Tips on Surviving AP Exams
AP exams are approaching, whether you like or not. As someone who likes to call herself a seasoned AP test-taker (I took five exams in the two-week exam schedule last year alone), I have some helpful tips that managed to get me some pretty decent scores on the exams:
1. Sleep.
You've heard it again and again, but sleep does actually. Try to adjust to a healthy sleep schedule (I'm talking at least seven hours a night) a couple of days before your first AP exam, and maintain that sleep schedule until your last one. Your classes will tend to go lax on the workload, so you'll have less things to do anyway besides studying for your exams. This will mean you'll have a lot of time to sleep, so get your hours of rest!
2. Have a test-taking kit made.
That includes No. 2 pencils (sharpened), an effective eraser, test-appropriate pens (for free-response sections), a calculator (when allowed), a snack, and water. Depending on the room you're taking the exam, you might also need a watch to track time, an extra layer when the room gets chilly, and maybe tissues if you have allergies (it happens to the best of us). Having a kit alleviates stress the night before and makes sure you're in the most comfortable environment when you're taking the test (those tests are long, guys).
3. Study (obviously).
Studying on your own time is really dependent on a variety of specific factors. If your teacher prepared you well throughout the year, reviewing past material shouldn't be hard. If you feel like you have a pretty good grasp on the material, there's no use in looking over stuff you already know. You also don't need to spend money on test-prep books if the notes you have do enough to accomplish such a thing. However, with that in mind, it's important that you do not cram. Cramming is ineffective for an AP exam. I actually recommend you do very light studying the night before your exam, because that gives your brain more time to process information. I have found myself understanding material better the morning after a very confusing study session the night before.
4. Take care of yourself.
Despite the grueling hours of exams, I've always found the AP exam schedule to be incredibly calming for me, and I've always found myself feeling a bit refreshed and energized during that period of time. Here are some self-care tips that I wrote in a previous post that you should check out if you want ideas on how to take care yourself not only physically, but mentally as well.
5. Don't be nervous.
There is a lot of pressure in doing well on exams, but it's not a big deal if you don't get the results you intended. You don't need to question your major, your career path, or your academic ability because of a poor performance on a test. AP exams are there to make your college career a bit less stressful and to challenge you in high school, but you will certainly be more prepared in college because of the AP program. Taking an AP exam is really tough, and the material you learn throughout the school year is really impressive. Be proud of what you achieved in the class, and make sure to check out the Twitter memes after the exam (just don't engage in it yourself, or College Board might track you down and punish you).
1. Sleep.
You've heard it again and again, but sleep does actually. Try to adjust to a healthy sleep schedule (I'm talking at least seven hours a night) a couple of days before your first AP exam, and maintain that sleep schedule until your last one. Your classes will tend to go lax on the workload, so you'll have less things to do anyway besides studying for your exams. This will mean you'll have a lot of time to sleep, so get your hours of rest!
2. Have a test-taking kit made.
That includes No. 2 pencils (sharpened), an effective eraser, test-appropriate pens (for free-response sections), a calculator (when allowed), a snack, and water. Depending on the room you're taking the exam, you might also need a watch to track time, an extra layer when the room gets chilly, and maybe tissues if you have allergies (it happens to the best of us). Having a kit alleviates stress the night before and makes sure you're in the most comfortable environment when you're taking the test (those tests are long, guys).
3. Study (obviously).
Studying on your own time is really dependent on a variety of specific factors. If your teacher prepared you well throughout the year, reviewing past material shouldn't be hard. If you feel like you have a pretty good grasp on the material, there's no use in looking over stuff you already know. You also don't need to spend money on test-prep books if the notes you have do enough to accomplish such a thing. However, with that in mind, it's important that you do not cram. Cramming is ineffective for an AP exam. I actually recommend you do very light studying the night before your exam, because that gives your brain more time to process information. I have found myself understanding material better the morning after a very confusing study session the night before.
4. Take care of yourself.
Despite the grueling hours of exams, I've always found the AP exam schedule to be incredibly calming for me, and I've always found myself feeling a bit refreshed and energized during that period of time. Here are some self-care tips that I wrote in a previous post that you should check out if you want ideas on how to take care yourself not only physically, but mentally as well.
5. Don't be nervous.
There is a lot of pressure in doing well on exams, but it's not a big deal if you don't get the results you intended. You don't need to question your major, your career path, or your academic ability because of a poor performance on a test. AP exams are there to make your college career a bit less stressful and to challenge you in high school, but you will certainly be more prepared in college because of the AP program. Taking an AP exam is really tough, and the material you learn throughout the school year is really impressive. Be proud of what you achieved in the class, and make sure to check out the Twitter memes after the exam (just don't engage in it yourself, or College Board might track you down and punish you).
 |
| Source |
Comments
Post a Comment