Preparing for AP exams

[Bunny]

I've spent the past few days staring at an AP biology review book, wondering when I will muster the motivation to crack it. I know I should go ahead and start cramming now because both my exams (the other being AP English- Lit.) fall around the weekend of my senior prom. Ew.
Anyone have some good sites to visit or tips to offer?

[uc pseudonym]

It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was taking AP Examinations myself... anyway, I will give you what support I can, though AP Bio didn't fit into my schedule.

In terms of English-Lit, I suggest taking a practice examination of some sort. It helped me understand generally how well I could do on a real exam and also what areas I should work on improving. Other than that, a lot of it is essentially reading comprehension, and I am not certain how you can improve on that.

Also, don't worry too much about the essay exam you choose - just make sure you are very familiar with a number of different classic books and you will most likely be able to make one of them work. I reviewed five or so books the night before that covered a broad spectrum of literature and I ended up with three of them as options.

Any specific questions? It has been a long while since I thought about this.

[Bunny]

I'm actually fairly confident about the English exam. My teacher didn't give us any kind of review material and I didn't study at all last year and I still passed. So with my review book this year and my teacher's help, I should be set.

I'm extremely anxious about the AP bio essays. We've only written two this whole year and I did pretty well on both but as I was flipping through the practice exams in my review book, I noticed they look nothing alike. My teacher tells me I should focus on definitions and being able to sketch a few diagrams. I'm sure there were some other tips in there somewhere but I've been forced to pop Benadryl at lunch for the past couple of weeks and I remember very, very little of what she's said lately.
But thanks, UC!

[Scer]

While this topic is out here: Does anyone have any advice for the AP World exam? I really have no idea what to expect, and I'm particularly worried about it.


Anyway, good luck on the AP Bio test, Bunny.

[Saint Kevin]

I don't know how much I can offer as far as preparation is concerned, but I can hopefully give you guys a little more motivation to take those practice tests and cram.

You guys have no idea how cool it is to have your score come back as a four or a five on those tests. I got double fours on my physics, a 5 on my chem, a five on my spanish, a four on my european history and a 2 on my calculus.

From those scores alone, I got about 20 hours of college credit and saved a bunch of money. Also, since I transferred, they transferred with me, and are keeping me on track to graduate.

Really guys, you'll hate buckling down and cramming all that stuff in last minute, but it is really really really REALLY worth it. Do practice tests and practice essays (both timed). Do it as close to the real thing as possible, i.e., if you are supposed to take a 3 hour test with a 90 minute segment, a 15 minute break, and a 75 minute segment, then do exactly that at home. Ask your teachers and fellow and former students for study materials or practice essay topics.

As a sidenote, I found the Princeton Review study guides incredibly helpful. Also, get your hands on the Cliff's Notes type review stuff that college kids use to study for their finals. Go to a local college book store or online. Doing your best to know these very short reference materials cold will pay huge dividends. I liked the Princeton Review guides the best though because they told me the most likely material to be tested, and I planned my study time accordingly.

By the way, I still have no idea how I got the good scores that I did (except for the calculus, I really deserved that one, as I played more Halo during that class period than I ever invested in homework or study). This brings up a very, very important point: Pray.

I know it's cliche, but I'll leave you with this:

"Pray as if everything depended on God, and then work as if everything depended upon man."
- Archbishop Francis Joseph Spellman (1889-1967)

Pray hard.
Study hard.
It's worth it.

[Peanut]

I know how you feel Bunny (well kind of) seeing as how I too am preparing for AP's, but, I can't give you any tips, since this will be my first time taking the AP exams... ever... but if I could give you advice... it would probably be what Saint Kevin said at the end of his post...

Pray hard.
Study hard.
It's worth it.

Anyway, good luck!

[Pepper Kittie]

Awww, good luck Bunny! I've never taken that one but I took an AP Music Theory test last year. Fun times. I barely skidded by with straight threes... hee. But I know I could've done a lot better if I would've prepared more. The timing scared me since I didn't do any kind of practice test and I slacked off and didn't study much the week before. I know it's tedious, and really difficult to find time to study when you're trying to prepare for prom (what a job that is!) but try your best to study.

But don't work too hard. Make sure you're getting lots of sleep and food and rest, too. This is a busy time of the year. Take care of yourself hon ^_^

Sounds like a few of us have tests coming up. I have my AP English test next Thursday. Luckily my prom was last weekend so I've had time in between to study. How about we all pray for each other? And for our own tests, too. Then we'll be helping each other out.

[Lynx]

good luck! i've only taken the AP calc exam so i cant offer you tips for the bio exam, though since i study bio in college, i'd say know all the different metabolic processes, know cell division, and know about DNA and all the steps between DNA and protien. those were the big main topics of my freshman bio class.

[Puguni]

Ok. Apparently the important thing is to get enough sleep. If you don't know it, you don't know it; just take the test. At least that's what my teachers have been telling me. XD And then have a good breakfast and listen to classical music on the way to school. Don't forget to breathe. :d

[uc pseudonym]

Ah, I just remembered one other tip you may find useful. This was for the US History exam from the instructor of that course, but it probably applies to other tests. As you know, each wrong answer subtracts a fraction of a point that is greater than your chances of getting the answer correct by guessing. Thus guessing is not profitable unless you can remove a few options.

However, my professor advised us not to leave more than five questions (out of 80, I believe) blank. You tend not to get all of the questions you answer correct, and statistically speaking those who don't risk at least 75 of the answers will have a difficult time getting a good score.

[Lehn]

I got a 4 on my AP Eng. Lit test and honestly I didn't study for it. It just really isn't the kind of test you CAN study for, so don't worry about it. As long as you actually read the books, and know how to score poetry, you'll be fine.