Ace the AP Spanish Exam

Quick Answer

Is your AP Spanish exam coming up? ¡No te pongas nervioso!(Don’t be nervous!) SpanishDictionary.com will help you prepare for the AP Spanish exam by providing links to some of our most useful resources, as well as insider tips to impress the AP exam readers.

In the weeks leading up to the exam, surround yourself with the language as much as possible. Click here to learn ways to effortlessly immerse yourself in the language.

Let’s take a look at what you should review before the big day!

Vocabulary

The key to acing the AP Spanish exam is building a strong vocabulary.

Here are some tips and resources to help you improve your Spanish vocabulary!

Speak like a native Spanish speaker by using a variety of idioms.
In addition to knowing the most common Spanish verbs, learn some advanced verbs as well. The exam readers seem to really like the verbs desarrollar(to develop) and destacarse(to stand out).
Avoid false cognates, which are words in different languages that appear similar, but do not actually mean the same thing.
Master ser vs. estar, saber vs. conocer, and other tricky verb pairs.

Do you feel that your vocabulary is lacking? Click here to learn 1000 Spanish words in 15 hours.

Verb Tenses and Conjugation

Correct verb conjugation and the ability to use a wide variety of tenses will greatly improve your exam score. Before exam day, make sure to practice conjugating verbs in different tenses. Luckily, SpanishDictionary.com has a plethora of resources to help you!

Make sure to have a solid grasp of the simple tenses, such as the present indicative, preterite, imperfect, future, and conditional.
Impress the exam readers by also using the compound tenses, such as the perfect tenses and the progressive tenses.
If you want to score a five on the AP exam, make sure to use the subjunctive. Click here to review!

Practice conjugating verbs in a variety of tenses with our conjugation drill!

Transitions

The writing section of the test is indeed intimidating; however, it is your chance to really shine. To sound natural in your writing, it is crucial to use conectores(transition words). Transition words link your ideas together, allowing them to flow smoothly from one sentence to the next.

There are various types of transition words. We recommend that you memorize a few transition words from each category and practice using them in sentences.

Exam Format

The following is an outline of the AP Spanish exam. Keep reading to learn about the format of the exam, as well as how to prepare for each section.

The AP exam tests four skills: writing, speaking, reading, and listening.

Writing

You will be required to complete two writing sections on the exam: an email and a persuasive essay. Let’s take a closer look!

Interpersonal Writing: Email Reply

In this section of the exam, you will be responding to an email. Make sure to do the following:

Start the email with a greeting, such as estimado/estimada(dear) for a formal letter or querido/querida(dear) for an informal letter.
Make sure you use the appropriate register, based on whether you are writing a formal or informal email.
Respond to all questions and address all requests for details.
Formulate your own questions to seek clarification or additional information.
Use a variety of grammatical structures, and refrain from copying the sentence structures directly from the email prompt. Come up with your own!
End the email with an appropriate closing, such as cordialmente(cordially) for a formal letter or con cariño(with affection) for an informal letter, followed by your name.

Presentational Writing: Persuasive Essay

In this section of the exam, you will write a persuasive essay on a given topic while referencing three sources of information about the topic. Remember to do the following:

Start your essay with an attention getter.
Provide a thesis that you refer back to throughout the essay.
Use proper basic and advanced Spanish punctuation.
Make sure your paragraphs are organized.
Integrate content from all three sources, citing each one directly.
As previously mentioned, use transition words.
End your essay with a conclusion that summarizes your core message.

Speaking

You will be asked to complete two speaking sections on the exam. Here are some tips for both speaking sections:

Keep calm and apply your skills.
Stay in the target language.
Use good pronunciation.
Self-correct when you realize you’ve made a mistake.
Use circumlocution. If you can’t think of a certain word, just find a way to describe it that communicates the idea.

Now let’s take a closer look at each speaking section of the exam!

Interpersonal Speaking: Conversation

This section of the test is often the most nerve-racking for students. You will be required to generate responses to a mock conversation. Just keep calm and try to do the following:

Fill your time. You have 20 seconds for each response. Use every second you have to show off your language skills.
Use fillers when you get stuck and you need a moment to think. Avoid using um..., like..., and other fillers in English.
Use exclamatory words and expressions. By doing this, you will impress your exam reader because the conversation will sound more authentic.

During the conversation, there is a chance you won’t understand a question. Try not to freeze up. You will get a better score for winging it than for not saying anything at all.

Presentational Speaking: Cultural Comparison

In this section of the exam, you will give an oral presentation comparing your own community with that of the target culture.

Include the following in your presentation:

An attention getter, such as a question for your audience. Do not start your speech with Hola. Me llamo…(Hello. My name is…)
A personal anecdote. Talk about your experiences with the target culture, even if you have to make it up.