The AP Exams Are Over! Now What?
By Gabby Ceconi ('22)
“You are dismissed!”
Those exact words set me free, twice. Now that AP exams are (somewhat) over, we can all sigh with relief. Even if you feel like you failed, or something in your gut knows that you failed, It. Is. Done. Torture time has ended!
So many people have helped all of us while preparing for the AP exams, whether it be from teachers, YouTube saviors, or your friends! An honorable mention goes out to the one and only, absolute monarch of a man, Brian Diglio (my APUSH teacher!) (See what I did there? Fevola would be proud of me for my AP World reference.)
Another special thanks to Mr. Schneider, my AP Lit teacher, for being a wonderful mentor and preparing the class for the exam. We couldn’t have done it without you and your 342 models!
All jokes aside, now that you’re free, it’s time to celebrate! Here are some suggestions to cool off after you’ve chafed your fingers raw!
Mr. Diglio adding some fun to learning with his signature Nerf football! Nice throw, Digs! Credit: Gabby Ceconi
1: Breathe.
This sounds dumb, but seriously, breathe. You spent three hours taking a test that put enough pressure on you to split a car; breathe and take a second to calm yourself. You did the best you could in the situation presented. It’s over and done with now, so take a moment to relax and ease the anxiety away.
2: Take It Easy!
Now that you’re calm, keep that lazy river of feelings going! Relax and sit back (if you can). After the exams, your brain is a discombobulated mess of mush; you can’t think after something that draining! Take some time to sit back, take a nap after school, or watch your favorite show. I personally like to either play one of my instruments (guitar or ukulele) to calm myself down or jam out to some good music. Doing this will help you take your mind off of your performance on the test and all of the extra stress.
3: Hang Out With Friends!
The best decision I made after the AP exams was to hang out with my friends (safely). It took so much stress and exhaustion off of my shoulders and really helped me to forget about how I did on the test. Your friends help you to laugh, feel better, and give you company. Personally, when I had time to laugh off my failure stress, I felt so much better. Being around those you like rejuvenates you...so do more of it!
4: Eat Some Good Food!
After the AP exam, you will probably be super hungry. Be honest, you didn’t bring anything but water and pens. You should really try to eat good, healthy food. Fruits and veggies really help to give your body back some energy. But again, be honest, no one does that. Indulge a little. Don’t go full mukbang, but let yourself have a little treat. Maybe it’s a couple of Oreos or a small ice cream cone, or even a burger. Indulge a little; you deserve it!
5: Move On
This may be easy for others, but it’s time to move on. The exam is over, you did the best you could (or you didn’t; I don’t know how much you studied) and you now finished relaxing. You only have a little time left in order to finish off the year strong. You can do it! The year should be easing up a little, that way you can really wind down and begin to think about the bigger picture, whether that be junior year, senior year, or college. You all did your best and worked hard. Remember that your test score DOES NOT define you (sorry Digs)!
a2a53dc4972da754f507b2b56693ae1f.MOVJunior Gabby Ceconi captures the essence of the mind during AP exams.
Take a breather; you’re finally free! You did it. I have confidence that all of us taking the exams did well. If you didn’t, that’s okay. The best part is that we won’t know until July, so forget about em’ for now!!