As May approaches, Advance Placement (AP) test season draws closer. The month of May is often filled with nerves, long nights of studying and stress. World Language, Calculus BC, and US History tests will be held at Marriotts Ridge, and the rest will be administered at St. Joseph’s Catholic Community Center. Students will arrive at 7:30 a.m. for morning exams and 12 p.m. for afternoon exams.
Many students prepare months in advance to achieve the highest score of five on their AP test. With stress levels skyrocketing under the pressure to do good in order to possibly save money on courses in college, students make sure they set themselves up for success on their test in order to ensure the same for their future.
The College Board typically says that students who started studying at least three months in advance saw higher success and satisfaction when their scores were released. Students started coming up with study schedules in order to manage their time efficiently and timely. This time allows students to have plenty of time to balance their continuous school workloads as well as their AP preparations.
“I keep putting off [the studying] because I have five AP exams. Even though I know that if I start studying earlier, I’ll do better on the test, I expect us to do a rigorous amount of reviewing during class for the weeks leading up to the exam,” said junior Risha Basatwar.
Other students know that if they procrastinate then the amount of work and studying they will have in the weeks and days leading up to their exams will be stressful and unmanageable for them.
“Knowing myself, I want to start studying earlier because if I wait, my work will pile up on me, and I won’t be able to study to the best of my ability. If I come up with a plan ahead of time, I’ll be able to manage my time a lot better,” said junior Breanna Hyatt.
Students who are taking an AP test for the first time are using advice they have heard from peers that took the same test in previous years to plan out how they are going to study.
“This year, I am taking my first AP test, but even though I am nervous about it, I have friends that took the test last year to help me figure out how I should study for the test as well as any tips and tricks I need or should know,” said junior Rafi Riberas.
Many students find it helpful when teachers take the initiative and start students off on a schedule of what they should be studying and spending the most time working on leading up to their test. Similarly, students also appreciate the additional support and time embedded in-class time to study material that may be challenging.
“I find it very helpful that my teachers are starting to take more time out of class to give us activities to help prepare us for our AP tests. With many extracurriculars outside of school, sometimes it is challenging to have time set apart from my usual school work to study solely for my AP tests,” said junior Sydney Proper.
Teachers encourage students to start studying and spend a minimum of ten minutes a day for each test, studying material as well as continuously taking online practice tests to assess where they are at. Students are likely to find much more success when they start studying at least three months in advance and are encouraged to start immediately. Good Luck Marriotts Students on any and all AP tests.