Junior Maria stared at her calculus book in frustration as the words seemed to blur together on the page. She is one of the thousands of junior class members who are facing the challenge of three AP exams in May. Thousands of students across the country are facing similar pressures as they try to decide which classes to take, how to prepare for upcoming exams, and the overall stress of college applications. Many students and parents alike are trying to figure out the exact number of college credits their student will receive and what that says about their academic reputation.
Understanding the exam format transforms preparation strategy
AP exams, or at least most of them, typically consist of two types of questions: multiple choice and free-response. Usually each exam is also a certain number of timed sections. But make no mistake, APs are not just a series of multiple choice questions or even just a test of your ability to recall the names of key terms and concepts from the textbook or study guide. The exams are meant to test your ability to perform on college-level academic material, and thus require more than simple memorization.
AP students learn that the primary goal of taking an AP exam is not just to demonstrate competence in a subject, but also to prove that a student can think critically and analytically. Thus, the biology exam is more than just a compilation of multiple choice and free response questions covering topics of cellular respiration, photosynthesis, Mendelian genetics, and ecosystem dynamics. The test aims to push students to utilize the material they have studied throughout their high school careers to provide a thorough explanation of experiment data.
Content mastery requires systematic review cycles
AP review must not happen in a one- to two- day block of random notes and study materials for the highest score earners. Rather, the material is cycled through multiple times as the student reviews all topics for the exam. As the student reviews each topic, the student identifies any knowledge gaps and determines if that topic needs more in-depth review or just a check up.
Rather than burning the night away studying, Effective students make review schedules to return to tough material over the course of several months using a technique called “spaced repetition.” By reviewing material at increasingly longer intervals, Effective students make sure that they understand and retain the material for the long haul. An AP History student studying for exams on historical periods and events might review her notes on the causes of World War I in September, again in November, and then again in March, each time adding depth and nuance to her understanding. A further distinction can be made between active and passive review. Effective students do not simply re-read notes, outlines, or content from textbooks. Rather, they use techniques like concept maps and study aids such as flashcards for active recall of key information.
The brain learns through retrieval practice. Not recognition.
Practice tests reveal strategic advantages
Identifying blindspots in your studying is one of the key things timing your test-prep practice exams can do for you. As you take the practice exams under timed conditions, you will be able to identify specific areas where you tend to lose time on particular types of questions and where you need to devote more focus.
Test prep practice tests for the AP courses will help students prepare to complete the long AP exam. Most AP exams are 3 hours long, which can seem like an eternity to many students. They can be grueling and physically demanding. By practicing for the test, students will learn to be more enduring. They will be able to pace themselves during the test so that they have enough energy for the harder parts of the test. Students will also figure out how to best utilize their time during the test. Some questions are easy, while others are incredibly hard. Students need to decide whether they want to start with the easy questions and build confidence before getting to the harder questions, or if they want to start with the hard questions when their mind is fresh and capable of tackling them.
Professional guidance accelerates progress
Independent study is usually the bulk of any given student’s AP prep; however, having an additional academic resource often proves beneficial to many students. AP tutoring programs fill particular knowledge gaps of the student, as well as teach new study techniques to better prepare for the given AP test.
By having an experienced tutor help your child, many errors can be prevented and your child can develop a strong and productive study routine. Professional tutoring provides an accountability to self study, on-going study on a regular basis, using the most effective methods to maximize learning.
Step 1: Understand the test structure and timing rules.
Read and study all of the test directions so you have a good sense for the number and duration of test sections and the total amount of time allotted for the test.
Step 2: Look for any exceptions or special circumstances.
If there are any exceptions to general test timing rules, review any information that might provide
Students with strong background knowledge and skills may still fall short of their potential on the AP exam because they spend too much time on a single question. To maximize their score, students must also work within a time constraint, know when to move on from a problematic question, and employ various techniques to manage their time and score well on the exam.
First and foremost, good test-takers are very careful readers. This means they read each question quickly to make sure they understand the question. But they also are able to identify important words and requirements in each test question. In addition, good test-takers know how to spend the right amount of time on each section of the test and will feel like they are running out of time as the test comes to a close. These key skills can be achieved only by taking practice tests under timed conditions.
Mental preparation completes the foundation
With the AP exams just weeks away, students are being put to the test outside of the classroom, too. In addition to memorizing the causes of World War I and being able to apply Pythagoras’ theorem with ease, students are also being tested to see if they can keep their nerves from getting the best of them. With all of the hard work that students put in to learn the material over the course of months, weeks of anxious anticipation can dilute all of that knowledge. By paying attention to their physical and mental health and finding ways to keep stress at bay, students can reap all of the rewards they have worked so hard to achieve. Getting consistent amounts of sleep, engaging in physical activity, and practicing stress-reducing activities, such as yoga or meditation, can help students do their best on the AP exams.
For students, mastering course content is only half the battle when it comes to AP exams. Preparing mentally and having confidence in your ability to perform on the big day is just as important. Visualizing success, using relaxation techniques such as yoga or deep breathing, and even anticipating a list of possible scenarios that may occur on exam day can all help make a once-daunting AP exam more manageable. For students, the grueling exam has become less of a defining moment of their academic career and more of a final opportunity to demonstrate knowledge gained throughout the course.
Getting good at AP requires a clear plan for mastering content, learning applications, and conditioning your brain to take on multiple choice questions and freezteilers – but the rewards can pay far more than an A+.