Students walk into their AP classrooms, palms sweating, knees jittering. The mere sound of “AP” can make one’s heart go racing, the daunting notion of a college-level class ruining all pretense of self-confidence one might have built for themselves over the years. The summer work test didn’t go as well as one hoped; the rigor of the coursework was too confusing to comprehend and too novel to have understood the language of stimulus-based questions.
Well, don’t fret because this article is a guide to all things AP and what you should do to be prepared for your course. Here are some methods to do well on future exams.
- Watch College Board Classroom Videos and Unit Reviews on YouTube
Many students will overlook the AP Daily videos that can be found in AP Classrooms. However, teachers who film these videos organize key topic points in an easily comprehensible manner, including practice questions at the end to go over essential skills needed to understand each topic. These questions are formatted similarly to the AP exam, so it is helpful to review these at the end of each unit. Another helpful asset is watching the plethora of videos and channels on YouTube. For example, students may turn to channels such as “Heimler’s History” for AP social studies review to help them understand topics that would otherwise be hard to comprehend.
- Take Practice Tests and Questions
Questions on practice tests are similar to those on exams, just worded differently. Answering practice questions will help you notice trends in question types and answers that may come up in tests teachers give you. Junior Elizabeth Jang, when asked for her opinion on studying methods for AP classes, advised, “Taking practice tests are good, but reviewing and revising them are just as important.” Reviewing difficult questions and corresponding topics is critical in ensuring that the same mistakes will not be made in the future. Sites like Quizlet can serve as a platform to learn essential terms found in practice questions. In addition, getting a review book is highly recommended for access to these questions and explanations of various choices, as well as a review relating to each unit. Utilizing such practice resources can help refine the critical thinking skills needed to succeed on the test.
- Stay after with a teacher.
Teachers are there to help students succeed in a course. Stay after school and ask about questions missed on a test. A lot of the time, they will give students advice on how to study and score better for an upcoming exam. To understand a topic or have a quiet place to study, teachers will always be there to support the needs of their students.
Improving methods through these steps can greatly enhance course grades and help students score better on the final exam. To anyone taking an AP course, best of luck on future exams!
