The AP English exam can feel like a high-stakes challenge for students, and for teachers, preparing students to tackle the multiple-choice section effectively is essential. With careful planning and targeted strategies, you can help your students improve their test-taking skills, boost their confidence, and ultimately increase their chances of success. Below are key suggestions to guide your students through preparing for and performing well on the AP English multiple-choice questions, whether they’re taking AP English Literature or AP English Language and Composition.
Before diving into specific strategies, students must understand the structure of the multiple-choice section. The AP English Language and Composition exam consists of 45 multiple-choice questions, and the AP English Literature exam has 55 questions. Both exams assess reading comprehension, analysis of literary and rhetorical elements, and understanding of language use. Ensure students understand the different types of passages they’ll encounter: prose (fiction and nonfiction) for both exams, poetry for the Literature exam, and nonfiction rhetoric for the Language exam.
Once students are comfortable with the format, you can begin helping them develop the skills they need to answer the questions efficiently and accurately.
A crucial element of multiple-choice questions is close reading. To answer questions well, students must pay attention to the nuances of the text. Encourage your students to read actively during practice sessions. Have them annotate passages by highlighting key phrases, underlining things that stand out to them, and making brief notes in the margins about tone, purpose/meaning, and structure. When it comes to structure, the most important thing they can look for is a shift between parts of the text. Tell them that there is often an actual shift in the passage that can help them recognize how an idea or tone changes. This always relates to something complex and will very likely be part of the question. Even if it isn’t part of a question, it will help them better understand the passage… shift happens.
Remind students that the questions often focus on a deeper understanding of the text and the relationship between language and purpose (lang) or meaning (lit). Therefore, reading carefully and making note of small details is essential.
“Cold reading” is when you read a text and have almost no idea what it is about, who wrote it, or why it was written. Cold reading is not natural, especially cold reading a complicated text or poem. Usually, readers have some knowledge of a text or its topic before they read it: that is why we have the back of novels or the small details below a headline.
The multiple choice is cold reading. Before students read a text on the multiple choice test, teach them how to gain some knowledge about it by first reading the question stems (only the questions, not the list of 4 answers). This will help them warm up a little to the text before they read it. Doing this often helps them understand what to watch for in the text and sometimes even helps them understand what it’s about before they read it.
Teach your students to read each question carefully before jumping to the answer choices. AP English multiple-choice questions can sometimes be tricky in that they require not just comprehension but also interpretation.
Encourage students to:
Students should practice interpreting questions in the context of both the passage and the specific skills the question is assessing.
The multiple-choice section of the AP English exam is timed, and speed is just as important as accuracy. Help students practice under timed conditions so they can develop the ability to pace themselves. An effective strategy is to encourage students to spend about 45 seconds to 1 minute per question. If a question is taking longer than that, they should mark it and come back to it later if time allows. The goal is to answer as many questions as possible while still taking the time to make thoughtful decisions. If they don’t get to answer a question because they run out of time, they should not leave any blanks.
To improve time management, do regular timed practice tests in the classroom. This doesn’t mean they have to do full 45 or 55 minutes practice tests each time. Afterward, review both correct and incorrect answers to discuss the reasoning behind each choice. This helps students understand how to approach future questions more efficiently.
Encourage students to employ the process of elimination (POE) when they’re uncertain about a question. The key is to narrow down the answer choices by considering what’s clearly wrong. If they’re left with two plausible options, they should go with the one that is most consistent with the tone, purpose/meaning, or structure of the passage.
Students should also be aware that sometimes, the “correct” answer is the one that is most supported by the passage, not the one that seems to make the most sense on a surface level. For example, if a question asks about the speaker’s tone, the correct answer may not be the one that most matches the emotional tone of the passage but rather the one that best reflects the speaker’s attitude toward the subject matter.
Regular practice with a variety of reading materials is key to success. In addition to the assigned curriculum, incorporate a range of texts—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays. Many AP English exams include excerpts from texts students may not be familiar with, so it’s important to build flexibility in reading comprehension.
By reviewing previous years’ exams and using practice passages, students can get a better sense of the types of questions they’ll encounter. Review the answer keys together and engage in group discussions about why certain answers are correct and others are not. This approach not only solidifies skills but also boosts confidence.
Finally, instill in your students the mindset that the AP English exam is not just about answering questions—it’s about analyzing texts with precision and confidence. Remind them that they don’t need to “know” everything, but rather they need to trust their skills, reasoning, and analysis. A calm and strategic approach will help students navigate difficult questions without feeling overwhelmed.
By combining practice, focused strategy, and careful review, your students can go into the AP English multiple-choice section with the tools they need to perform at their best.
Conclusion
Effective preparation for the AP English multiple-choice questions involves more than simply practicing test items; it requires students to hone analytical reading skills, become adept at recognizing rhetorical strategies and literary devices, and develop test-taking strategies that maximize both speed and accuracy. With careful instruction and regular practice, you can guide your students toward mastering these questions, ultimately helping them approach the exam with both skill and confidence.