AP Latin Survival Guide by Alex Grass
AP Latin is the pinnacle of many people’s high school Latin career
and, in my opinion, one of the most rigorous classes in high
school. Surviving this class will take nothing but grit, hard work,
and maybe some late-night crying. Here is how to survive AP
Latin:
Review every night - I know it will be difficult. However, whether
it be five lines or 50, later in the year, you will be happy that you
have reviewed all these lines.
Study vocab. The entire syllabus is over 1000 lines of Latin. Over time, all
of these blends together. However, if you learn vocab, you will be able to
know when Caesar is doing an ethnography of the Druids or Vergil is
talking about Neptune and the sea. To study, create physical flashcards;
writing the words out will help you memorize all of the terms.
Write a short synopsis of each section. Every 50 or so lines, go back
and write what happened, which Gallic leaders were introduced or
who was mentioned in the underworld. Not only will you be able to
go back and immediately know what happened, but also you can use
this to understand broader themes and ideas.
Learn the grammatical and rhetorical terms— create flashcards to
learn rhetorical devices, and in your notes, mark when Vergil or
Aeneid uses one. A lot of these Greek terms sound similar and can
quickly get confused. This will help you with the essay and will be
some multiple-choice questions.
Study background — On the essay, being able to throw in historical
facts will show the readers that you understand the texts fully. While
it might not be a full point on the essay, it might make a difference in
your score.
All of this, along with tedious notes in class and lots of work out of class, will make sure you do
well on the AP Latin exam. Good luck and continue studying!
OJCL Fall Torch page 6