How to Study for APs

Wanna see a magic trick?

Okay, I’m going to predict 3 of your usual habits during AP exam season. First, you’re getting less than 7 hours of sleep. Am I right? You know I am. Second, you’re unmotivated to study so you just sorta read what’s on that exam prep book or your notes but you have no idea what you’re reading. Finally, you’re worried the day before the exam and cram till late at night, still not sure of yourself the morning of the exam. How do I know this? Hint: It wasn’t magic (sorry, I lied).

Lots of exam prep books say you should start studying a month or so before the exam, which is usually ideal, depending on the ease you have with your exam subject. For a lot of students though, AP exam season is around the same time as 2nd semester exams and end of year projects. This along with spring sports, extracurricular activities, and summer planning, can fill up one’s schedule pretty quickly therefore leaving little to no time for daily AP studying.

So for all my procrastinators, and busy people, here’s some tips for studying that may come in handy.

Plan If you’re a busy person, a calendar is a must have.

If you don’t have a physical planner or calendar, use an online one! Personally, I like writing stuff on a physical calendar but I also write it in Google Calendar so I can always have it on my phone or laptop. Having your schedule of after school activities written down can help you find when you’re going to be available and write down a designated time to study.

TAKE PRACTICE TESTS

If I could bold and underline that statement even more, I would. When I studied for my AP U.S. Government & Politics exam, I took a practice exam with a timer next to me so I could take it in the time period I would in the real exam. I learned how to pace myself and practice process of elimination on multiple choice questions. Practice exams not only help you get comfortable with the exam format, it also helps you see what you need to study.

Have a list of everything you need to know/study.

There are a TON of resources out there to study for AP exams. AP Central usually has videos of teachers explaining some key concepts, and they have practice tests as well. Fiveable, a website focused on getting you a 5 on your AP exam, has “cram sessions” which are live streams that review what you should know in an easy to understand but thorough way. You can find lots of videos on Youtube and study guides online that will broaden your medium and technique for studying. With all your materials ready, make a list of things/concepts you’d like to cover every study session. This will help you stay organized and ready to start studying.

Take Breaks

If you have a short attention span like I do, or just aren’t motivated to study, try locking in for about 25 minutes and then taking a break for 5 minutes. If you need a long study period, study for about 50 minutes, and take a break for 10, and after 3 study periods you can take a long 20 minute break. You can use the Pomodoro timer in the study rooms in Knowunity to time your study periods and breaks. Use these breaks to drink water, eat, stretch, exercise, or go outside! It’s important to not turn into an AP test zombie, so take some breaks to not think about AP stuff.

Have Limits: Have a cutoff time for studying.

It’s essential that you MAKE SURE YOU SLEEP! I know some of you are foreign to the idea of 8 hours of sleep but it’s really important! Sleep helps with physical and mental exhaustion. Have an alarm ring 5-10 minutes before you have to stop. When it rings, close your laptop, close your notebook and put everything away. Even though it might seem tempting to study throughout the night, go to sleep. Leave the nocturnal behavior to the bats and owls.

AP classes take a lot of commitment and hard work. So for all you guys getting ready to dive into your exam studying, I wish all of you the best and have fun.