Your Guide to the 2024 AP Psychology Exam

We know that studying for your AP exams can be stressful, but Fiveable has your back! We created a study plan to help you crush your AP Psychology exam. This guide will continue to update with information about the 2024 exams, as well as helpful resources to help you do your best on test day. Unlock Cram Mode for access to our cram events—students who have successfully passed their AP exams will answer your questions and guide your last-minute studying LIVE! And don't miss out on unlimited access to our database of thousands of practice questions. 

Format of the 2024 AP Psychology Exam

This year, all AP exams will cover all units and essay types. The 2024 exam format will be:

Section 1: Multiple Choice

• You will have 70 minutes to answer 100 questions.

• This section counts as 66.7% of your total exam score. Section II: Free Response

• You will have 50 minutes to answer two FRQs.

• • This section counts as the remaining 33.3% of your total exam score.

When is the 2024 AP Psychology Exam and How Do I Take It?

**The exam is on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 12:00 PM your local time—this will be a paper test at your school. **

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How Should I Prepare for the Exam?

• • First, download the AP Psychology Cheatsheet PDF - a single sheet that covers everything you need to know at a high level. Take note of your strengths and weaknesses!
• • We've put together the study plan found below to help you study between now and May. This will cover all of the units and essay types to prepare you for your exam. Pay special attention to the units that you need the most improvement in.
• • Study, practice, and review for test day with other students during our live cram sessions via Cram Mode. Cram live streams will teach, review, and practice important topics from AP courses, college admission tests, and college admission topics. These streams are hosted by experienced students who know what you need to succeed.

Pre-Work: Set Up Your Study Environment

Before you begin studying, take some time to get organized.

🖥 Create a study space.

Make sure you have a designated place at home to study. Somewhere you can keep all of your materials, where you can focus on learning, and where you are comfortable. Spend some time prepping the space with everything you need and you can even let others in the family know that this is your study space. 

📚 Organize your study materials.

Get your notebook, textbook, prep books, or whatever other physical materials you have. Also, create a space for you to keep track of review. Start a new section in your notebook to take notes or start a Google Doc to keep track of your notes. Get yourself set up!

📅 Plan designated times for studying.

The hardest part about studying from home is sticking to a routine. Decide on one hour every day that you can dedicate to studying. This can be any time of the day, whatever works best for you. Set a timer on your phone for that time and really try to stick to it. The routine will help you stay on track.

🏆 Decide on an accountability plan.

How will you hold yourself accountable to this study plan? You may or may not have a teacher or rules set up to help you stay on track, so you need to set some for yourself. First, set your goal. This could be studying for x number of hours or getting through a unit. Then, create a reward for yourself. If you reach your goal, then x. This will help stay focused!

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AP Psych 2024 Study plan

🔎Unit 1: Scientific Foundations of Psychology

According to the College Board, Unit 1 is about the basis of psychological theory as the study of human and animal behavior and mental processes and how psychologists design and conduct research. 

Topics that are included in this unit are:

• Major historical figures in psychology
• Theoretical approaches to describing the behavior
• Branches of psychology
• A variety of research methods used by psychologists
• The application of research design and statistical analysis in psychology
• Ethical guidelines

Definitely check these out:

📚 Read these study guides:

• Unit 1 Overview
• Introducing Psychology: The Historical Progression of Psychology
• Research Methods in Psychology
• The Experimental Method
• Selecting a Research Method
• Statistical Analysis in Psychology
• Ethical Guidelines in Psychology If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

💻 Learn about the best resources so you can start studying early:

Best Resources for AP Psych

🧠Unit 2: Biological Bases of Behavior

Unit 2 of the AP Psychology exam covers behaviors and mental processes from a biological perspective and the effects of the interaction between human biology and our environment. This has to do with the large nature vs nurture debate! 

Topics that are included in this unit are:

• The interaction of inherited traits, environment, and evolution in shaping behavior
• Structures and functions of biological systems, including the endocrine system and nervous system
• Brain function, neural firing, and the influence of medication
• The study of the brain and research techniques for studying its structure and function
• States of consciousness, including sleeping and dreaming
• Addiction and drug dependence

Definitely check these out:

📚 Read these study guides:

• Unit 2 Overview
• Interaction of Heredity and Environment
• The Endocrine System
• Overview of the Nervous System and the Neuron
• Neural Firing
• Influence of Drugs on Neural Firing
• The Brain
• Tools for Examining Brain Structure and Function
• The Adaptable Brain: Neural Fluidity
• Sleep and Dreaming If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

💻 Here are the best AP Psych Quizlet Decks!

• Best AP Psych Quizlet Decks by Unit

👀Unit 3: Sensation and Perception

Unit three is all about how we perceive and process our environment on a daily basis through our senses. You will learn all about how we convert those observations into perceptions that influence how we think and behave.

Topics that are included in this unit are:

• Basic principles of how humans experience and process stimuli
• The role of experience and culture in perception
• The mechanisms of the 5 senses and sensory disorders

Definitely check these out:

📚 Read these study guides:

• Unit 3 Overview
• Principles of Sensation
• Principles of Perception
• Visual Anatomy
• Visual Perception
• Auditory Sensation and Perception
• Chemical Senses
• Body Senses If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

💻 Here are some AP Psych Self-Studying and Homeschooling tips to check out:

• AP Psychology Self-Study and Homeschool

📚Unit 4: Learning

Unit 4 of AP Psych is all about the field of psychology that studies how humans and other animals learn as well as how learning changes over a lifetime. You will learn all about classical and operant conditioning and how incentives affect our learning! You’ll probably even learn a thing or two that could help you adjust your studying habits!

Topics that are included in this unit are:

• Influential researchers and theories of learning
• Results of famous learning experiments
• Types of learning
• Types of conditioning and their effects
• Social and cognitive factors in learning

Definitely check these out:

📚 Read these study guides:

• Unit 4 Overview
• Introduction to Learning
• Classical Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning
• Social and Cognitive Factors in Learning

🤔Unit 5: Cognitive Psychology

According to the College Board, in this unit, you will examine the complex nature of how memory, intelligence, and other mental processes impact human behavior.

Topics that are included in this unit are:

• The cognitive and physiological processes that make up memory
• Forgetting and typical memory errors
• The biological basis of short- and long-term memory
• Creative thinking and problem-solving strategies
• Biases and errors in thinking
• Defining and measuring intelligence
• The processes of learning and using language

Definitely check these out:

📚 Read these study guides:

• Unit 5 Overview
• Introduction to Memory
• Encoding
• Storing
• Retrieving
• Forgetting and Memory Distortion
• Biological Bases of Memory
• Introduction to Thinking and Problem Solving
• Biases and Errors in Thinking
• Introduction to Intelligence
• Psychometric Principles and Intelligence Testing
• Components of Language and Language Acquisition If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

💻 Here are some steps to succeed on the AP Psych Multiple Choice Questions!

• Psychology Multiple Choice Questions

👶Unit 6: Developmental Psychology

This unit is all about developmental psychology, which studies how physical and social changes over humans’ lifespans can influence behavior and mental processes. You will learn about several theories in this unit regarding our development in childhood, as teenagers, and as adults.

Topics that are included in this unit are:

• Physical and social development in childhood
• Theories of cognitive development in childhood
• Adolescent development and challenges
• Adulthood and aging
• Theories of moral development
• Gender and sexual orientation

Definitely check these out:

📚 Read these study guides:

• Unit 6 Overview
• The Lifespan and Physical Development in Childhood
• Social Development in Childhood 
• Cognitive Development in Childhood
• Adolescent Development
• Adulthood and Aging
• Moral Development
• Gender and Sexual Orientation If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

💻 Here are some tips on how to succeed on the AP Psych FRQ Questions!

• Psychology Free Response Questions

🤪Unit 7: Motivation, Emotion, and Personality

According to the College Board, in this unit, you will study personality through the lens of behavior and mental processes and how these processes interact to produce an individual’s personality. You will also dive deep into the different theories of motivation and why we, as humans, do certain things. Additionally, you will study stress and emotion in this unit and several theories regarding them as well.

Topics that are in this unit:

• Theories of the motivation behind human and animal behavior
• Major theories of emotion
• The effects of stress
• Conceptions of personality, including behaviorist, social cognitive, humanistic, and trait theories
• Research and assessments to measure personality

Definitely check these out:

📚 Read these study guides:

• Unit 7 Overview
•  Theories of Motivation
•  Specific Topics in Motivation
•  Theories of Emotion
•  Stress and Coping
• Introduction to Personality
• Psychoanalytic Theories of Personality
• Behaviorism and Social Cognitive Theories of Personality
•  Humanistic Theories of Personality
• Trait Theories of Personality
• Measuring Personality If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

💻 Here are some AP Psych note taking tips!

• Reading and Note Taking Skills

🤪Unit 8: Clinical Psychology

Unit 8 is all about how psychologists evaluate, study, and treat a range of psychological disorders.

Topics that are in this unit:

• Standards for diagnosing and approaches to explaining psychological disorders
• Neurodevelopmental and schizophrenic spectrum disorders
• Bipolar, depressive, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders
• Dissociative, somatic, and trauma- and stress-related disorders
• Substance abuse, eating disorders, personality disorders, and related conditions
• Historical developments in psychological treatment
• Modern treatment options and methods

Definitely check these out:

📚 Read these study guides:

• Unit 8 Overview
• Introduction to Psychological Disorders
• Psychological Perspectives and Etiology of Disorders
• Neurodevelopmental and Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders
• Bipolar, Depressive, Anxiety, and Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
• Trauma- and Stressor Related, Dissociative, and Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
• Feeding and Eating, Substance and Addictive, and Personality Disorders
• Introduction to Treatment of Psychological Disorders
• Psychological Perspectives and Treatment of Disorders
• Treatment of Disorders from the Biological Perspective
• Evaluating Strengths, Weaknesses, and Empirical Support for Treatment of Disorders If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

💻 Here are some common misconceptions in psychology that are good to review for May!

• Common Misconceptions in Psychology 

👫Unit 9: Social Psychology

Congrats, you made it to the final AP Psychology unit! In this last unit, you’ll study how humans interact in groups and social situations, as well as how others can affect an individual’s behavior and mental processes. You will probably learn a lot of the psychology behind some historical events in this unit too.

Topics that are in this unit include:

• How social and cultural categories like gender and race can impact self-concept and behavior
• The factors that lead people to form and change attitudes
• Group dynamics, including conformity, compliance, and obedience to authority
• Types of behavior caused by the presence of others
• Bias, prejudice, and discrimination
• Altruism and aggression
• The variables that contribute to attraction

Definitely check these out:

📚 Read these study guides:

• Unit 9 Overview
• Attribution Theory and Person Perception
• Attitude Formation and Attitude Change
• Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience
• Group Influences on Behavior and Mental Processes
• Bias, Prejudice, and Discrimination
• Altruism and Aggression
• Interpersonal Attraction If you have more time or want to dig deeper:

💻 Here are some time management and study tips!  Time Management and Study Skills