AP Exam Study Tips and Tricks for Success
The Pony Express Editorial Board
The Pony Express Editorial Board
It’s right about the time where students start checking out of school mentally. Especially now that there are only six weeks left of school some students think of the rest of the year as insignificant. But AP tests are right around the corner, with finals following a couple of weeks later.
For those who have never taken an AP test before, they can be a very stressful thing. Being given a four hour test on material taught over the course of a year can be a difficult thing for even the brightest of students.
From personal experience, a few pieces of advice that we can give are to study but make sure you don’t overdo it. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t pass or get a perfect score. The most important thing for college anyways is to pass the class which is still possible even if you fail the exam.
Additionally, make sure to take frequent breaks when studying. No one’s brain can focus on one thing for too long and a break can help your mind refocus for when you get back to work. Taking deep breaths or even stretching can help you stay focused during studying or even the exam.
Finally, try your best, the worst that can happen if you fail is that you’ll have to take the class again in college, which isn’t the end of the world. Passing or not passing the AP exam doesn’t determine your worth or your intelligence.
As for tips for how to study best, teachers often provide plenty of resources, such as extra textbooks, notes, and videos that you can use to enhance your proficiency in the material. Another great resource when studying for AP tests is AP Classroom provided through the College Board website. AP Classroom provides many educational videos and practice problems that you can use when studying for your test.
YouTube is also really helpful when studying with its broad variety of videos that you can find on almost any subject.
Another helpful program when it comes to AP test prep is Tutor.com. San Jose Unified offers free tutoring through Tutor.com which is a service of the Princeton Review. The program can help in all sorts of AP subjects from AP Biology to AP Art History. The tutors are available at all times to help students decipher confusing questions and study general topics. Getting help from someone that is not a teacher can often give students a new and possibly more helpful perspective on any topic they are struggling to grasp.
About a month after the end of AP testing, finals in other classes will begin. Depending on the AP class, you may or may not have finals. For the AP classes that still give finals, they are most likely given before their AP exam, while students in regular and honors classes will take their finals the last three weeks of school. These tests are similarly stressful and intimidating as they cover a full year’s worth of material but don’t count towards college credit if passed.
Although all of this can sound scary and make many students unsure of whether they want to take the AP test or even the AP class, all the hard work and dedication is rewarded in the form of college credits. If you get a three or above on your AP test you are given college credit for that course and you won’t have to worry about taking that class in college.
Testing is stressful for many students and can have negative impacts on mental health. It is important to sometimes take a step back and look at your problems with a new perspective or even just take a break from studying to help relieve tension.
For those who have never taken an AP test before, they can be a very stressful thing. Being given a four hour test on material taught over the course of a year can be a difficult thing for even the brightest of students.
From personal experience, a few pieces of advice that we can give are to study but make sure you don’t overdo it. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t pass or get a perfect score. The most important thing for college anyways is to pass the class which is still possible even if you fail the exam.
Additionally, make sure to take frequent breaks when studying. No one’s brain can focus on one thing for too long and a break can help your mind refocus for when you get back to work. Taking deep breaths or even stretching can help you stay focused during studying or even the exam.
Finally, try your best, the worst that can happen if you fail is that you’ll have to take the class again in college, which isn’t the end of the world. Passing or not passing the AP exam doesn’t determine your worth or your intelligence.
As for tips for how to study best, teachers often provide plenty of resources, such as extra textbooks, notes, and videos that you can use to enhance your proficiency in the material. Another great resource when studying for AP tests is AP Classroom provided through the College Board website. AP Classroom provides many educational videos and practice problems that you can use when studying for your test.
YouTube is also really helpful when studying with its broad variety of videos that you can find on almost any subject.
Another helpful program when it comes to AP test prep is Tutor.com. San Jose Unified offers free tutoring through Tutor.com which is a service of the Princeton Review. The program can help in all sorts of AP subjects from AP Biology to AP Art History. The tutors are available at all times to help students decipher confusing questions and study general topics. Getting help from someone that is not a teacher can often give students a new and possibly more helpful perspective on any topic they are struggling to grasp.
About a month after the end of AP testing, finals in other classes will begin. Depending on the AP class, you may or may not have finals. For the AP classes that still give finals, they are most likely given before their AP exam, while students in regular and honors classes will take their finals the last three weeks of school. These tests are similarly stressful and intimidating as they cover a full year’s worth of material but don’t count towards college credit if passed.
Although all of this can sound scary and make many students unsure of whether they want to take the AP test or even the AP class, all the hard work and dedication is rewarded in the form of college credits. If you get a three or above on your AP test you are given college credit for that course and you won’t have to worry about taking that class in college.
Testing is stressful for many students and can have negative impacts on mental health. It is important to sometimes take a step back and look at your problems with a new perspective or even just take a break from studying to help relieve tension.