As the school year begins to wind down, students have to face one of their biggest challenges yet. End of year exams. There are many different types of these cumulative tests, finals, S.T.A.A.R test, E.O.C’s, but possibly the most feared of these tests are AP tests. An AP test is one of, if not the most difficult category of test that can be taken in high school. After a grueling year of college level classes, passing the AP test seems like the final mountain a student needs to conquer to see the fruits of their labor. While these tests do have a lot riding on them, stressing will do little to help, rather, students should trust themselves and their teaching to do the best on these tests.
AP tests differ from finals in the fact that instead of covering information from just that semester, AP’s ask questions from the very beginning of the year. Many information-dense classes like AP US History or AP Chemistry, have mountains of equations and dates that can often slip away from students. A great way for students to remind themselves of previous lessons or facts is to go over their notes. But sometimes said notes may be lacking some things, a much better way to review information is to look at released practice tests. These released tests come straight from college board themselves, and cover information from every lesson or unit from that subject. You can also take a look at written response answers, and see how they scored, and to get a good feel of your own writing ability.
While diligent review will without a doubt improve your score, it is possible to do too much. Knowing all the information is wonderful, but giving your mind a chance to rest and relax a day or two before the test will do wonders for you and your mental capabilities. Productive resting like reading, drawing, or doing other hobbies are wonderful ways to gently stimulate your brain in preparation for these exams.
While the brain is going to be pulling most of the weight for the exam, neglecting to take care of your body is a mistake you can’t afford to make. Eating healthy, protein based foods before a test like nuts, eggs, and yogurt have been proven to increase memory retention and mental alertness. Sleeping is also a massive factor in how well someone does well on exams. It’s incredibly important to get the recommended 7-8, but try to lean towards 8 hours if possible. It is, however, a terrible idea to drastically change your sleeping schedule the night before one of these tests. If you have a good routine where you’re able to get enough hours, and wake up feeling recharged then that’s great. However, if your sleeping habits aren’t the best, then try to fix them a couple weeks in advance for the test. Slowly shifting your sleep so that it’s in a better position for the test is the best way to go about it.
These tests have the possibility to help frame our lives in college and beyond, so it’s completely reasonable to be a bit nervous for them. But trusting in your education, doing your own review, and taking care of your mind and body give you the best chances for a successful and stress free testing experience.
