Tips for AP Exams

The weather is getting warmer, pollen allergies are kicking in, and your eyes are tearing up from all the studying you’ve been doing over the past few months. You know what that means: It’s AP exam season!! This is already a stressful period for students under normal circumstances. The uncertainty brought about by COVID-19 has only worsened the anxiety of AP students. With the exams right around the corner, you may be wondering how you should prepare. Here are some tips for surviving another round of APs during the pandemic:

1) Don’t freak out. This may seem obvious, but many of us are guilty of the pre-exam jitters. Stop acting like your performance on the exam is going to be the deciding factor for whether or not you get into your dream college. If you don’t love your score, don’t submit it! Your health should come first, so make sure that you give yourself ample break time in between your study sessions.

2) Ask for help. You’d be surprised how eager teachers are to answer your questions (it is their job, after all). No, you are not wasting their time. No, your questions are not stupid. If you feel too shy to ask during class, email them and schedule a time to meet one-on-one.

3) Take advantage of free resources. Sometimes, it seems that the College Board is out to get us. Especially after last year’s online exam fiasco. Despite the many tears this cooperation has caused us, the resources they provide are quite useful. From practice questions to unit videos, students have a wide variety of material that can help them prepare for any AP exam. Khan academy is also a great resource that covers several key topics for each AP course.

4) Work on time management. As you complete practice questions and tests, it would be wise to give yourself a time limit. When you take the actual exam, don’t waste time staring blankly at a question you can’t figure out. If it takes more than 20 seconds for you to at least get an idea of what to do, move on to something that you DO know. Having a watch on the day of the exam may help you to pace yourself.

5) Answer every question. There is no guessing penalty for the AP exam. Make logical guesses for multiple choice questions that confuse you, and write something down that’s at least slightly related to the topic for tricky FRQs. A few lucky points here and there could go a long way.

Good luck everyone!