AP Psychology · Key concepts
The AP Psych cheat sheet: every concept the exam keeps coming back to.
Research methods · Core theories · FRQ application — what the rubric is really testing.
days until your AP Psych exam
Tue, May 12 · Afternoon session
Methods
Research methods
Independent vs. dependent variable
Identify both in the study's own terms — generic labels lose points.
Confounds & extraneous variables
What could explain the result besides the IV? Name a realistic alternative.
Correlation ≠ causation
Only experiments allow causal claims. Observational data shows association.
Operational definitions
How variables are measured. 'Stress' isn't a variable — 'cortisol level' is.
Theory
Concepts that recur
Classical & operant conditioning
UCS/UCR/CS/CR for classical. Reinforcement vs. punishment for operant.
Memory models (sensory, STM, LTM)
Encoding, storage, retrieval. Know the failure modes at each step.
Neural communication
Neurotransmitter → receptor → action potential. Major NTs and their roles.
Social psychology heuristics
Conformity, obedience, attribution, bystander effect — name + apply.
FRQ
Application that scores
Apply the term to the scenario
Naming the concept earns nothing. Connecting it to the prompt's facts earns the point.
Use the article's own evidence
Article Analysis Q rewards citing the study, not bringing outside info.
Build the answer from the data
Evidence-Based Q wants claim → finding → explanation, in that order.
Answer every part separately
(a), (b), (c) are independent points. Each needs its own complete sentence.
Exam at a glance · 2 hours 40 minutes
75 MCQs · 90 min
MCQ is now 66.7% of the score.
Article Analysis Q · 35 min
Use the study's own design.
Evidence-Based Q · 35 min
Build claim from provided evidence.
FRQ = 33.3% · of score
Stay specific to the stimulus.
What AP Psych readers actually reward
Three FRQ habits that turn vocabulary into rubric points.
Rubric move
Apply, don't just define
Naming the term earns nothing. Connecting it to the prompt's specific scenario earns the point.
Weak
Classical conditioning is when a stimulus produces a response.
Scoring-ready
Through classical conditioning, the testing room (CS) — repeatedly paired with anxiety-producing exams (UCS) — eventually triggers anxiety (CR) on its own.
Rubric move
Cite the study, not your textbook
The Article Analysis question rewards using the provided study's design and findings — not bringing outside research.
Weak
Studies show sleep affects memory.
Scoring-ready
In the study described, participants who slept 8 hours recalled 23% more items than those who slept 4 — showing sleep duration affected encoding consolidation.
Rubric move
Variable definitions in the study's terms
Generic labels lose points. Define the IV and DV using the actual variables in the prompt.
Weak
The IV was sleep and the DV was memory.
Scoring-ready
The IV was hours of sleep (4, 6, or 8). The DV was the number of word-pairs recalled correctly the next morning.
Want to see exactly which FRQ row you're losing points on?
Spot the concept
These are the concepts behind a real AP Psych stem.
Three mini MCQs from the exam's most common skill areas. Tap to reveal the answer.
A researcher randomly assigns participants to either a treatment or control group. This design is most characteristic of
- Aa correlational study
- Ba naturalistic observation
- Can experiment
- Da case study
In this example, what is the unconditioned stimulus?
- AThe testing room
- BThe anxiety felt in the testing room
- CThe test itself
- DThe teacher
You see a driver cut in front of you and immediately assume they are a rude person, rather than considering they might be rushing to a hospital. This illustrates
- Athe fundamental attribution error
- Bthe actor-observer bias only in the self-serving direction
- Csocial loafing
- Dconformity
Will you score the 5?
Write one timed FRQ. See exactly where rubric points would slip — while there's still time to fix it.
Quick questions
The 2025 redesign added an Article Analysis Question and an Evidence-Based Question, and made MCQ 66.7% of the score (up from 50%). Both new FRQs reward staying inside the provided study or evidence.
Cognitive psychology (Unit 5), social psychology (Unit 9), and biological bases (Unit 2) are heavily tested. Research methods (Unit 1) underlies every FRQ — drill it early.
Always end every concept sentence with 'because' or 'in this scenario' — connecting the term to the prompt's specific facts. Pure definitions don't earn the point.
75 MCQs. 2 FRQs. The 5 lives in the application sentence.
Or if you want a schedule.