Prioritized Reading List for AP English Lit

Although more students take the AP English Literature test nationally than any other AP test except US History – or maybe because of that fact – it has one of the lowest percentages of students who earn a top score of 4 or 5, at just 27%.

How can you help ensure your child does well on this test?  By consistently providing a diet of classic literature for out-of-school reading, starting in middle school.

Which books should you encourage your child to read?  Well, luckily, there’s a list of the books that are most often included on the AP English Lit free response questions at http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/AP/APtitles.html.  Scroll down through the list and you’ll find the number of times each book has appeared on the test in the past 37 years.  Voila!  A prioritized reading list.

You might be surprised which books appear on the top of the list and which are on the bottom.