title: "AP Psychology Last-Minute Review (Night Before)" description: "The night-before AP Psychology checklist: neurotransmitter table, brain structures, conditioning vocabulary, key studies, common traps, and morning-of advice. Skim in 45 minutes." date: "2026-01-15" examDate: "May AP Exam" topics:
- Neurotransmitters & Drugs
- Brain Structures
- Conditioning Vocabulary
- Key Studies & Researchers
- Common Traps
The exam is tomorrow. This is not the time to cram new units — it's the time to skim, reset, and sleep. Spend 30–45 minutes on this page, then put your notes away.
Neurotransmitter Table (Memorize Cold)
| Neurotransmitter | Function | Associated Disorders | Example Drug | |---|---|---|---| | Dopamine | Reward, motivation, motor movement | Schizophrenia (↑), Parkinson's (↓) | Antipsychotics (dopamine blockers); Levodopa (Parkinson's) | | Serotonin | Mood, sleep, appetite, impulse control | Depression (↓), OCD (↓), anxiety (↓) | SSRIs (e.g., Fluoxetine/Prozac) | | GABA | Inhibition, anxiety reduction | Anxiety (↓), epilepsy (↓) | Benzodiazepines (e.g., Valium); Barbiturates | | Glutamate | Excitation, learning, memory formation | Schizophrenia (↑ dysregulation), Alzheimer's (↓) | Ketamine (anesthetic); NMDA blockers | | Acetylcholine | Memory formation, muscle movement, attention | Alzheimer's (↓ in cortex), Myasthenia gravis (↓ at NMJ) | Cholinesterase inhibitors (slow breakdown) | | Norepinephrine | Arousal, attention, alertness | Depression (↓), ADHD (↓), anxiety (↑) | Stimulants (e.g., Adderall); Tricyclic antidepressants | | Endorphins | Pain relief, pleasure, reward | Opioid use disorder (dependence on exogenous opioids) | Naloxone (opioid antagonist); Methadone (maintenance) |
Key principle: ↓ = deficiency/hypoactivity. ↑ = excess/hyperactivity.
Brain Structures (Quick Reference)
| Structure | Location | Function | Clinical Clue | |---|---|---|---| | Amygdala | Limbic system | Fear, emotion processing, threat detection | Damage → fear extinction; hyperactive → anxiety disorder | | Hippocampus | Limbic system | Memory formation, especially episodic | Damage (H.M.) → anterograde amnesia; hyperactive in PTSD | | Cerebellum | Hindbrain | Motor coordination, balance, procedural learning | Damage → ataxia, clumsy movements | | Prefrontal Cortex | Frontal lobe | Executive function, impulse control, planning | Damage (Phineas Gage) → impulsivity; underdeveloped in adolescence (risk-taking) | | Hypothalamus | Diencephalon | Hunger, thirst, temperature, pituitary control (HPA axis) | Stimulation → feeding/reproduction; damage → anorexia/obesity | | Thalamus | Diencephalon | Sensory relay (except olfaction) | Damage → sensory loss; sleep disruption (thalamus gate-closes in sleep) | | Broca's Area | Frontal lobe | Speech production | Damage → expressive (non-fluent) aphasia | | Wernicke's Area | Temporal lobe | Speech comprehension | Damage → receptive aphasia (fluent but meaningless speech) | | Pituitary | Base of brain | "Master gland"; releases hormones (ACTH, FSH, LH) | Stress response (pituitary releases ACTH → cortisol) |
Conditioning Vocabulary Cheat Sheet
Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)
- UCS (Unconditioned Stimulus): Naturally triggers response (e.g., food → salivation)
- UCR (Unconditioned Response): Natural response to UCS (e.g., salivation)
- CS (Conditioned Stimulus): Neutral stimulus paired with UCS; eventually triggers response (e.g., bell)
- CR (Conditioned Response): Learned response to CS (e.g., salivation to bell)
- Acquisition: Pairing CS + UCS until CR forms.
- Extinction: CS presented alone (no UCS) until CR diminishes.
- Spontaneous Recovery: CR suddenly reappears after extinction, usually weaker.
- Generalization: CR occurs to stimuli similar to CS (e.g., fear of all dogs if conditioned to one).
- Discrimination: Learning to distinguish CS from similar stimuli (e.g., only fear this one dog, not all dogs).
Operant Conditioning (Skinner)
- Positive Reinforcement: Add pleasant stimulus → behavior increases (e.g., praise → more effort).
- Negative Reinforcement: Remove aversive stimulus → behavior increases (e.g., stop nagging when chores done → more chores).
- Positive Punishment: Add aversive stimulus → behavior decreases (e.g., timeout → less misbehavior).
- Negative Punishment: Remove pleasant stimulus → behavior decreases (e.g., remove phone → less sneaking out).
The trap: Negative reinforcement is NOT punishment. It's removing a bad thing to encourage behavior.
Key Researchers & Studies (Must Know)
| Researcher | Study | Finding | Relevance | |---|---|---|---| | Pavlov | Dog + bell + food | Classical conditioning: neutral stimulus paired with UCS triggers CR | Foundation of learning | | Skinner | Operant conditioning chamber | Reinforcement/punishment shapes behavior; schedules affect response rates | Behavioral psychology | | Bandura | Bobo doll experiment | Children imitate aggressive models; modeling is powerful learning mechanism | Observational learning, media effects | | Milgram | Obedience to authority | 65% of participants shocked "learner" on command; situational pressure overrides ethics | Social psychology; Stanford prison analog | | Asch | Line-length conformity | ~35% conformed to obviously wrong group answer; peer pressure real | Group conformity; normative influence | | Zimbardo | Stanford Prison Experiment | Guards became abusive; prisoners became passive in 1 week. Situation matters more than personality. | Situational vs. dispositional attribution | | Loftus | False memory paradigm | Suggestion can create false memories (e.g., "lost in mall" suggestion → false memory of event) | Memory is reconstructive, malleable | | Piaget | Conservation task | Young children fail conservation (fail to understand object permanence); cognitive development in stages | Lifespan development | | Erikson | 8-stage lifespan | Psychosocial crises at each stage; resolution depends on social support | Social development across lifespan | | Harlow | Monkey surrogate mothers | Contact comfort (touch) more important than food for attachment | Attachment, nurture vs. nature |
Top 10 Traps That Cost Real Points
- Confusing negative reinforcement with punishment. The #1 FRQ mistake. Negative reinforcement removes a bad thing. Punishment adds a bad thing.
- Saying "dopamine = happiness." Wrong. Dopamine = motivation/reward-seeking. Depression involves serotonin, not dopamine.
- Forgetting to name the study/researcher on FRQs. "Bandura showed..." is worth +1 pt.
- Mixing up Broca's and Wernicke's. Broca's = expressive (speech production, frontal). Wernicke's = receptive (comprehension, temporal).
- Confusing proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive: old learning blocks new. Retroactive: new learning blocks old recall. Memory trick: "pro" = forward in time (old interferes with new).
- Assuming short-term memory = working memory. Close but different. Short-term is older model; working memory is newer (includes manipulation of info).
- Diagnosing instead of explaining. Don't say "This person has schizophrenia." Say "This person exhibits positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions) associated with dopamine hyperactivity in the mesolimbic pathway."
- Forgetting units in real-world FRQ answers. "The distance is 50" → "The distance is 50 meters" (adds specificity, shows mastery).
- Confusing correlation with causation in study design. Correlation ≠ causation. Only experiments can infer causation (random assignment required).
- Rushing the FRQ. Many students misread the question and answer the wrong thing. Read the FRQ prompt twice before writing.
Refresher: The Two FRQ Types
FRQ 1 — Article-Based (7 pts): You read a study summary. Identify IV, DV, design, confounds, apply a concept.
FRQ 2 — Evidence-Based (7 pts): You're given a scenario. Use 2+ psychological concepts (define + apply) to address the prompt.
Structure for both: Name concept → Define in psychology language → Apply to scenario → Predict/explain outcome.
Score Boundaries (Recent Years)
Out of 200 total points:
| Score | Raw Point Range | Interpretation | |---|---|---| | 5 | ~140–200 | Excellent command of concepts; strong FRQs | | 4 | ~112–139 | Solid understanding; minor gaps in application | | 3 | ~84–111 | Basic knowledge; inconsistent application | | 2 | ~56–83 | Limited understanding; significant gaps | | 1 | Below ~56 | Minimal knowledge; no coherent application |
You only need ~70% correct overall to score a 5. You can miss ~25 MCQs and still earn a 5 if your FRQs are strong.
Morning-of Checklist
- ☐ 8 hours of sleep. Seriously. Memory consolidation happens in sleep.
- ☐ Real breakfast: protein + slow carbs (eggs, oatmeal, toast), not just sugar.
- ☐ 2 sharpened #2 pencils, blue/black pens. (No mechanical pencils for bubbles.)
- ☐ Photo ID + AP ID label sheet.
- ☐ Water bottle + snack for the 10-min break.
- ☐ Watch (without an alarm) if your testing room has no clock.
- ☐ Arrive 30 minutes early to get settled.
During the Exam
Multiple Choice (60 min, 100 Qs):
- Read every choice before selecting.
- If a question stumps you, mark and skip. Do not spend >90 seconds on one Q.
- Go back to skipped Qs in the last 5 minutes if time permits.
- Guess on blanks (no penalty for guessing in AP Psych).
- Watch for trick phrases: "all of the above," "Which is NOT," "best explains."
Free Response (50 min, 2 FRQs):
- Read all FRQ prompts first. Decide which you'll tackle first (usually the one you're most confident on).
- Budget: ~25 min per FRQ (including reading + outlining + writing).
- Always write the term + definition. Partial credit rewards clear attempts.
- Apply to the scenario explicitly. Don't assume the grader will connect dots.
- Use the study/researcher name if you can. +1 bonus pt.
- Do not leave anything blank on FRQs. A partial answer earns points; a blank earns zero.
One Last Thing
You've studied. You know this material. Trust your preparation. The rubric wants to give you points — your job is to write clearly so it can.
Anxiety is normal. Breathe between sections. If a question feels impossible, skip it and move on. You don't need to answer every question perfectly to earn a 5.
Show up rested. Show up ready. You've got this. 🎯
Quick last-minute drill? Review the neurotransmitter table one more time, then close your notes. Trust yourself.
Need more practice? FRQ guide | 7-day plan | Full topic library.