Darn Straight

“Forgive me, for all the things I did but mostly for the ones that I did not.”  ― Donna Tartt, The Secret History

Hey it’s your girl Kat and I’m here with a post on prepping for AP exams! Having taken my fair share of AP tests (you can see them on my about page if you want help in a certain subject or are just curious), I’ve learned a couple things that have really helped me to be prepared and ready to knock out that test. 

TEST TIPS 

Come up with a study plan. I usually start reviewing for the test mid-March or early April so I’ll have ample time to go over everything. If you can afford to get a prep book like Barrons or Princeton Review, use the chapter outlines in the table of contents to figure out how to break down your review session. An easy way to break down your schedule looks like this: set aside a couple days/a week for final review and take the total number of remaining days you have until the test. Divide this by the number of chapters to review and the quotient should be the number of days allotted to each section. If you can’t or don’t want to buy a review book, I’ll have the link to the course outline for every AP subject below. 

Practice practice practice. You know that saying “practice makes perfect”? It’s true. Collegeboard usually uses certain types of questions for the AP tests and the format generally doesn’t change much from year to year, so taking a multitude of practice test will help familiarize you with the test. I’ll usually schedule in a full practice test every two weeks as I’m reviewing, and then take 3 or 4 consecutive ones during my final review week right before the test. 

Figure out your weak spots. If you’re consistently getting the same kind of questions wrong or have that one concept that you don’t understand, ask someone for help. It can be a teacher, a parent, a friend, KhanAcademy, or Google. Make sure you target your weak spots before the test because I guarantee you they’re going to show up. 

Do not cram. The night before the test, you should be completely relaxed. If you can help it, don’t even look at your book or your notes. Take the day to fully unwind. Take a bath or do some yoga. That way, you’ll be fully relaxed for tomorrow and ready to operate at your maximum potential. 

For free response, write down everything. My AP Government teacher, who’s graded tests for a couple of years, says that as long as you answer the question somewhere in your answer, you can earn credit for it, even if you have a lot of miscellaneous information (has to be correct though). So when it comes to free response, more is always better. A little trick he also taught us is to correspond your answers to the subsection of the questions, like a, b, c, etc so it’s organized, but then to cross out the letters when you finish writing the response (only for subsections). This is because if you accidentally include the answer to part a in part b, they cannot give you credit, but if you cross out the designations, the whole answer you wrote becomes fair game. 

GENERAL TIPS 

Get a good night’s sleep. Trust me. 

Eat breakfast and bring snacks/water. The tests often go for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time and you will get hungry. You’ll be allowed to eat a snack during break time, so make sure you bring some food and water with you.

TURN YOUR CELL PHONE OFF WHILE TESTING. You will not be allowed to bring your cell phone with you. You will also not be allowed to use your phone during break. CollegeBoard is very strict about this. One time at my school, a girl used her phone during break to text her mom during the AP Biology test and she almost made everyone have to retake the test. Don’t be that person. PLEASE TURN YOUR PHONE OFF AND LEAVE IT OUTSIDE. 

Dress in layers. You never know what kind of temperature it’ll be like in the testing room and a temperamental thermostat should not come between you and your hard work for this exam. Just avoid bringing hoodies because sometimes the proctors are very strict with them as the guidelines do not allow hoodies. 

Be prepared. Check ahead to see what kind of calculators, if at all, are allowed for your specific exam. Take note that for the AP Biology test, only 5 function calculators are allowed. That means no scientific or graphing calculators. Pack up all your stuff the night before and set it aside so you don’t have to worry about it the next morning. 

Breathe. It’s only a test. You’ll be fine. 

RESOURCES 

AP Exam Basics 

Exam Fees and Waivers 

Registering for Exams - Unlike SATs/ACTs, registration does not happen on the CollegeBoard website. Instead, it’s through your school’s portal. Ask you guidance counselor if you’re not sure how to register. 

AP Exam Calendar - which tests are happening during which day and what time 

What You’ll Need

Course Outline for Every AP Subject - click on your subject and use control+f or command+f “PDF” to find the outline quickly 

Practice AP Questions for Every Subject

Resources for Every Subject 

O T H E R 

AP Cram Packets - @if-dementors-were-pink​

AP Masterpost - @studaeing

AP Advice - @pittsfieldpp

AP Prep Folder - @tosinisupgrading

AP Study Guides - @back-to-school-series

Good luck to everyone taking AP exams this year! You can do it! 

P.S. CollegeBoard offers AP Scholar Awards depending on the number of tests you’ve taken. You do not have to apply separately since CollegeBoard already has your scores. Here’s how they’re awarded. Definitely look into them because they look really good on your college app. 

Whenever you are stuck in a rut, get up and strut around your room and strike those poses. you might think its stupid but it is so much fun and it is so reassuring. so get up and work it kween

on the way to the bathroom, you're russian. when you're in the bathroom, european. when you come out, you are finnish. ;)))

please set a good example 

i’m seeing a lot of people reblogging suicide hotlines and this is just a reminder that this is a suicide help line that works like a text-based instant messenger for people who may need to talk to someone but have trouble/are uncomfortable making phone calls

a list of small study tips

these are small things you can add to your day to be 10% more productive with the estimated time it’ll take! these are things i do (or try to do) most days. they’re small enough to feel manageable, and i for sure don’t use all of them but i find that when i use at least 2-3 in a day i feel a lot better about the material.

retype notes in google docs (10-15 min/1 hour lecture)

Utilize pomodoro technique for at least one subject (25 min work/5 min break. total 30 min)

Look over notes before class (5 min)

Look over notes after class (5 min)

Make notecard summary after class (i find this one especially useful for calculus!) (10 min/notecard)

Explain short concept to a friend (10 min max)

write down to-do list of tasks (5 min)

Go over concepts in your head on your walk to class (absolute FAVORITE because of my daily calculus quizzes within the first 10 minutes of class) (as long as your walk is!)

i hope these are helpful, i need to learn more small tips myself too 😊

PSA

You feel like shit is a website set up to help you get out of that funk/improve things just enough to not feel horrible and miserable all the time.  It’s amazing.

Whether you struggle with mental health problems all the time or whether this is a new/temporary state for you, this guide is an easy and judgement-free self-care tool.

PLEASE TRY IT OUT!  Really!  You just click through the questions to answer and follow simple instructions that in the end, ideally, will help you to feel more comfortable and stable on a daily basis. 

Good luck!  Have fun!

‘my neighbour totoro’ music box

new year, new journal ! i’m absolutely loving how my january spread turned out !

currently listening - it’s not living (if it’s not with you) the 1975