The College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) exams begin next week – is your child ready?
Each may, hundreds of thousands of students sit for one or more AP exams covering over thirty subject areas. These exams are grueling, taking several hours to complete a single subject test. Depending on the subject area, they can include in-depth essay questions, lengthy reading passages, challenging mathematical problems, and complex charts or graphs. These tests are not easy.
Most AP students spend many weeks, if not months, preparing for the end of year exams. After all, these exams cover up to a full year worth of material, and that quantity of information cannot be mastered in mere days. But with the tests just days away, many students and parents wonder what last minute preparation they can undertake.
Whether your child is already well prepared or not, here are some tips to be ready for the big tests:
- Take another practice test: Whether on their own or in the classroom, most AP students will have already taken at least one practice test. Take another. This test will show students exactly which areas they still need to brush up on, and this will make preparation more effective.
- Purchase a good review book: There are many AP exam review books available. While these books are often not ideal for in-depth exam preparation, they can be a good last resort for those who need to prepare in a hurry. Use your practice test results to determine which chapters need to be reviewed.
- Take lots of notes: Students often find that the act of writing information down helps them to remember it. Taking notes isn’t merely for class time – the very act of taking notes is a good study method.
- Use flashcards: When applicable, making and using flashcards can be a great way to memorize key pieces of information, whether a student is memorizing the Periodic Table of Elements or key battles in the Civil War.
- Get a good night’s sleep: Do not stay up all night before the test cramming. What little information you might memorize will likely be useless in the face of exhaustion on the morning of the test. A good night’s sleep is sometimes the best preparation that a good student can have for a test.
- Eat breakfast: The brain requires energy to perform at its peak level. Eat a full and well-balanced breakfast the morning of the test to keep brain performance high.
Students who plan on enrolling in Advanced Placement classes next year should heed the advice of past students: DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO PREPARE. Proper AP preparation requires weeks of work and often cannot be done alone. The most successful students often participate in peer study groups or enroll in preparation programs such as those offered by C2 Education.
Good luck to everyone in the coming weeks of AP exams!
