If students who are taking AP courses want to self-study or can not afford tutoring, they might want to use resources outside their textbooks or slides to fully understand the concepts. Here, Hack Your Course AP and IB Tutoring Service has broken down top free and inexpensive resources for AP courses to use by subject.
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A. RESOURCES FOR ALL AP SUBJECTS
DESCRIPTION: Unlike IB, you can find helpful course material on the College Board website, including notes, exam papers, and links to outside videos. Moreover, because they cooperate with Khan Academy, you can find many videos and practices directly related to AP on the Khan Academy website.
PROS:
– Free
– AP-Aligned
– Provides details on material required for the exam
– Provides practice problems for the free response section with detailed explanations
CONS:
– Doesn’t provide examples for the multiple-choice section
– Not the best, stand-alone resource for self-studying
DESCRIPTION: Khan Academy offers practice exercises and instructional videos catered towards all subjects created by the College Board.
PROS:
– Free
– AP-Aligned
– Thorough coverage of the material required for the exam
– Provides practice questions with detailed explanations
– Good pace and clear teaching style
CONS:
– Doesn’t provide practice exams
– Practice questions are not at the level seen on the free response section of the exam
– Does not cover AP physics 2 and C
DESCRIPTION: YouTube channel dedicated to teaching AP related courses. It has more than 250,000 subscribers and covers most of the subjects. All of the courses start by covering chapters then the last video is a review of exam questions.
PROS:
– Free
– AP-Aligned
– Good pace and clear teaching style
CONS:
– Not good if used as a primary material, better if you want to use these videos to help supplement your learning
DESCRIPTION: YouTube channel dedicated to providing free educational videos on a variety of topics. It has more than 12 million subscribers. It covers biology, zoology, chemistry, linguistics, literature, film, theatre and drama, American history, European history, and more.
PROS:
– Free
– Good pace and informational
– Good for learning concepts and has clear explanations
– Engaging approach to introducing the material
CONS:
– Not AP-Aligned
– Not enough practice tests
DESCRIPTION: platform with full length practice exams and free response questions and answers for students and teachers on various AP subjects.
PROS:
– Has practice questions
– Guide has good pointers to help study for the exam
– Some free practice questions
– AP aligned
CONS:
– Most of the resources cost 19-79 $.
6. Bozemann Science Website and YouTube Channel
DESCRIPTION: This Website and YouTube Channel are run by Paul Anderson, an educational consultant in the US. His Channel has more than 1.1 M subscribers, and it covers many subjects, including AP Chemistry, AP Physics (1 & 2), AP Biology, and AP Environmental Science.
PROS:
– AP aligned
– Good pace and clear teaching style
CONS:
– No practice questions or exam questions other than a few in the middle or at the end of videos
DESCRIPTION: Study.com is a paid educational website that has thousands of organized videos, examples, and quizzes. Even though it costs 59.99 USD/month, it has 30 days money-back guarantee, so if you think it is not worth it and you are better off with free resources, do not hesitate to request your refund. Some courses are worth paying for; some are not, so it all depends on your course at school.
PROS:
– AP aligned
– Good pace and clear teaching style (Mostly! so be careful and use the trial version well)
CONS:
– 59.99 USD/month
PROS:
– AP aligned
– The website does link to some tutoring services, some of which may not emphasize quality.
Hack Your Course AP & IB Tutoring Service is the premium AP & IB tutoring center in The United States and Canada, focused on these programmes with professional IB and AP tutors from all over North America. We have been around for quite some time (since 2015). We are incredibly proud of our International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advanced Placement tutoring achievements with our IB and AP Tutors in pre-AP, AP, PYP, MYP and DP levels. We know the ins and outs of the IB curriculum and AP programme; we have extensive teaching material, expertise, and experience. So if you are an IB student or have AP courses, look no further. Join us to get the quality you deserve. Our advanced whiteboard technology, rigorous quality control system, proven track and experience gives us the unparalleled edge in online tutoring for IB and AP students all over The States and Canada. We are old enough to know and small enough to care!
B. AP CALCULUS (AB/BC) RESOURCES
DESCRIPTION: This is a rich and simple website made by Jennifer Marsala
PROS:
– Free
– AP aligned
– includes videos, and practice questions with detailed answers
CONS:
– Primitive design
– No lecture notes
– Registration needed for taking sample exams
DESCRIPTION: This YouTube channel contains videos about different sections of AP Calculus and the video solutions of the exams starting from 2009
PROS:
– Free
– AP aligned
– Good pace and clear teaching style
CONS:
– The teaching section is haphazard and inorganized
DESCRIPTION:
Mr.Ayton is a science teacher in Florida, and his website also contains material for physics and chemistry AP. Still, the most substantial section of it is the AP Calculus AB Page.
It contains free videos for every chapter with a few self-assessment questions that he has made using Google forms. He also has video solutions to 2019 and 2021 exam questions.
PROS:
– Free
– AP aligned
– Good pace and clear teaching style
4. EdX Courses
DESCRIPTION:
Free or paid online courses available for many different subjects
AP Calculus BC, Preparing for AP Calculus AB Exam (Part 1: Derivatives), Preparing for the AP Calculus AB Exam – Part 2: Integrals, AP® Calculus: Challenging Concepts from Calculus AB & Calculus BC
PROS:
– AP-Aligned
– If you are self-studying, this will be useful
– Covers most of the required AP material and includes videos followed by examples and questions
– Free if you audit the course
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C. AP ENGLISH RESOURCES
DESCRIPTION: Study guides and notes created by teachers and professors to help students
PROS:
– Detailed description of what is required for each section
– Good for creating your outline
CONS:
– Not many practice materials
– The main book is not free
DESCRIPTION: This 46-page PDF document is “an outline and overview of the larger purposes of the exam, and as a roadmap through its divisions”. It starts with definitions and finishes with several detailed and useful examples.
DESCRIPTION: These are 3 multiple-choice sample practice tests from High School Test Prep.
PROS:
– AP aligned
– easy to use
CONS:
– Only 3 sets of practice tests
– Only multiple-choice section
DESCRIPTION: This website contains excellent study guides for famous books that might be used in your class, e.g., Frankenstein, The Crucible, The Odyssey, Lord of the flies, and more. I have personally read some of the guides and enjoyed them. It also offers paid Essay Editing services that, according to our experience, all these kinds of services should be taken with a grain of salt. If you do not have the means to get a tutor from a well-known institute like Hack Your Course AP and IB Tutoring Service, it might be better than not having anyone looking over your essays after all! However, please do not rely on them too much.
CONS:
– It is not free in any capacity
– Not AP-aligned
D. AP CHEMISTRY RESOURCES
DESCRIPTION: YouTube channel dedicated to providing informational and educational videos on chemistry. His videos have more than 400M views.
PROS:
– Covers a lot of relevant material
– Good for learning concepts and has clear explanations
CONS:
– Not-AP Aligned
– No practice material
DESCRIPTION: Free to use science resources dedicated to students from middle school to college level.
PROS:
– Tons of free practice material
– Covers AP related material
CONS:
– Not-AP Aligned
– Have to do a bit of digging to find what you need
– Covers mainly science and math material
– The lectures are mostly videos from Khan academy
DESCRIPTION: Organization that provides free online resources for students to prep for AP exams
PROS:
– AP-Aligned
– A lot of practice material to work with
CONS:
– Only provides resources for AP US History, AP Chemistry, AP Biology and AP Calculus AB
DESCRIPTION: this website is run and maintained by the retired AP chemistry teacher Andy Allan. It contains multiple-choice questions and quizzes for every topic in AP chemistry.
PROS:
– AP-Aligned
– Every chapter has its own questions
– Website is updated with the new curriculum
– Easy to follow
CONS:
– Only contains multiple-choice type questions
– Questions are not in the level of the exam
DESCRIPTION:
The Central Science. 14th edition is one of the books recommended by the College board to be used for the course. This is the free companion website of edition 9. The one for the latest version will be available to you if you have the book or if your teacher gives you access to it.
PROS:
– It has dozens of questions for every chapter
CONS:
– Not AP-Aligned
– No explanations for the answers
E. AP PHYSICS 1/2/C RESOURCES
DESCRIPTION:
This resource is dedicated to helping students learn physics
PROS:
– Free
– Thorough coverage of the material required for the exam
– Good pace and clear teaching style
CONS:
– Only covers AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C
DESCRIPTION:
Mr.Hart is a teacher Clements High School in Texas. He has put all his well-written multiple-choice questions and the solutions in schools’ website for AP physics 1 and 2.
PROS:
– Free
– AP aligned
– All chapters covered
– Some videos included
CONS:
– Does not include the notes
DESCRIPTION:
Giancoli’s physics: principles with applications, sixth edition is a book that some teachers use for teaching AP physics. The companion website has practice problems and multiple-choice questions (25 each) for every chapter
PROS:
– Free
– AP aligned
– All chapters covered
CONS:
– No notes or videos only questions
Hack Your Course is a premium IB & AP institute operating in Seattle, Vancouver and Toronto with specially trained IB/AP tutors Since 2015. We are old enough to know and small enough to care. Tutors at Hack Your Course AP and IB Tutoring Service (HYC) are either certified IB and AP teachers or currently exemplary university students or have a Master’s or a Doctoral degree in the subject being taught. We accept fewer than 5% of the applicants. That is just the first part of the story; moreover, They all possess the requisite educational materials, closely follow the curriculum and goals specified by AP, and use the material provided and mandated by Hack Your Course AP & IB Tutoring Service. They also prepare the students for all parts of the final examination in each subject by thoroughly reviewing the subject matter and employing previous examinations as practice exercises provided by Hack Your Course. We know what we are doing with hundreds of happy IB & AP students from the US and Canada! We have the winning combination!
E. AP BIOLOGY RESOURCES
DESCRIPTION:
This website has a set of interactive practice tests for AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP English Literature and English Language, Environmental science, psychology, Human Geography and more
PROS:
– Free
– AP aligned
– Easy to use and interactive
CONS:
– You cannot see all questions at once
– It contains only multiple-choice questions
2. Course Companion of Mader’s Biology Book (8th) and 10th edition
DESCRIPTION:
Biology by Mader is one of the textbooks recommended by the College Board to be used at schools or for self-study. This course companion is in line with the 8th/10th edition and includes quite a few multiple-choice questions for every single chapter.
PROS:
– Free
– Abundance of questions
CONS:
– Contains broken links
– It only has multiple choice questions
E. AP ECONOMICS RESOURCES
DESCRIPTION:
Mr. Cannon is an Economics teacher in Cleveland. He has the teaching material for his AP Macroeconomics classes that can be useful for everybody. The questions and quizzes that he has complied from exam papers are useful. You also have access to his slides.
CONS:
– It has many broken links
– Other than questions, the other parts are not unique
DESCRIPTION:
The book Economics: Principles, Problems, and Policies is one of the books recommended by the Collegeboard. Its companion website has material including 10 multiple choice questions for every chapter and two Web-based questions.
CONS:
– to use some sections, you need to have access code from your book
3. Jacob Clifford’s YouTube Channel and Website
DESCRIPTION:
Jacob has a master’s in Economics and is a micro and macroeconomics teacher. His YouTube Channel has more than 600K subscribers and covers all units with several practice questions. His website has review packages for sale.
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Phone: 360 310 7810
99 Yorkville Avenue
Toronto, ON M5R 1C1, Canada
Email: info@hackyourcourse.com
Phone: 647 330 2533
2030 Marine Drive, North Vancouver, BC, V7P 1V7, Canada
Email: info@hackyourcourse.com
Phone: 604 499 2533
5608 17th Avenue NW, Suite 1578 Seattle, WA 98107, USA
Email: info@hackyourcourse.com
Phone: 360 310 7810
99 Yorkville Avenue Toronto, ON M5R 1C1, Canada
Email: info@hackyourcourse.com
Phone: 647 330 2533