AP exams this year are quickly approaching, taking place May 5 through 22. The AP exam may be a stressful test to think about, as the score determines whether or not college credit is received. However, to aid you and reduce your stress, I have created some study tips to make sure that you can feel confident and ready whenever you take your exam.
Study Apps
One of my favorite things to do when studying for regular classes as well as for the AP exam freshman year was using websites and apps that create study guides for you. There are so many options for study apps, but my favorite is called Knowt. Knowt is an app and website that is free, making it a really good resource that can be accessed anywhere. The app has features that can give you practice questions and flashcards for your topic as well as offering study sheets for each unit in multiple AP and regular classes. Premium features may require money, but the free features are a basis of everything you need. There is also another app called AP Exam Master which allows you to study proficiently and track your progress with units and a question accuracy percentage. It also offers video lessons and AP-style practice questions to understand concepts and questions that may appear on a real AP exam.
Notes
Try to find all the notes that you have for your class and divide them among units. Paper clip them and label them for each individual unit. To help you, use a blank piece of paper and record formulas, equations, events or models. Highlight or use bright colored pens and markers to make information stick out easier, making the information stay in your brain. Make a study schedule and dedicate different days to different units and use practice quizzes on each unit to make sure you are clear on what you need. During a tough unit of Urbanization in AP Human, making note sheets significantly boosted my confidence in recalling city models and specific definitions. It is very important to recall specific information for your test, so note taking is a great way to reinforce information
Study Environment
Study environments can make or break your study productivity, especially for exams over an entire class. Some study environments that I have found to be great are libraries and coffee shops. I like to visit the John and Judy Gay library in McKinney, as they offer quiet study rooms in the back. However, it is important to note that you need to rent study rooms on their website. They have study rooms in the back of the library as well as computers for customer use. It is very quiet and is a very study-friendly environment. Coffee shops are also a great option, but beware of more popular shops because they tend to be louder and usually don’t have lots of seating. Some coffee joints that are great are Sweetwater Coffee & Tea on Custer, PJs’ coffee in Frisco and Blackrock Coffee Bar in McKinney, having great menus and quiet places to work. While Starbucks may come to mind to many, it is usually loud and has lots of people studying there. You might get lucky at a Starbucks if you study during the week and later in the afternoon, but weekends are not recommended.
Timers
If you tend to struggle with staying focused and productive, try setting a timer or stopwatch on a computer or ipad to track your progress. YouTube offers lots of different types of timers that have fun colors and fonts to motivate you to study. 30 minute timers are also very beneficial, giving you short bursts of time to focus. Add five minute break times after those 30 minutes to help keep yourself focused and prevent burnout.
Exams can be daunting, but having a plan is key for success. Additionally, these tips can help you beyond just AP exams, whether that’s a normal class test or SAT prep. Make sure to practice these tips. Happy studying!
