Are you considering taking AP Spanish Language and Culture and wondering which particular aspects of Spanish Language and Culture it precisely tests? Are you currently a student in an AP Spanish Language and Culture class who is wondering about the details of the AP Exam? Or, are you a student cramming for your AP Spanish Language and Culture exam and need the resources that can help you make the best use of your time? If any of these descriptions describe you, or you’re merely curious about what AP Spanish Language and Culture is like, read on! This guide will briefly outline the learning objectives and topics emphasized in typical AP Spanish Language and Culture courses. Then, it will provide an overview of the structure and format of the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, as well as provide tips on how to study for it. Finally, this guide will conclude by directing you to resources that can allow you to study both efficiently and broadly, so that you don’t waste time, but still cover each of the topics that you are expected to know. AP Spanish Language and Culture can seem like an overwhelming experience, but after reading this guide, you’ll be able to put it in perspective and approach it with confidence!

Like all AP language classes, AP Spanish Language and Culture focuses on teaching students to become effective communicators in the Spanish language. Rather than stressing the details and idiosyncrasies of the Spanish language, it challenges students to apply their knowledge of the language to realistic scenarios, and use it to compare aspects of Spanish culture to their own. In particular, it focuses on six broad aspects of Spanish culture: Beauty and Aesthetics; Contemporary Life; Families and Communities; Global Challenges; Personal and Public Identities; and Science and Technology. The class doesn’t study these categories in isolation, but invites students to investigate where they overlap with each other and with students’ personal experiences.

If you take AP Spanish Language and Culture, you will learn to communicate in Spanish in a variety of modes and media. You will practice interpreting and responding to Spanish prose and dialogue, and you will also learn to express yourself in speech and in writing appropriate for informal and formal environments, including spoken and written presentations in Spanish. It should be noted that AP Spanish Language and Culture courses are taught almost entirely in Spanish, so that, by participating, students develop and practice their oral language skills as much as possible.

AP Spanish Language and Culture courses culminate with students taking the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam. This three-hour exam focuses on the same six cultural categories as the class does. Half of a student’s score on the AP Spanish Language and exam score is based on a multiple-choice section, which contains 65 questions and takes about 95 minutes. In the first part of this section, students are asked about print texts in various formats and genres; in the second part, students are asked about audio texts and texts that mix present both audio and print materials. (Whenever the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam presents audio material, it only plays it twice, so be sure to listen to it carefully!)

The other half of a student’s score on the AP Spanish and Culture exam is based on the free-response section, which includes eight prompts and lasts for about eighty minutes. Like the course itself, the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam’s free-response section tests students’ listening skills as well as their ability to speak and write in both informal and formal contexts. Each AP Spanish Language and Culture exam tests interpersonal writing by asking students to compose an email reply, presentational writing by composing a persuasive essay, interpersonal speaking by responding to a simulated conversation, and presentational speaking by presenting a six-minute presentation comparing an aspect of Spanish culture to their own experiences.

So, are you ready to tackle the challenge that is AP Spanish Language and Culture? If so, then studying a bit before the first day of class can help you get off to a good start. Already in an AP Spanish and Culture class and wondering if there are some topics that you could stand to brush up on? In either case, be sure to check out Varsity Tutors’ free AP Spanish and Culture Practice Tests. Consisting of between ten and a dozen questions each, each Practice Test quizzes test-takers with questions from a variety of topics. Questions are also organized by concept, so if you’re searching for questions about a specific topic, you can easily find exactly the resources that will be most helpful for your learning needs. After finishing an AP Spanish Language and Culture practice test, test takers get to see detailed reports about how they did in comparison to other students, as well as explanations that fully explain the logic that was used to determine the correct answer. By taking advantage of these free resources, you can not only study comprehensively, but also study efficiently. Use Varsity Tutors’ free AP Spanish Language and Culture resources to bolster your knowledge and learn what you need to know for your AP exam!