my ap teacher doesnt really help us when it comes to what to study. i take notes, study, print notes, and highlight but i feel that im studying the wrong material becasue when i take the test i know absolutly nothing! its frusterating becasue my teacher is very vague when it comes to helping us. so, i guess my question is when studying and taking notes, what should i focus on fully understanding?

My usual answer to this question is that what always helped me was to focus on presidents. For each section, I would memorize the presidents in order of when they served, which party they were, the years they were in office, and the major events that happened while they were in office (wars, major legislation, etc.). I found that keeping in mind the years and parties they belonged to helped me have a grasp on what the mindset of the country was at the time and also provide a way to keep all the confusing dates in order by having a solid timeline to fall back on.

It really depends on what kind of test your teacher gives you. Sorry if that's not helpful, but it's true.