With AP tests beginning May 5th, students across the country may be feeling the pressure and anxiety that comes along with taking an AP exam. Ranging from math and science to history and language, the AP exams measure a student’s understanding and application of college level content. Depending on the school and subject, passing an AP test can provide students with college credit for the future.
Leading up to an AP exam, it is important for students to utilize all their resources in order to be best prepared for the exam. AP classroom, YouTube videos, practice tests, study guides, flash cards, and in class time are all great resources to utilize while prepping for your test.
“One of the biggest resources for preparing for AP tests is your AP classroom,” said Kaitlin Speer, the AP test coordinator at Jesuit. “There are a lot of practice tests as well as videos there. Also use your teacher, they are a great resource. Work with them before and after school, during flex, any opportunities you have.”
Other students and classmates are also great resources when prepping for AP tests.
“AP tests are comprehensive from the whole year so it’s helpful to study with other people in your classes and talk through material in order to get a better understanding,” senior Asaph Tekeste said.
Doing well on the AP exams doesn’t simply come down to how many hours are spent studying. Understanding the type of test taker you are and understanding the test is also crucial to passing.
“One piece of advice I would give to testers is to budget your time and stay calm. If you ever get to a question you don’t know how to answer, skip it. Also for short responses the idea of showing what you know, not what you don’t is very important,” senior Lizzy Delit said.
On test day it is important to know the schedule before going in and know what supplies are necessary to alleviate some stress. As well, getting a goodnight sleep is crucial, cramming in study all night will cause exhaustion to set in during the test.
“My biggest piece of advice for first time AP testers is to get lots of sleep before. The tests are usually quite long, usually three hours, so it will be a significant energy expenditure,” senior Claire Cao said.
Ultimately these tests aren’t make or break for students, so it’s important not to put too much pressure on perfection.
“It varies from test to test, but it’s not like a traditional test at Jesuit. On the AP test you just need to score above a certain threshold to get a five, usually it’s around 75%. So when you go to take the test expect that there will be things on it you’ve never seen before, and it’s totally okay to not feel confident and get some stuff wrong,” Cao said.
