Preparing for Advanced Placement (AP) exams can be overwhelming even for the seasoned test taker. If it’s your first time taking an AP exam, you may be starting to feel the pressure and wondering what you can do to improve your odds of receiving a good score on test day.
Whether you’re looking for specific test taking tips to give you an extra edge or a first-time AP student looking for some advice on managing the coursework, the Marks Education team is here to help with effective strategies, resources, and study habits to ensure you walk into test day feeling confident. Of course, study tips for AP courses and exams are applicable to any challenging honors or advanced class.
What are AP Exams?
AP courses are designed to replicate the experience of college-level classes by challenging students to demonstrate a deep understanding of a subject and develop critical thinking skills. AP exams provide a standardized testing metric which colleges can use to assess mastery of content. Some colleges will even provide college credit if a student gets a certain score on an AP exam.
AP courses can help you save time and money when selecting college courses, provide colleges with a standardized measure of achievement to enhance your admissions profile, and help you develop valuable skills such as time management and academic discipline, all of which prepare you for the rigors of college life.
Step 1: Know The Format and Content Well
Before you begin studying, it’s important to understand what will be on the test so you don’t waste time on the wrong content. The College Board’s AP Central page is an excellent resource for exam-specific information. This page provides a breakdown of the test structure, including the number of sections, the types of questions, and how each is weighted to the overall score.
You can find your test information by Googling “College Board AP Central (enter subject)”:
For example:
“College Board AP Central: AP Calculus”
“College Board AP Central: AP US History”
“College Board AP Central: AP Biology”
Step 2: Make Sure You’re Using Smart Study Strategies
AP classes are highly demanding. Intensive preparation and study are part of the expectations when you sign up, so good study habits are key.
Some effective strategies to become a more successful learner include…
- Be an Active Reader: Do something while you read. It’s important to take notes, highlight key points, summarize sections of a textbook, and create flashcards of key vocabulary or terms. This strategy is especially beneficial in reading-heavy courses like AP Literature, AP Biology, and AP World History, as it will help you engage with the material, which will help you make sense of and remember it. Notes and flashcards are also valuable tools when you come back to study content a month or two after you first read it. Check out our article on reading strategies for more tips and tricks!
- Be an Active Studier: Don’t just look at your reading notes or highlighted text in your textbook and assume you’ll passively absorb the information. After reading over your notes, cover them up and make sure you can recite the information. Use flashcards as they are intended – look at the word or term you’ve written on the front and make sure you can recite the definition or provide an example without looking at the back!
- Use Available Resources: the College Board provides past Free Response Questions for most exams. Make sure to practice using these questions – whether it’s writing a practice DBQ for AP World History, an argumentative essay for AP Lang or a functions question for AP Calculus.
- Remember to Preview and Review: Use your weekends to read ahead – i.e. read those chapters that will be discussed in class in the upcoming week – or revisit areas where you had difficulties. By getting a head start on your reading over the weekend, you can use your class lectures as review sessions, giving you time to focus on asking questions and improving on challenging topics.
Step 3: Be Sure You’re Using Your Time Wisely
AP exams require careful planning to ensure success. It’s not just about cramming information in the weeks leading up to the tests; it’s about integrating studying into your routine well in advance—sometimes even months before the exam.
Here are some tips to help you prepare:
- Plan Weekly: Allocate time each week for studying. For example, reading a chapter of AP History can take 2-3 hours for many students, so make sure to budget that time into your schedule, even if you choose not to cover it all in one sitting. In fact, it’s often better to break up large reading assignments into more manageable chunks. Rather than sitting down to read for three hours, break up the reading into three one-hour chunks.
- Utilize Study Halls: You might have free periods that can be devoted to your coursework. Using this time wisely can alleviate some of the study burden outside of school, allowing you to balance other priorities, such as other coursework, extracurricular activities, or family obligations.
- Be Realistic: Simply stating that you will study for a certain number of hours each week may not suffice. Many students benefit from consciously planning when and what they will read or study. Create a schedule and commit to sticking to it! Don’t forget to schedule time for taking practice tests.
We recommend that students sit down and look at exactly how much time they have in a week. Go through and mark down all time that’s spent at school, at practice, eating dinner with your family, or with your friends, and then realistically assess what is left over. Where does studying fit in this profile?
Step 4: Know What to Expect on Test Day
Most exams will last between 2 to 3 hours, and many have specific time limits for each section. So, it’s a good idea to speak with your teacher beforehand to find out where you’ll be testing and to ask any questions about any specific accommodations you may need.
Be sure to bring all required items, including a pencil, a calculator (if allowed), and your AP test ticket. This last item is especially important!
Step 5: Know That It’s Okay to Ask for Help
AP classes can be quite demanding, but it’s important to remember that they shouldn’t take over your life. There are many ways to excel on AP exams while still enjoying your high school experience.
Prioritize your well-being by getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and eating healthily to fuel your body for studying. Stay intentional with your time and dedicate a bit each week to improvement; you’ll start to see results.
Contact us for more information!
