Six Tips for Stressless and Effective AP Studying

As many of you may know, AP Week is nearly over, ending one of the most stressful periods of the typical Charter student’s year. From my experience preparing for the exams this year, I’ve come up with these six tips that will make studying for the APs next year a breeze.

1. Plan ahead: Studying for the APs the night before will not do you much good. Perhaps if you are simply aiming for a passing score this may work, but for students aiming for a higher score, this will not cut it. Make sure your study materials, notes, and resources are all in place prior to studying, and arrange specific study intervals to ensure organized study. STICK TO YOUR PLAN. Do not stray away from it due to laziness; this procrastination will not lead to anything.
2. Prioritize mental and physical health: Make sure to get good sleep the night before your exams, staying up all night before taking a test is not the play. For example, Mr. Oakes once told us about one of his test-taking experiences wherein he spent an entire night studying for an important test. However, when he arrived at class, sleep-deprived and tired, he found that he could not recall anything – his mind effectively became a tabula rasa. To ensure that this will not occur to you, please get in your nine hours. Additionally, eat healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Nutrition gives you the energy to study and stay alert during exams, so try your best not to be malnourished. 
3. Take breaks: Do not hardcore study for extremely extended periods of time, as overloading yourself with information will only decrease your productivity and result in burnout. Breaks between every hour to hour and half of studying are important to effective studying. Do what you enjoy during these breaks; this can be going for a jog, lying down, playing a quick match of Fortnite, or even reading a book. Breaks for half an hour are usually great for studying, so aim to take breaks for that length of time without giving up entirely on studying.
4. Talk and study with a group of friends: Please note that this only is helpful if you have friends. Working together generally makes you feel more comfortable and relaxed, as it reminds you that you are not alone in the long AP exam studying process. Having friends that will keep you honest can be a blessing, as it encourages you to focus and not procrastinate.
5. Try a form of active recall: Read portions of important text, and then formulate it in your own words. Instead of memorizing the exact phrases and then regurgitating it onto paper, you should rephrase it into something that you will remember. The process strengthens neural connections in your brain through retrieving information from your brain without external cues. Every time you actively engage with the information, the links grow stronger and stronger. It tests you on what you truly know and differentiates what you think you know and what you truly understand.
6. Try doing practice problems: Generally, studying and then doing practice problems testing your knowledge improves your comprehension of a topic. As you can see in the chart, studying and then taking a quick test to challenge your understanding can be very useful, especially over long intervals of time, in improving your retention.

Image credit to Pearson.

If after all of this, you still feel frightened, understand that the AP Exam is just a test. You are not your score, and it does not define you as a human. It is simply a cumulative test of the knowledge you gained during the year. You certainly will not fail the entire exam, so with the knowledge that you will do well and enough studying, you will be prepared for the exams. Know that if you truly do not understand the material, you can fall back on your teachers’ assistance, who are here to help you through the pressure of CollegeBoard’s exams.