Limp papers peppered with the ink imprints of fingers, prep books lined with colorful highlighted stripes, sets of index cards bundled together with rubber bands– all these materials indicate that it’s that time of year again. It is AP season, and students and teachers alike are caught up in the studying frenzy.
But how best to study for the AP tests, which will essentially indicate a given student’s success in his or her AP classes?
Well, first of all, don’t be afraid to start early; you don’t want to wind up cramming in the weeks or days before your tests. Time is always of the essence, and the clock? It’s always ticking. The earlier you start, the more time the studied material will really marinate, and the more likely it is to stick with you. If you allow yourself more time, you’ll be giving yourself a buffer during which you can more intensely focus on what the first, earliest round of studying revealed was your greatest weakness.
Ask teachers what prep books they believe are optimal for their subjects. All prep books are not created equal, and buying a book with practice tests that are much easier than the actual test will only hurt you; your practice tests should simulate the real test. That way, you’ll know what to expect and what to plan for. Barron’s may be best for AP Biology, but McGraw-Hill’s Five Steps to a Five might better prepare you for AP Macroeconomics. Stay informed and pick the most worthwhile books. You want only the most cutting-edge weapons in your arsenal.
Everyone has their own predilections and predispositions—so know yourself. If you know that you struggle more in a certain class, spend more time studying for it. If you know that going through practice problems teaches you more effectively than simply reading formulas, then go through practice problems like you’re at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
That’s what seasoned AP veteran Anita Khasnavis ‘15 says she did last year; she recalled that her AP Physics teacher, Mr. Gilmore, “gave [the class] a big review packet, which definitely helped me. The book that I got confused me a bit, just because I am better at learning things through practice problems, rather than by reading about formulas and concepts in a book. The practice was really helpful; always ask for more practice!”
Always ask. Don’t be afraid to ask your teachers for help, clarification, or advice. They’ll be happy to assist you. You might also want to ask your teachers to email you the blank versions of all the tests that you’ve taken. This way, you can test yourself using questions of the same difficulty level as those on the actual AP tests.
Sometimes, it’s best to get the most important, bare-bones information down in one place. Many students create study guides or “cheat-sheets” for themselves in which they write down important formulas, court cases, concepts, or any other pertinent information in order to facilitate efficient review. Whether you’re going to use a cheat-sheet or a color-coded highlighting system in your prep books, think of a system that makes sense to you to aid in time-savvy, quality review; think of a system and stick to it.
For example, in terms of memorization, don’t underestimate the power of The Flashcard. Many have long since dismissed The Flashcard’s mighty power as juvenile or overrated, but the truth is that there are very few mechanisms that foster optimum remembrance as well as The Flashcard does. If you’re at a loss and can’t figure out a review mechanism, take a shot at a tried-and-true one like The Flashcard.
But learning doesn’t have to be all studying. I encourage you to go beyond dipping your big toe into the lapping water. I encourage you to swim. There is little point in acquiring superficial or shallow understanding of the subjects you will be tested on.
Srinivas Mandyam ‘16 insists that “[his] best advice is to try to see how the ideas, the knowledge actually function in the world around you. When you watch leaves fall, think about force diagrams and poetic symbolism and plant anatomy. If you let the subjects permeate your life, you won’t ever really have to actively study.” Besides, a sunrise is all the more beautiful when you can look at it and not only think of its beauty, but also of its wavelengths, of the unique angles of refracting light that had to occur in order for the rays to splash across the sky in this particular exquisite dawn. Don’t be a robot. Don’t learn or study simply for the sake of grades, for the sake of college applications; be more than that. Do more than that.
If you try all of the aforementioned suggestions and still find yourself lacking in confidence—if even The Flashcard doesn’t revive your confidence in your memory or knowledge—then take heed of Evelyn Bigini’s ‘16 words of wisdom: “You remember more than you think you do.”