Have you decided to take an AP® German Language and Culture class, and now you’re starting to wonder how you should prepare for the actual exam? Maybe you want to know where and how to practice your German skills in general, or just need help with one part of the exam. We understand how overwhelming this can be! Taking an AP® class can be a daunting proposition Thankfully, you’ve come to the right place. This AP® German Language study guide will help you develop an AP® German study plan and will give you lots of ideas and strategies for improving your skills and earning a well-deserved 5 on the exam.

This study guide will explain the different parts of the exam, so you know what to expect, and will also recommend materials that will help you prepare. The best part is that we here at Albert.io have done all of the research for you. Let’s dive in!

AP® German Language Study Guide: Overview

Parts of the Exam

To start, let’s talk about what you will have to do on the exam (we’ll cover each section in more detail later).

Section 1: 65 Multiple Choice Questions, 1 hour and 35 minutes, 50% of your score.

• Part A:
  • 30 multiple choice questions, 40 minutes.
  • Print materials.
• Part B:
  • 35 multiple choice questions, 55 minutes.
  • Audio materials paired with print materials in first half.
  • Audio materials only in second half.

Section 2: Free Response Section with four tasks, 1 hour and 28 minutes, 50% of your score.

• Part A:
  • Written tasks, 70 minutes.
  • Email message reply (15 minutes).
  • Persuasive Essay (55 minutes).
• Part B:
  • Spoken Tasks (about 18 minutes).
  • Simulated Conversation.
  • Cultural Comparison Speech.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry! It’s important to know what’s expected of you on the exam, but you will become very familiar with each task as you study and use this AP® German Language Study Guide. You can do this!

6 Themes

Wondering which topics will be covered on the AP® German Language exam? Thankfully, the CollegeBoard is very specific about the topics you can expect:

Here’s the best news: The CollegeBoard also tells you the theme that each task falls under. Knowing the theme can sometimes be a lifesaver if you encounter a lot of unfamiliar vocabulary!

One thing to remember, though, is that the theme will always be listed in German. You need to know what all of the themes mean in German, so here’s a handy list:

• Global Challenges – Globalisierung.
• Science and Technology – Naturwissenschaft und Technologie.
• Contemporary Life – All tag.
• Personal and Public Identities – Persönliche und Öffentliche Identität.
• Families and Communities – Familie und Gemeinschaft.
• Beauty and Aesthetics – Schönheit on Ästhetik.

AP® German Language Study Guide Materials and Resources

Now that you understand the structure of the exam and the themes that you will encounter, we’re going to show you the best resources that will help you develop an AP® German language study plan.

CollegeBoard Resources – Go Straight to the Source!

The CollegeBoard Website is the best place to go to for resources for the AP® German Language exam. Unfortunately, the website is not very easy to navigate, so here are specific links:

• A Complete overview of the exam This PDF covers details about the six themes. The “overarching essential questions” about each theme starting on page 31 will show you exactly what each theme is about.
• The overview also has some sample multiple choice questions with answers. Believe it or not, this is the only source for practice multiple choice questions published by the CollegeBoard. They start on page 41.
• The AP® German Language Student Page This web page has five years’ worth of free response questions (FRQs) from AP® exams. You need to create an account by clicking on “sign in” at the top. When you practice with the FRQs, you’ll also want to check out the scoring guidelines. These are the rubrics for each task.
• Sample Student Responses On this web page, you can see actual student responses from the last five years. They do a good job explaining why each student received their score. This can help you focus on what the AP® readers (the people who do the grading) are looking for.
• AP® German Tips Here are the recommendations the CollegeBoard has put together for all World Language AP® students to practice for the test. It’s a page you should check out since it has good reminders.

Cornelsen’s Prüfungstraining – AP® German Prep

You can order this book here. It is the only book available that specifically prepares you for the German AP® Language exam, with exercises for each theme. The one thing you need to be careful with is that the book doesn’t always give the best advice for language use. If you follow our recommendations for each FRQ in the section below here, you can use this book with confidence.

Grammar Books – A Necessary Evil

While grammar is not the main focus of the AP® German Language exam, it is important that you spend some time reviewing it.

• German Grammar Drills covers all of the important grammar topics and gives you many opportunities to practice.
• German Sentence Builder is a great resource for practicing idiomatic language and word order. It also offers plenty of practice.
• Hammer’s German Grammar and Usage is the leading book on German grammar. You cannot go wrong with this book, and you may want to check out the accompanying practice book, too.
• Mastering German Vocabulary, while not a grammar book, is a good resource because it organizes vocabulary into themes. Studies have shown that we learn vocabulary better if we can organize words into groups. This book does this for you!

Learn to be a Great Listener

Without a doubt, listening to a foreign language is the hardest skill to master. Have you ever felt completely lost when listening to a German audio file? You’re not the only one! The best way to get better at this is to expose your ears to as much German as you can. Here are some links to great podcasts that will help you get that practice in. Remember, when you’re listening to (or reading) anything in German, don’t panic if you don’t understand every word. Focus instead on picking out words you DO understand.

• Slow German. This Podcast series will give you lots of listening practice and teach you a lot about German culture along the way. Consider the premium content (about $19/year). You will get two podcasts (slow and normal) and a vocabulary list and multiple choice questions. It’s a great value!
• Radio D. This Podcast by Deutsche Welle is a detective story that was designed to specifically train your listening skills. Make sure you start at the beginning, so you know what is going on.
• Das sagt man so! Another podcast created by Deutsche Welle, this one focuses on idiomatic language. A great resource for getting those German expressions down!
• Langsam Gesprochene Nachrichten. This news podcast by Deutsche Welle is available at slow and normal speeds – perfect for building your listening skills and for staying up-to-date on current events.

The Best Websites and Apps

These Websites and apps are the best for helping you practice different skills as you prepare for the AP® German Language exam.

• Albert.io AP® German. Our AP® German section offers multiple choice questions of equal or greater difficulty than what you will see on your actual exam. Each question also has detailed explanations to help you learn from your errors and avoid making the same mistake twice!
• Duolingo. Take the placement test. Duolingo offers lots of vocabulary and expressions practice. Best of all, Duolingo asks you to record, giving you a chance to hone those speaking skills!
• Quizlet. Search for AP® German sets created by teachers. Most AP® German sets are grouped by theme or task. Some sets also have vocabulary that is found in the instructions and overviews on the AP® German Language exam.
• Memrise has a good section on advanced German vocabulary.

AP® German Language Study Plan

We have looked at some great resources to help you work on the basics. Now it’s time to kick things up a notch and put all of those skills to use! This AP® German Language Study Plan will give you all of the resources you need. Look no further!

Practice, Practice, Practice

When it comes to learning a foreign language, there is no substitute for practice. You should plan to spend at least 1 hour every day practicing your skills. Sound like a lot? Here’s how you can make it more interesting: switch it up and do something different every day. This will make it more interesting! The most important thing is to practice your German every day.

Authentic Resources

You’ve probably heard the term “authentic materials” before. What does it mean, and why is it important? Simply put, authentic materials are things that have been created by native German speakers for native German speakers. Everything on the AP® German Language exam is authentic.

The resources above are helpful, but they are NOT authentic. For example, even though the Slow German podcast was created by a native German, it is not authentic, because it was created for German learners. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use it to prepare for the AP® German Language exam. It just means that you also need to work with authentic materials.

Resources for Children and Youth

So how do you find authentic materials that you can understand? Follow these suggestions!

Look for material created for German kids and youth. You will still be working with authentic materials, but it will be much easier to understand. We suggest going to www.google.de, and then searching for “nachrichten fuer jugendliche” or “nachrichten fuer kinder.”

Here are some of the best sources we have found, but you can do searches and find some great stuff in no time!

• Newoi090iu-y-us4kids
• Logo!
• Wissen macht Ah!
• Neuneinhalb
• Die Sendung mit der Maus
• Löwenzahn
• Dein Spiegel

Skype

Skype has a large community section where you can search German and find Skype’s version of a pen pal. A great way to practice your speaking!

Graphs

Much of the printed material on the exam will be graphs or tables. Look for news stories or videos that include graphs. Another great resource is Statista. The free membership has many graphs you can look at and interpret! Pay special attention to the type of vocabulary that is used. This will help you tremendously on exam day!

• Deutsch-Portal offers several downloads about German history, culture, and geography. It’s worth the look.

One important note: staying up-to-date on current trends in Germany is worth it, but keep in mind, that the AP® German Language exam is written three years in advance. So, it’s okay if you find a dated podcast or newspaper article. The main goal is to practice, practice and then practice some more!

AP® German Tips and Strategies

You now know about the format of the exam, and you have some great resources to help you work on your German grammar and vocabulary. You know how and where to look for authentic materials and are committed to practicing every day. But what about strategies for specific tasks on the exam? We have you covered there, too!

In this AP® German Tips section, we are going to give you specific strategies for every task on the exam. With these under your belt, you can walk into AP® German Language exam day with confidence!

Reading Strategies

The best way to get better at reading in German is – you guessed it – to practice! When you are searching for authentic materials, start with something that interests you, and then branch out. The bottom line for reading is to use context clues. This sounds easy, but it is something you need to train for. Here’s why: the human tendency is to focus on what we don’t know instead of what we DO know. You can probably relate to this.

Think about a time when you had to read something difficult in German. Your first reaction may have been to panic and focus on all of the words you didn’t know. We’ve all done this! Here’s what you can do instead:

1. Make sure you know the context of the reading. On the AP® German Language Exam, you will get the context from the theme (“Thema”) and the overview (“Übersicht”). The overview will give you background information like who wrote the text and when, where it was published originally and other useful information.
2. Keeping the theme and overview in mind, skim the text and look for words you do know.
3. Using words you know, make an educated guess on the meaning of other words, particularly nouns.
4. Don’t ignore prepositions. Sometimes they can change the meaning of the entire sentence.
5. As always with German, look to the very end of the sentence for important things like infinitives, prefixes, and participles.
6. Use multiple choice questions to not only clarify the meaning of a passage but to help you focus on particular parts of the reading.

Listening Strategies

Listening may be the most stressful part of the exam for you. Remember that you get to hear each reading selection twice and that you have time to read over the questions first. Here are the best strategies for audio selections on the exam:

1. Take a deep breath and try to relax. You have been honing your listening skills, right? You can do this! The more stressed or nervous you are, the more words and context clues you will miss.
2. Reading the theme and overview is always important, but never more so than for audio selections. Make sure you know the background of what you’re about to hear. Make notes or underline important words.
3. You will have time to read through the questions before you listen. Use the time wisely. Read each question and underline key phrases or words to listen for.
4. Take notes while you are listening. Even if you don’t know what a word means, write it down, if you think it’s important.
5. After listening the first time, look at the multiple choice questions again and see if you can already answer some. For the questions that remain unanswered, make notes.
6. During the second listening, focus on those questions and notes.

Interpreting Graphs

Graphs usually have keywords versus complete sentences. Being familiar with some of the common vocabulary ahead of time is important. Here are some additional strategies:

1. Read the theme and overview. Pay attention to who published the graph and where. This is valuable background information.
2. Make sure you know what the data in the graph represent. Is it a survey? If so, who was surveyed? Is it research data? If so, who did the research? Does the graph show numbers, percentages or relative values? Who or what do these values refer to?
3. Read all headers or labels so that you can understand the background of the graph.
4. Use the multiple choice questions to help you understand what the graph is about.

Email Reply Strategies

The email reply is the first of the FRQs. There are very specific requirements for earning a 5 on this task. Here is what you need to know:

1. The general instructions in the box are the same on every exam. Familiarize yourself with these directions ahead of time, so you don’t waste time on this during the exam. You can read the directions for the email reply on page 2 of this document.
2. Equally important is being familiar with the scoring guidelines for this task. Understanding what is required is half the battle! Look at the email reply guidelines here.
3. Take note of the theme and read the overview. Doing this will give you the background about why this email was written, to begin with, and why you need to respond to it.
4. The email reply on the AP® German Language exam is formal. You will always use Sie/Ihnen/Ihr. You should not use du/dir/dein.
5. Your email should start with “Sehr geehrter Herr…” or “Sehr geehrte Frau…”, and end with “mit freundlichen Grüßen.” Having the proper greeting and farewell is a requirement for getting a 5 on this task. Check out this post about how to write emails in German. Pay attention to the punctuation conventions for emails, too.<
6. In your response, you need to answer all of the questions that were asked and ask an additional question. When you read the email, underline all questions and write a “+” to remind you to ask a question. Answering and asking questions is considered “perpetuating the exchange” mentioned in the scoring guidelines.
7. After you write the greeting, write the farewell at the bottom of the page. Then, if you start to run low on time, you won’t forget and lose points!

Persuasive Essay Strategies

Just like for the email, there are specific requirements to get a good score for this FRQ. Let’s make sure you know what to do!

1. Again, the general directions in the box are the same every year. Read them on page 4 of this document so you don’t waste time on exam day!
2. The scoring guidelines are just as important for this task as they were for the email. Check them out here.
3. Make sure you note the theme and the essay assignment (Aufsatzthema), so you know what to write about.
4. You will have three sources: one printed text, one graph or chart, and one listening selection. Use the strategies we discussed above for each of the sources.
5. You are writing your essay for a contest, so it should not be casual or informal.
6. You need to integrate each source into your essay. Integrating means more than just quoting each source. Integrating means using each source in support of your essay and either for or against your viewpoint.
7. Your essay must be well-organized with clear paragraphs. You should have an introduction, one paragraph per source and one summarizing paragraph at the end. Skip every other line to make it easier for the grader to read your essay and make comments. You have plenty of writing space to do this.
8. You only have to integrate each source once, so if you are struggling with one particular source, just remember that you only need to pull one thing from it.

Conversation Strategies

You’ve made it to this point in the exam, are exhausted and guess what? It’s time to do some recording! The more you can prepare yourself mentally for this task, the more you will be able to focus. Here are some tips:

1. Just as with the other FRQs, the general directions are always the same. Get to know them ahead of time here on page 9.
2. The scoring guidelines can be found here.
3. This task is a simulated conversation with a pre-recorded conversation “partner.” Each of your responses will be 20 seconds. When you are practicing with classmates or a Skype “pen pal,” time your responses and get used to how long or short 20 seconds feels. If you get cut off at the end, you can sneak in another word or two, since the AP® graders can hear what you say for another second after the beep.
4. For this task, the overview (printed after the theme) is quite long and gives you an idea of what your conversation partner will say in each exchange, and what you are supposed to say in response. Make sure you read the general part of the overview, too.
5. Spend all of your preparation time (up to 2 minutes if you skip reading the general directions) focusing on this overview. Know what to expect from your simulated conversation partner and know what you need to do in response. Underline or circle key information or tasks for you and your “partner.”
6. When the conversation starts, make sure you keep your finger glued to where you are in the conversation at all times. Doing this will help you get back on track if you get lost or stressed.
7. You should expect the conversation to take an unexpected turn at some point. Your ability to follow this twist will help you earn a 5 on this task. For instance, if the conversation is about problems with a girlfriend or boyfriend, you should expect one exchange in the conversation to be about something completely unrelated.

Cultural Comparison Strategies

You have now reached the last task on the exam, and for some, perhaps the most daunting! Remember that you will likely be very tired and mentally exhausted when you get to this point. Here are guidelines to make this a successful recording:

1. As always, the general directions in the boxes are the same. Check them out here on page 10.
2. The scoring guidelines can be found here.
3. The theme and presentation assignment (Thema des Vortrags) might be printed below the general directions. Don’t miss them!
4. The first part of the assignment instruction will tell you what you need to present on. The last two sentences are always the same. You will be asked to compare perspectives of where you live, to an area in the German-speaking world. And you will be allowed to use personal experiences, observations or things you have learned about in your presentation.
5. If you skip reading the general directions, you will have 5 minutes to read the assignment and prepare your notes for the recording.
6. The recording will be 2 minutes long. Practice speaking for this length of time by picking random topics to talk about, preparing for 5 minutes and then recording for 2. It is really important to feel the timing internally so that you can pace yourself accordingly.
7. The presentation is made to your classmates, so you should not start your presentation with something formal. If you chose to address your audience, make sure you say something like “Liebe Freunde” or “Liebe Mitschüler.”
8. You should compare the area where you live (your town or city) to a specific area in the German-speaking world. Do not compare to a broad area, like all of Germany.

AP® German Language Study Guide: Test Day Reminders

When the big day finally arrives, remember these key AP® German tips:

• Communication skills are more important than grammar. Don’t get too hung up on using perfect grammar.
• Completion of the task is the most important thing on all scoring guidelines. Make sure you know what you’re supposed to do.
• When confronted with something you don’t understand, don’t panic. Look for context clues and use the multiple choice questions to focus what you need to look or listen for in the text.
• Remember to read the overview (Übersicht) and take note of the theme (Thema).
• In your writing, have clear paragraphs and skip every other line. Anything written outside of the margins will not be graded.
• Write with a pen.
• For each FRQ, remind yourself of the most important things before you start it. For instance, make sure you have a greeting and farewell for the email, answer all the questions and ask one in return.
• Most importantly: try to relax as much as you can so you don’t get overtired.

Now you’re armed with all of the best resources, plans and strategies to do your very best on the AP® German Language exam. We’ve covered a lot of ground! Hopefully, you feel ready to dive in and start practicing. Do you have any other tips or strategies that have helped you prepare for the AP® German Language Exam? We would love to hear from you! Please leave us a comment!

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