How to Prepare for AP Exams From Someone Who’s Taken Too Many!

The end of school year is quickly approaching with less than two months left! The end of the school year comes with the long-awaited graduation for the Class of 2021, wonderful yearbooks to reminiscence on this crazy year (hey, you should buy a yearbook if you haven’t yet), and AP Exams! Today, we’re going to focus on AP Exams, specifically how to prepare for them. The task may seem extremely daunting, especially for first-timers, but don’t worry, I am here to give some of my tricks and tips to aid you along your journey.

What to Do Right Now:

1. Join AP Scholars Club!

I am not just saying this because I am the President of this wonderful club, alongside three other seniors. AP Scholars truly is one of the best resources on campus for Knights studying for their respective AP Exams. It allows you to interact with others also studying for their AP Exams and join heads as you tackle similar struggles. You also have on hand five experienced AP test-takers that have experienced the same things that you currently are and one experienced AP teacher that gives insight into a teacher’s look at the AP Exams. We meet every other Thursday at 3:40 P.M. through Google Meets. The code to join the Google classroom is pwp4csk.

2. Look at the Big Picture.

Go to the College Board website and look over the content your exam covers. Split the general topics into three topics: strong, weak, neutral. After deducing this, create a schedule! Make the schedule very general with larger blocks of time dedicated to the weak topics so they can turn into your strong points. You can use this general schedule to create specific to-do lists on your studying days. The to-do lists should break down your general topic into specifics for the most-efficient studying.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice!

I can see the eyes rolling already, but practice really does help. I saw a significant difference in how I did on my AP Exams depending on how much practice I got. I recommend doing at least two full-length exams in a testing-like environment. These can be found on the College Board website or in review books. You should do a majority of your practice questions for your weak topics. You can get single practice questions online or you can break an AP Exam into little sections.

4. Create a One-Page Sheet with Essentials!

This is a great way to condense all the information that you learned that year into the basic need-to-know information plus the things that you struggle with. You can review this the day before the test as a quick refresher.

What to Do the Day Before:

1. Relax!

Everyone knows that AP Exams are high stress so you need to relax in order to execute to the best of your abilities. You can relax by doing your favorite form of self-care.

2. Try Not to Over-Study!

Overstudying will burn you out, which is the opposite of what you want right before you take this final exam. You should instead do light review to refresh. The best way to review is to look over your one-pager and watch some review videos.

3. Sleep!

Sleep is essential for a nourished mind. If you don’t have a good night of sleep, then you will be groggy, which is terrible if you have an eight am AP Exam. So, be sure to sleep. It’s good for you!

Good luck prepping for your AP Exams, Knights! I know all of you will do amazing. Be confident and trust yourself. You have worked hard this year. Don’t forget to strive for the impossible and be extraordinary!