AP Study Tips

Every year at about this time, when the flowers are blossoming and the birds start chirping, a wraith of fear begins to wander the halls of Homer High School. It goes by many names: “ The Testing Menace”, “Hell Week”, “Only The Single Most Important Test in My Life”, etc. However, everyone can agree on two things about this fear-inducing spectre; it’s called the AP test and it sucks. It does not have to be this way though. The AP test is an excellent way for students to show off their skills and possibly get college credit. These couple of tests you take now can pay off by either getting you out of huge introductory courses or saving you beaucoup bucks. So to get those 5’s, the Olympian is giving it’s best study tips so you can make Mom (and Dad) proud.

1. Start studying- This may seem obvious but starting can be the hardest part of the process. Procrastination and fear of difficulty can make studying seem like an insurmountable task. Assuage these feelings by simply beginning. Just looking back at notes for 5 minutes or reading the first page of a review book will help break the initial threshold. After that, studying will be easier to get into since the initial hurdle of starting has been surmounted.

2. Make a plan- It is paramount that time is exclusively set aside for studying. Writing the abstract “STUDY” in your planner won’t help as it is easy to not follow through with it; you will only put it off, completing other assignments instead since you aren’t holding yourself to a specific commitment. To make sure you do study, write down specific times to study and do nothing else in this time period. Laying out what you will study each night will also help as you have a focus and you will know what units have or have not been completed. An example of a session would be “Wednesday night from 4:00 P.M. to 5:30 P.M. I will read chapters 2 and 3 in my review book.”

3. Take breaks- Don’t study too much! Just as your body needs to rest after intense exercise, your brain needs to rest after intense work. Work small breaks into your studying with the Pomodoro technique. This has you work for a set amount of time then take a break for a set time and repeat. Popular ways to split up time are 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of a break with a 10-15 minute break after four sets and 45 minutes of work to 15 minutes of break. In these breaks do something enjoyable or relaxing but not anything too fun as to ensure you stay on task. These breaks are also the perfect for moving around or going outside.

4. Get good sleep- Just like taking breaks, sleep is important for your mind to rest and repair itself. Sleep is integral to memory formation making late night study sessions counterintuitive; you will likely forget the material you read at 2 A.M. due to fatigue. Drowsiness and fatigue also hinder the overall function of the brain making it harder for you to synthesize the information you may have studied during your all-nighter. To get good sleep, stay away from electronics and certain foods. The abundance of blue light given off by screens impedes melatonin production, a sleep chemical in the brain, and substances such as caffeine stimulate your central nervous system into staying awake. If you are having trouble falling asleep, try reading a book, writing in a journal, or clearing your mind. Make sure that you get quality sleep in the week leading up to the test.

5. Stay calm- Remember that this is only one of the many tests you take in high school. There are many other avenues in which you can showcase your talents, so AP tests, alone, will not determine your fate. It may seem daunting but you have been preparing all year through your rigorous course work.

These are all the tips we have. There may be more but here we covered the big ones. Just remember these and you will be on your way to a 5!