With AP exams going on and finals around the corner, here are 5 helpful tips on how to prepare for your exams!
-
Develop a schedule
Studying ahead of time is super important! Develop a realistic study schedule with specific time slots and goals for each study session.
-
Prepare and create study materials
Plan out what materials you have or need for your studying. This could be the textbook your class is using, review materials your teacher handed out, a book from the library, or a prep book you bought. You should also create study guides! This can include notes on readings, diagrams, and charts of theorems and principles.
-
Consider your weaknesses
Through practice, you will find the concepts you are still unsure about and the problems you struggle to solve. Focus on those and make sure you know how to solve them. It is important not just to know how to solve the problem but also to understand the underlying concepts so that you can answer any problem involving the same ideas. If you find yourself making a common mistake or forgetting to do an important thing, create a document or have a sheet of paper where you can write them down to remember.
-
Familiarize yourself with the exam format and content
Get familiar with the format, content, and types of questions that will be on the exam. If you do not know what the exam will be like, think about what your teacher wants you to learn and look back on old tests and quizzes.
For AP tests, do practice tests and check out resources! There are many online resources that go over questions and answers from former tests. CollegeBoard has also posted many sample Free-Response Questions (FRQs) on their website and stated what they are looking for in each response. They also analyze specific responses and explain why those responses received the score that they did. The AP FRQs follow the same format every year so this is a great way to become familiar with the problems and scoring to gain an advantage.
-
Practice!
Work through old tests, practice exams, and review materials. Practicing is the best way to review and reinforce what you’ve learned, and it also helps you find what you are still unfamiliar with and need to go over. Review your answers and note what you need to fix or practice more of.
It is also helpful to simulate the actual test environment. Try using only the materials you will have available on the exam, and time yourself to see what pace you need to work at.
Written by Vivien Chen
6/14/2022
