both sides. In Punta Cana, where the proportion of tourers is high to the figure of occupants, cultural jobs occur because of different society outlooks ( National and regional touristry planning 1994, p.147 ) . While Punta Cana has grown within 20 old ages, the local community did non hold adequate clip to set to the high figure of tourers. The three theoretical accounts of Plog, Cohen and Doxey are coterminous whith each other because when the first visitants ( vagrant ) arrive at a finish, local people are euphoric. These tourers ( allocentric ) are non scared to detect new countries. In the midcentric are the explorer and the individual mass tourers . At this phase the community becomes apathetic and annoyed . The last measure is the organized mass tourer who belongs to the psychocentric and native people start to accept them. The relationship between the theoretical accounts is additive ( Cooper et Al, p.47 ) . 7. Butler s Tourism Area Lifecycle ( TALC ) The Tourism Area Lifecycle ( TALC ) is a well-known theoretical account Butler created to exemplify the moral force of a tourer -destination or -product through different phases. The graph describes a characteristic map due to the natural interrelatedness between the exposure and strength of touristry. It shows the evolutional procedure where every touristry merchandise is traveling through, which can assist director to happen a manner out in instance of a crisis or new developed finishs to set up themselves. Butler first phase is exploration , where little figure of visitants arrive in an undeveloped country. These people been identified as Plog s allocentric or Cohen s explorer type. After their trip they are responsible for Involvement , because they tell others about topographic point they been to ( Ryan 2003, p.269 ) . A undermentioned rise of the curve during the development phase is logical, because more tourers can be carried. Butler says that the figure of tourers lessening until the transporting capacity is reached, this is the consolidation phase. New development has to go on once more to rejuvenate, otherwise it would come to a diminution of visitants ( Butler 2006 ) . While developing new schemes is of import to look into the bing facts and dressed ore on the potencies the finish is already supplying. At this point it is necessary to do a determination. To develop this topographic point, to go forth the topographic point how it is and increase the monetary value or allow it worsen. Decline is the following phase of Butler s TALC. This happens if excessively many tourers are geting at a finish at the same clip and the capacity is excessively low. Visitor are disappointed and the figure of tourers will therefore start to fall. An option to avoid diminution is Rejuvenation . That means that the country has to be developed for illustration with new hotels and beaches. 8. The 5A s theoretical account The 5As theoretical account was helpful to rejuvenate the Dominican Republic when it had been reached the stagnancy point. A new development of Attractions , Accessibility , Activities , Amenities and Accommodation were necessary to convey installations up to the degree demanded by international tourers. When the transporting capacity was reached, an indispensable component in the touristry take-off was authorities investing in the substructure of touristry zones. Over $ 76 million went into the Puerto Plata part between 1974 and 1982. New hotels and transit webs were built, to acquire electric power and satisfy H2O supply. Infrastructure was one of the chief of import things which had to be developed and when the airdrome in Punta Cana was built, a batch of new different tourers begun to see this country. ( http: //kiskeya-alternative.org/publica/afuller/rd-tourism.html # ecsoc ) Today the Dominion Republic is one of the most visited states and popular for household vacations. This finish fits perfect in Butler s TALC because at first it was an undeveloped topographic point and started to turn, determinations by the policy had to be done for illustration to rejuvenate the topographic point, to allow the country how it is or to allow it worsen. The Dominican authorities decided for greening because of the high potency of this country. With new roads, attractive forces, airdromes and hotels the resort development scheme was successful ( National and regional touristry planning, 1994, p.147 ) . 9. Multiplier consequence In touristry the multiplier consequence is used to exemplify how many times money spent by a tourer circulates through a state s economic system. In other words when a new tourer finish is created, the local economic system benefits as new occupations are being created and tourist bring extra trade to local concerns. The most common illustration is when a new hotel is being built it does non merely make occupations straight in the hotel, but besides indirectly in other sectors of the economic system. The hotel has to purchase nutrient from local husbandmans, who so spend some of this money, for illustration, on domestic disbursals. When tourers spend money for local merchandises the demand for those merchandises additions, which besides increases secondary employment. However the multiplier consequence continues until there is a escape out of the economic system through imports, which is the purchase of goods from other states. The most common illustration would be a Third World state, such as Dominican Republic, much of the money spent by tourer terminal up go forthing the state s economic system via foreign-owned air hoses, hotels, imported drinks and nutrient, etc. A typical epicurean four star hotel would be more likely to import most of its goods and services ; if that means that better quality would be provided which would guarantee better client satisfaction. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //geographyfieldwork.com/TouristMultiplier.htm 10. Decision Models could be helpful to develop a successful touristry finish and understand the different motives of tourers. When the policy changes the supply for illustration to develop an country for bundle touristry, the demand will besides alter. That means that the supply has to run into the demand side when at the descriptive side the object and services altering. Plog s, Cohen s and Doxey s theoretical accounts are descriptive because they merely depict a state of affairs but Butler s theoretical account is descriptive and normative. TALC explains what is go oning in an country and makes diagnose. After this diagnose the job becomes clear and it is easier to do a determination for work outing this job. It is ever necessary to happen out how much potency a topographic point has to do significant development it in the right manner. For this fact touristry theoretical accounts are helpful. 11. Mentions Cooper, C, Fletcher, J, Fyall, A, Gilbert, D and Wanhill, S ( 2008 ) Tourism Principles and Practice ( 4thedn ) , Prentice Hall, Essex Gunn, C.A ( 2002 ) Tourism Planning ( 4th edn ) , Routledge, London Howie, F. ( 2003 a, B ) , Pull offing the Tourist Finish: A Practical Guide ( 1st edn ) , Cengage Learning EMEA Johnson A ; Thomas ( 1992 ) , Choice and Demand in Tourism, Mansell Publishing Limited National and regional touristry planning ( 1994 ) Methodologies and Case Studies ( World Tourism Organization ) ( 1st edn ) , Routledge, London Ryan, C ( 2003 ) , Recreational Tourism and Impacts ( 1st edn ) , Channel View Publications, Clevedon Dominican Republic touristry, Tourism Development in the Dominican Republic: Growth, Costs, Benefits and Choices, avaible from hypertext transfer protocol: //kiskeya-alternative.org/publica/afuller/rd-tourism.html # ecsoc ( accessed on 11.12.2009 )

These Are the Hardest AP Classes and Tests for You

These Are the Hardest AP Classes and Tests for You SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Thinking of signing up for AP classes? Want the greatest possible challenge? Or are you trying to avoid biting off more than you can chew? In this post, we’ll explain what makes an AP class hard, list the hardest AP classes, and help you prepare for them. What AP Passing Rates Tell Us You might think that the best way to tell which AP classes are the hardest is to look at the national data about how many students pass each test each year. We’ll start our discussion here, but beware that the passing rates don’t automatically tell you which classes are hardest. Want to get a perfect 5 on your AP exam and an A in class? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. This a complete list of passing rates on each AP exam with the most recent (2019) data. Exam Name Passing Rate (3+) Studio Art: Drawing 91.1% Spanish Language and Culture 89% Chinese Language and Culture 88.3% Studio Art: 2-D Design 86.4% Calculus BC 81.5% Physics C: Electricity Magnetism 81.1% Seminar 80.7% French Language and Culture 76.7% Research 76.2% Japanese Language and Culture 75% Computer Science Principles 72.7% Spanish Literature 71.9% Physics C: Mechanics 71.1% German Language and Culture 70.5% Studio Art: 3-D Design 70.1% Computer Science A 69.9% Microeconomics 68.4% Gov. and Politics - Comparative 66.2% Biology 64.6% Italian Language and Culture 64.6% Psychology 64.4% Art History 63.9% Physics 2 63.5% Music Theory 63.4% Latin 63.1% Statistics 59.2% European History 58.4% Calculus AB 58.3% Macroeconomics 57.9% World History 56% Gov. and Politics - United States 55.2% English Language and Composition 55.1% Chemistry 54.6% United States History 54.3% English Literature and Composition 50.1% Environmental Science 49.6% Human Geography 49.1% Physics 1 44.6% Source: College Board. For language rates, "Total" includes all students, while "Standard" includes only those students who didn't indicate they speak this language at home or spent more than four weeks studying it abroad. You might be tempted to look at this table and say the tests with the lowest passing rates are hardest, and the ones with the highest passing rates are easiest. After all, if not many students can pass an AP test, doesn’t that mean it’s one of the hardest tests? But when you look at the data, the exams with the highest passing rates (Chinese, Spanish, Calculus BC) are often considered among the hardest. We're not including AP Seminar and the AP Studio Art scores in this assessment, since those grades are all portfolio-based, rather than exam-based. Meanwhile, some of the tests with the lowest passing rates (Human Geography, US Government and Politics, Environmental Science) are often seen as the easiest. So what’s going on here? The truth is, the national passing rates often say more about the students taking the exams rather than the exams themselves. Some of the exams with low passing rates have those low rates because they are often taken in freshman/sophomore year, while some of the exams with high rates have more stringent prerequisites at many high schools. This means that the harder exams tend to have older, better-prepared students taking them, which raises their pass rates. In short, we have to look beyond national passing rates when figuring out which tests are the hardest. A Possibly More Reliable Indicator: 5 Rate Since pass rates don’t actually tell us much, what about the 5 rate? Remember, a 5 is the highest possible AP score (read more about AP scores here). Shouldn’t we be able to find the hardest AP tests by looking at the exams with the lowest 5 rates? Below is a table with all the AP exams, this time ranked by the percentage of test-takers who got a 5. Exam Name 5 Rate Chinese Language and Culture 57.2% Calculus BC 43.2% Japanese Language and Culture 38.2% Physics C: Electricity Magnetism 35.9% Physics C: Mechanics 34.6% Computer Science A 27% Spanish Language and Culture 24.9% Microeconomics 22.2% Gov. and Politics - Comparative 22.2% Studio Art: 2-D Design 21% Music Theory 20.9% Studio Art: Drawing 20.8% Psychology 20.2% Calculus AB 18.9% German Language and Culture 18.4% Macroeconomics 17.6% French Language and Culture 15.5% Statistics 14.5% Computer Science Principles 13.6% Latin 13.1% Gov. and Politics - United States 12.9% Physics 2 12.6% United States History 12.1% Art History 12% Italian Language and Culture 11.8% European History 11.7% Research 10.8% Chemistry 10.7% Human Geography 10.7% English Language and Composition 10.1% Studio Art: 3-D Design 10.1% Environmental Science 9.5% Spanish Literature 9.1% World History 8.7% Biology 7.1% Seminar 6.8% English Literature and Composition 6.2% Physics 1 6.2% Source: College Board. For language rates, "Total" includes all students, while "Standard" includes only those students who didn't indicate they speak this language at home or spent more than four weeks studying it abroad. The 5 rate, in fact, a decent way to spot some difficult exams, including AP English Literature and Biology. They both have very low 5 rates (7.1 for Bio, 6.2 for English Lit). But on the flip side, a relatively easy exam, AP Environmental Science, has a low 5 rate of 9.5%. Furthermore, some decidedly hard exams, like Chinese, Calculus BC, and Physics C, have very high 5 rates- up to 57%+ for Chinese! In other words, just looking at 5 rates doesn’t tell the whole story, though some other articles have assumed that. This is why the best way to find the hardest AP exams is to focus on the ones with the most material to cover- as well as the most conceptually difficult topics, which we will do below. Disclaimer: Take Into Account Your School’s Variation Before we talk about which classes are the hardest, we want to clarify we mean the ones with the most difficult course material and hardest end-of-year exam. There is enormous variation in how the same AP class can be taught at different high schools, so we can't speak to the specific class difficulties at your high school. It may be there is an AP class at your school that is known as the most difficult since the teacher is really tough, even though nationally it might not be considered one of the easiest. Or maybe there is an AP class at your school most students see as a joke, even though the material is still very difficult. Since we can’t report on the specifics at different high schools, we are focusing on which classes have the most/hardest material to cover and have a reputation for difficulty at multiple schools. We’ll discuss below ways to explore how hard AP classes are at your school specifically so you can build an optimal schedule. Any AP class Professor McGonagall teaches would likely be super hard. Okay, Seriously, Which AP Classes Are the Hardest? United States History, Biology, English Literature, Calculus BC, Physics C, and Chemistry are often named as the hardest AP classes and tests. These classes have large curriculums, tough tests, and conceptually difficult material. We put together this list based on personal experience, online chatter, passing rates, 5 rates, and looking at their curricula in depth. We are not ranking these since their difficulty will vary quite a bit based on the student. For example, if you're a math whiz, Calculus BC will likely be easier than AP English Literature. But the opposite could be true for another student. But if you’re considering any of these, be prepared for a tough course! AP US History Even though most students are exposed to American History multiple times, beginning in elementary school, AP US History is still a very tough class. First of all, this is a harder history exam than AP World History or even AP European History, since it covers a narrower span of history and a smaller geographical area, meaning the curriculum is incredibly detailed. This means you can’t rely on general trends and observations like you can sometimes in World History- you have to know specific dates, movements, people, and laws. To take a small example, in a world history class, you might need to know that slavery ended in the United States during the Civil War. For a US history class, you would need to know the dates of the civil war, the exact year of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the dates and content of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. You would also be expected to know about the major leaders and law-makers involved. The more detail you can remember, the better! This is because APUSH is known for having a very difficult multiple-choice section that requires a very detailed knowledge of US History from the pre-Columbian era up to the present day. Also, the more concrete evidence you can include in your free responses, the better essay scores you will get. If you have a knack for history, this class will be easier for you, but most students report it’s very challenging. It’s also likely to be a hard class to pass at many schools because teachers have to assign tons of reading and assignments to get through all the material before the AP test in May. Expect a fast-moving, assignment-heavy course. You can read College Board's full description here. If you think this is a figure from American History, you might want to consider fitting AP US History into your schedule. AP Biology This is a tough class and test, any way you slice it. Even with the redesign back in 2012, which was meant to make AP Biology more accessible and less memorization-heavy, you still have to memorize tons of material for the test, everything from super detailed chemical processes (Krebs Cycle, anyone?) to cell biology to evolution. This means AP Biology teachers have to pack a ton onto their syllabi for this class, including time for experiments. The huge volume of info, coupled with the fact that Biology can be conceptually difficult, makes this a tough AP course. If you have taken a strong prerequisite Intro to Biology course, this test will be more manageable. Check out a full course description here to learn more. AP English Literature Along with AP US History, this is one of the hardest AP courses in the humanities. While AP English Language is also challenging, Literature requires reading texts that are generally more difficult. Compare, say, AP English Literature staple Crime and Punishment to a non-fiction article about the criminal justice system you might read in AP English Language. Crime and Punishment is much more difficult! AP English Literature also tests more specific rhetorical/literary terms and requires you to have a more fine-tuned ability to close read a passage. You’re not just looking for the overall argument or effect like you are in AP English Language. You have to go under the hood and explain in detail how a piece of literature works. Finally, for AP Literature, you have to come prepared to write one of the essays about a book or play you read in class, but you can't actually bring the book or play with you to the exam. This means you have to study what you read in AP Literature very closely. So closely that you could write about a book, and even use quotes from it, without having the book with you! SparkNotes summaries won't cut it. In short, expect a longer and harder reading list, tougher multiple-choice questions, and more accountability for what you read in class. You can read the full College Board description of the test here. AP Chemistry Similar to biology, chemistry has a ton of material, lots of memorization, and requires a solid conceptual understanding of complicated chemical processes. AP Chemistry is known at many high schools for having tons of homework and tough tests- all necessary for students to learn enough to pass the AP exam at the end of the year. Don't attempt AP Chemistry unless you have already taken an introductory chemistry course. It would be impossible to learn everything you need to know about chemistry for the AP exam in just one year. You can read AP’s full course description here. AP Physics C Physics C is especially tough because not only are you learning physics material, which can be hard, you also need to know calculus alongside it. While AP Physics 1 and 2 are algebra-based, both Physics C courses (Electricity Magnetism and Mechanics) are calculus-based, meaning students need to know calculus well enough to apply it in physics. Some consider it â€Å"two classes in one† due to the necessary calculus knowledge. Furthermore, the material tested in Physics C is much more in-depth than Physics 1 or 2 (or the old Physics B). Physics C courses go into a great amount of depth about a few topics, while Physics 1 and 2 cover many topics with less depth. So just as US History is harder than World History, Physics C is tougher than Physics 1 and 2 because you need a greater depth of knowledge. Because of this, you should definitely have a physics prerequisite under your belt before taking Physics C, and you should have either already taken calculus or be taking it at the same time. You can read about Physics C at the course home pages for Electricity and Magnetism and Mechanics. AP Calculus BC Finally, AP Calculus BC is the toughest AP math exam, if not one of the hardest AP exams period. AP Calculus AB is also challenging, but covers less material and moves more slowly. AP Calculus BC often covers everything taught in Calculus AB in just the first semester of school- revealing one reason why it’s so hard: intense pacing. You move fast in Calculus BC, which means you need to be prepared to keep up. There is not a lot of time to be lost in this class. If you struggle with a concept at the beginning of the year, it can make it harder to learn everything after that. In fact, if you find yourself struggling, seek out extra help from the teacher or a tutor as fast as you can so you don't fall behind. In some schools, Calculus BC requires an extra period in the day to fit in all the material before the AP exam. You also get into more conceptually difficult calculus topics than Calculus AB. In short, be prepared to work very hard and be vigilant about keeping up with the course. You can read College Board’s description here. Want to get a perfect 5 on your AP exam and an A in class? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. Note on Language AP Exams You may be wondering how hard the AP language tests are- after all, you can take AP tests in languages from Chinese to Spanish to French. The difficulty of these is a bit tougher to quantify, since AP Language exams test multiple years of learning a language, as opposed to one year of material. For students with tons of foreign language knowledge these can be incredibly easy exams. If you’ve lived abroad or are fluent in a language, the AP language test will not pose much of a challenge. (Some students who are native speakers of a language will even take an AP language exam!) But for students who have just been taking a language in school, these exams can be difficult, particularly the listening portions. So if you’re thinking about an AP Language class, think about how many years of past experience you have. For example, if you’ve taken French for four years, you’re probably well-prepared for AP French. But if you’ve only taken it for two years, you will probably struggle. Most schools have pretty stringent prerequisites for AP language classes for this reason. Action Steps If you want to take any of these classes, you need to get info about the class at your school. Although they are all objectively difficult, there can be huge differences in how the classes are taught and graded. Ideally, these classes should be taught by excellent teachers who can not just teach the material clearly, but include plenty of review and AP exam practice. You should also think about your own strengths and weaknesses, and how well a tough AP class will fit into your schedule. Even though all of these AP classes have tough material, the difficulty of the class might vary from school to school. The class itself could be incredibly difficult (lots of assignments, reading, and hard tests)- and you should be prepared for that. However, the class could also be easy (not very many assignments, easy tests), meaning you will have to put in a lot of work on your own to be ready for the AP test. Knowing what the class’s workload is like, and how that prepares you for the exam, is crucial to being prepared once May arrives. If the class is easy and you don't actually learn the material, you could fail the test despite getting good grades in the class. The bottom line here is that you’ll have to work very hard to succeed in any of these classes. But that work could come at the behest of a teacher or from your own willpower. If you don't think you're learning the material well enough in class to pass the test, consider getting a prep book and studying on your own in the second half of the year. Get Info About a Class To get info about an AP class, first talk to your guidance counselor. Ask for the class's syllabus, the class’s passing rate on the AP exam for the last few years, and what other students tend to say about the class. This will give you an idea of how well-taught a class is. Your guidance counselor can also recommend good prerequisite classes and teachers. Next, speak to the teacher if you can, or speak to a teacher you have who teaches the prerequisite class (for example, the Honors Biology teacher if you’re thinking about AP Biology). The teacher can give you a sense of what the workload is like, what they expect of their students, and how much work they expect students to do on their own. Finally, find out what the word of mouth for the class is at your school by talking to older students. Don't rely too much on any one person's opinion, because students can exaggerate, but look for general trends. For example, if everyone says that AP Biology is really hard but they learned a lot and passed the AP exam, that's a sign the class is worth taking. Think About Your Strengths If you tend to do well in a subject, you will likely do well in a corresponding AP class, even if it's one of the hard ones. For example, even though AP Biology is hard, if you’ve done well in previous science classes, have a knack for memorization and critical thinking, you might be better prepared for AP Biology than, say, AP European History, even though that’s not seen as one of the hardest AP classes. On the flipside, if you really struggle with something- like writing or math- you need to be extra careful about taking a tough AP class like AP English Literature or AP Calculus BC. We’re not saying to avoid those classes if you think you might have a hard time. We are saying to be prepared to spend lots of time studying! Think About Your Overall Schedule How well you do in a hard AP class could also depend on your schedule. For example, AP Biology might be more feasible your sophomore or senior year since you won’t be worrying about the ACT/SAT. However, if you take it junior year, you might have a hard time balancing ACT or SAT studying with the AP Biology class. Also consider other classes, your extracurricular commitments, work schedule, and family commitments before signing up for any of these AP classes. You don't want a tough AP class to overload an already busy schedule. Along the same lines, do not feel pressured to overload on AP classes in general. More is not necessarily better, even if there is pressure at your school to take 5 AP classes in one year. It’s better to get two 4s than four 2s! And it's better to take AP classes that are interesting and meaningful to you. What’s Next? Find out about the flipside of this discussion, the easiest AP classes. Also read about how many AP classes you should be taking total. Also studying for the ACT/SAT? Come up with a target ACT or SAT score based on your top schools. When’s the ideal time in your high school career to take the ACT/SAT? Find out here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: