Every year, over a million students across America gather to demonstrate what they’ve learned all school year in the form of an AP exam. Whether it’s your first AP exam or your twelfth, here are some tips on how to prepare for this year’s season.
Know the Schedule
First, check the College Board AP schedule to make sure you know when you’re taking all of your AP exams. If you are unable to take an exam on any of the scheduled days, email your counselor as soon as possible and check the late testing schedule to schedule a make-up.
Don’t Stress and Stay on Track
Don’t stress out because this is what you’ve been preparing for all year. The best way to start is to make a schedule on how much you want to study and stay on track. Outline all the chapters or units you need to learn before your test and schedule a doable amount of material to review each week. Include a practice test in the beginning and end of your schedule to monitor your progress. By conquering one part of your schedule each week, the AP exam will seem much less daunting.
Practice, practice, practice…
Review any teacher recommended materials and make a list of all that you have to review so you can stay on top of the schedule and have a relaxing day before the test. If you end up needing to cram, however, find quick course overviews on websites such as KhanAcademy or cram videos on APClassroom or YouTube for your subject. Make sure to practice with the types of questions you will get on the exam before you take it, so attend any mock practice tests given by your teachers and check out real practice tests online supplied by CollegeBoard. If you have the review book for your exam, you can also take the book’s practice tests and find your strengths and weaknesses to understand what you should improve on.
Double Check Submission Requirements
If your AP score consists of a project submission instead of or in addition to a test, make sure to find the submission requirements online and double check that your project ticks all the boxes. You can also compare your submission to public student samples and scores to score yourself and get a better idea on how you can improve or change your project for a better score.
