With AP tests coming up, students experience much hassle and craziness accompanying studying, executing, and staying on top of all of their classes. Many people don’t really know what to expect with tests in the world of AP, but particularly AP English. While they can be easy if students pay attention, the AP Lang and Lit tests are still very long and take preparation to ensure success.
Mrs. C. Smith, an AP Literature teacher, said, “Expect for your brain to hurt and also expect for it to require you to refer back to prior knowledge from the beginning of the year. You can also be prepared by eating big healthy breakfast because the test is very tedious and long.”
Mrs. Smith also says “Some studying strategies that are good to use are paying attention in class, using essay questions to practice and going over diagrams from the year. You should also do a lot of reviewing, remember acronyms that are given and most importantly don’t cram the night before.”
Jasmyn Hendricks (’14) has an interesting way on surviving and executing well during AP English tests. She says “Instead of studying what you already know, study what you don’t fully understand, because if you over study for the things you already know you’re probably going to freak yourself out when it comes to test time.”
She also says “Don’t study the night before and don’t over study because over studying can cause nervousness and make it even harder in the long run.”
This is a good method to use because most test takers get questions wrong because they get lost in the information and are overwhelmed by how much they are expected to remember. But if they just slow down, think about what they’ve learned in class in addition to studying, they probably would make a better choice when it comes to answering the questions.
Brooke Denvy (’14) says “The best way to prepare for the AP Lang test is to pay attention and refer back to the book on things you may not understand, there are great resources out there and one of them is collegeboard.com which offers many resources for studying.” In addition to that Denvy also says, “For incoming AP students know that the work load is hectic and pay attention in class.”
Over all studying seems to be a big problem with most test takers because over studying does nothing but stress them out and force their mind to lose the information they were desperately trying to retain. Also studying in advance opposed to the night before seems to be the key. While cramming for a math or science test may ensure good results, with English it’s a bit more difficult because students are required to remember more than just formulas and vocabulary.
Jessica Perry (’14), says “Reading lots of books and paying attention to what your teacher says while learning information will ensure success.”
Mrs.Smith also says “For students coming into the world of AP you want to make sure you really have a passion for reading and reading a variety of text that aren’t current. Also a lot of reading and writing is required so if you don’t like it, don’t take the class.”
While preparing for AP test can be hassle it is well worth is for all the benefits students get if they do well. Not only does it look good on college applications, it also helps when it comes to the work force because it shows hard work and dedication. So with the AP Tests, whether it’s Language and Literature, study, pay attention and relax.