It’s that time of year again, when photos of AP prep books and mentions of prices inundate Facebook news feeds, and students load up on caffeine and sugar to get themselves through all-nighters. AP season is coming, but if you don’t know what to do, try these simple tips.
Practice is key, regardless of which test you’re taking. If you’re in English Literature, Government or World History, you’ve had the chance to do many essays throughout the year.
Senior Josephine Hai recommends taking these essays seriously if you want to pass or if you want a 5. If you’re in Chemistry or Calculus, you already get questions from released tests as homework. Don’t pass up these chances to use real test questions as study aids.
“I studied for [Calculus AB] by doing Ms. Bulgin’s practice tests and review worksheets as well as reviewing my notes,” Senior Nyssa Situ said. “From my experience, practice tests helped a lot more than study books.”
Go over your material. It’s a little bit too late to suggest keeping meticulous notes, but if you have a friend who does, consider asking to see those notes or to study from them. Review what you’ve learned, and hone in on the areas you’re weaker at, so you can go over those more.
“I went over concepts a lot,” Senior Leial Fakhro said. “Make sure you’re able to remember and use the equations, as well.”
Study books are also a good way to cram, if you’re planning on staying up the nights before your tests. These crash courses are designed to help students learn the material needed for the AP exam in a short amount of time. The general agreement is that certain brands are better for certain tests: Senior Charles Li says that REA’s “Crash Course” brand is helpful for U.S. History, while Senior Aleck Liu says the “5 Steps to a 5” series is best for Statistics. Be careful, though, there are some tests that are harder to study from with books.
“You don’t need to buy a book for every single test you’re taking, though,” Hai said. “For some classes, like [English Language], I don’t think getting a book will really help you much. But for classes like U.S. History and World History, they really help you review what you know.”
Sometimes, the cut and dried routine of just reading the textbook or study guides can get boring. In that case, try switching up your study style. If you like art, compile a visual aid to help you organize your facts. Draw diagrams for the right-hand rules if you’re taking Physics and can’t remember which way velocity goes. Create a flow chart if you struggle with meiosis. The world is your proverbial oyster.
“I studied for APUSH by reading the Crash Course, but when I ran out of time on the morning of the AP test, I actually did something interesting,” Li said. “I found all of the handouts, projects and creative assignments we did throughout the year, spread them all on the floor and organized each by time period or presidential era.”