Understand the exam's format. The AP website tells you how many multiple-choice and essay questions are on the test as well the time permitted to complete each section.
Obtain a reading list. A simple online search for "AP English reading lists" will turn up a number of websites offering lists of pertinent authors and works of literature, but publications like the Princeton Review and the Research and Education Association (REA) produce some of the best study material available---including reading lists.
Make and study flashcards with rhetoric, composition and literary analysis terms likely to appear on the test. These terms are available in study guides like the Princeton Review and REA.
Try out some sample questions. Available on the AP website and in most AP study guides, sample questions for both the multiple choice and essay portions of the exam give you a better understanding of the test's wording and organization.
Complete a full-length practice exam. Like the sample questions, these are most readily available through the Princeton Review and REA study guides.