How to Study for the AP Exam

Are you taking any AP classes? Have you thought about the AP exam yet? Are you not sure of the best way to prepare for the exam?

The AP exams are just a few months away! It is never too early to start preparing. For some people, it may be their first, fifth, or even tenth exam. Whether you are a freshman or senior, there are many effective ways to study for the AP exam to maximize your time and score.

Let’s say you procrastinated a bit and don’t have much time to study for the exam. The first thing you should do is look at past exams. Some teachers keep a folder of these tests in their classroom, so you can ask for the folder. Go through the practice tests answering the questions again. Then, look at the topics where you got the most questions wrong and focus on those topics when you are studying. This allows you to improve in the sections where you are struggling the most.

In addition, there are many online resources that could be of help.

Videos: Collegeboard has released videos for each topic for every single AP class! If there is a specific topic that you have trouble with or just want to watch some overview videos, sign into Collegeboard, go to AP Classroom, and watch the AP daily videos. If those don’t seem to work for you, there are many YouTubers who make videos that could be extremely helpful as well.

Practice problems: Keep doing practice problems! This is the best way to apply the knowledge you have. Once again, Collegeboard has many questions for each subject and topic (you may have to ask your teacher to release them for you). In addition, many of you may have used Albert.io before. Both Collegeboard and Albert.io even give explanations as to why certain questions are wrong or right.

Furthermore, set a schedule for yourself on what topics you want to study each day to allow yourself to allocate time each day to complete the task. This will help you stay organized and on-task.

These are just a few of the many ways you can begin to prepare for the AP exam. Personally, these worked out well for me. But remember, don’t overstudy. You’ll do great!