Around this time, many people begin to feel overwhelmed, not knowing how to effectively study or prepare for the big exams coming up. This article will give you 3 effective methods on how to study without having to feel stressed out. While everyone has their own unique methods to study well, these three methods are just suggestions that popularly work well for people.

1. Spaced Practice

This method of studying works with weeks of preparation, so if you are a little stressed about the AP exams coming up in May, this is a great way to get started because there are still a few months ahead. Spaced practice is when one studies over an extended period instead of cramming the night before. This is a great way to feel prepared because you will be learning and really understanding the content instead of just short term memorization the night before. The best way to utilize this technique is to review the content learned in class each day to build up your knowledge. This also ensures that as the class moves along with new content, you are not still confused about what you learned the day before. To maximize the benefits of this technique, I suggest that you create a plan of some sort to have an organized agenda of what you will be learning and reviewing each day. In addition, make sure to ask questions right when you have them so your curious inquiries don’t build up until the unit exam and you are just confused about everything. This is a well-liked study technique by many across campus such as Chelsey Natividad (11) who believes, “Spaced practice is really good if you really want to understand what you are learning. I’ve noticed that when I utilize spaced practice I tend to score better because especially with FRQ’s (free response questions), it is important that you actually understand that topic you are learning”.

2. The PQ4R Method

The PQ4R Method consists of six steps to achieve academic success. The six steps include: preview, question, read, reflect, and recite. This is an active approach to learning that, similar to spaced practice, focuses on long term understanding and memorization. Preview is important because it allows you to get an idea of the subject you are learning so that when it comes time to actually learn the information, you are not completely lost and confused. Question allows you to really find out your areas of growth. For example, after learning a lesson, think and ask yourself, “What do I already know about this topic?” and “What should I put more focus on?”. Read, reflect and recite all go together in a way. By reading, you will read information about the topic you are learning, and after you read this information, reflect on what you learned and if you still have questions. By reciting the information learned in your own words, you will be able to really understand the topic. A creative way I like to practice reciting is to pretend that I am teaching someone. I have learned that if I am able to teach, explain, and ask questions about the topics, that indicates that I really understand the topic and am not properly relying on memorization.

3. Prioritize

While cramming is something that should be avoided, at the end of the day it is oftentimes inevitable and sooner or later we all find ourselves cramming for an exam the night before. One way to cram effectively is to prioritize and organize. If you are trying to study for a big exam the night before, it is likely that you won’t be able to cover every detail. Instead, you should prioritize what you don’t know and focus on that. There is no time to go over what you already know, so prioritize two or three main topics of struggle and focus your attention on that.

To conclude, exams are inevitably stressful, but there are many ways to manage your time and study effectively to reduce this stress. McKenzi Reiter (11), an AP student at YLHS shares, “I think that tests, especially big exams like the AP tests are really stressful, but if you learn to study effectively you will feel better about yourself going into the exam and likely score better too”.