With AP exams just around the corner, students are beginning to look into how they can be successful in taking these final tests.
Held throughout the months of May and June and graded on a scale of 5, these tests are a subject of stress and labor. Students from all grades who have taken the AP courses will be taking their respective AP exams if they choose to do so, in hopes of receiving an advanced placement credit for colleges. Although many students are taking the upcoming tests for the first time, there tend to be varied opinions and advice from students that have and have not taken it before.
“I’m taking three AP exams (psychology, statistics, government, and politics) and I am not self-studying,” sophomore Saachi Aggarwal said.
Seeing how the tests are in May and June, most students have either just begun studying or are pushing their studies for a later date, so the knowledge is retained closer to testing day.
“I have not started studying yet. I am still learning the content and I plan to start studying this week,” freshman Yasmin Mohammed said.
Many students have multiple resources set aside that they plan to use to help them fare well on the test. Looking over things like past assignments, slides, review packets, and watching videos online should definitely help.
“I plan to use Barron’s books, resources my teachers gave us, review sessions my teachers are holding,” junior Sai Naraharisetti said.
This year, students have the choice between a virtual and in-person testing session — most students opted for the online version of the test along with choosing to remain virtual for the course to be safer during these dangerous times, but claimed they would prefer writing the exam in person, whereas others didn’t mind it being online.
“I do think that if it were in-person, things would’ve been different. I think that I might have better notes, more time to prepare because the course [would] be for a full year rather than half, and I would be able to focus better on studying,” freshman Manvita Kakarla said.
Virtual learning has had many effects on how students learn, and many students prefer the normal learning experience over either hybrid or online. Even so, some students claim that they would be just as successful regardless of whether they are in the building or not.
“These are my first AP exams so I’m not really sure, but I think I would do things the same way,” sophomore Cadence Cheng said.
For the students who are taking AP courses and exams for the first time, upperclassmen have given advice on what to do, know for the test, and what they wish they knew the first time they took the exam. Most of them simply recommend starting to revise the material early, and using different resources to ensure all the concepts have been covered, as well as practicing FRQ’s.
“A good night’s sleep does so much more than most people think. It’s seriously advantageous,” senior Sashu Prakash said. Stressing over the exams doesn’t do any good either, so instead try to relax and focus on what is being asked.
Most students are just beginning to study for their upcoming exams, with most veteran AP exam takers recommending to take it easy and studying earlier rather than later, regardless of the exam. The students at Marriotts Ridge High School are overcoming any pandemic challenges and working hard to ensure that they are happy with their results.