AP season is right around the corner, but with the correct preparation, there is nothing to stress about. The college board offers 38 different AP courses and each presents their own difficult tasks, but getting a five on the exam this May is achievable with hard work and good study habits.
Exams will begin the second week of May and the duration of each exam fluctuates depending on which course it is. For example, AP Human Geography has a shorter exam lasting around two hours and fifteen minutes while AP Calculus BC has a much longer exam lasting three hours and fifteen minutes. Between different sections of the exam, there will likely be a short break which is a nice stress reliever after hours of test taking. In addition, depending on which exam you are taking, there will be different sections of the exam. For example, it is common to have a MCQ (multiple choice question), FRQ (free response question), and for history classes DBQ (Document based questions). Also, each exam will have proctors monitoring the room while students take the test.
One helpful tool to study for the big exam is to create a study guide of each unit of the curriculum. This may seem like a tedious process, but the review of all the notes and materials from the year will be a useful resource to help refresh memory.
In addition to reviewing notes, many teachers at YLHS offer review sessions either on Saturday’s or during lunch. Be sure to take advantage of these review sessions because teachers know how to best prepare everyone for the exams. In addition to reviews with teachers, make sure to pay attention during class and participate when possible. Eden Choi (10) shares, “For my AP exams, I am going to study an hour a day from my review books and also write study guides to remember more information. My advice for anyone taking an AP exam this May is to not procrastinate and stay on top of your work.” After spring break, it may seem like a long stretch until summer, but if you just focus for a few more months you will have a great summer knowing that you did great on the AP exams. AP scores will be released in mid-July.
Lastly, completing review books are extremely useful as they have practice questions that are similar to the questions on the real exam. A helpful tool is to also learn from your mistakes. When taking the mock tests from the review book, always remember to check your answers and review the questions that you got wrong. By doing this, you’ll be sure to maximize efficiency. To conclude, be sure not to stress during the exam. Study hard and make the best use of all the possible resources. Good luck, mustangs!
