AP(lease) Help Me On This Exam

May is rapidly approaching which means AP exams for many students. AP exams are arguably the most stressful time of the year. We have to know all of the information, writing styles, specific details and time periods, and don’t get me started on complexity points. Some people will know what I’m talking about! I’m here to dive into the best strategies for taking the AP exams and how to prepare for them. 

For students who may not know, East Rockaway will offer some of the exams on paper and some using the digital format. The format and date of the exam depends on your class, so be sure to ask your AP teacher about the details.  So let’s dive into test taking strategies and advice from teachers. 

Writing is a big part of the AP curriculum and it can be very tricky. ‘AP’ stands for advanced placement and it is an accelerated class. In May, students taking an AP course will take an AP exam to potentially earn college credits. The test is scored out of 5. Earning a 3 or higher could earn college credits depending on your college of choice. This means you may not have to take that course when you get to college and will save you money. I asked teachers how to prepare for the upcoming exams and they all gave me some interesting feedback. 

I can offer some advice from my experience in the AP World History class. Mrs. Parasmo feels that students need to reinforce their writing skills and practice questions using AP classroom. She knows that writing is very important for AP exams because it can be very tricky to structure your essay correctly. Multiple choice questions require careful, but fast, reading. It is recommended that you take about 1 minute per question for the multiple choice, which may seem very intimidating. Multiple choice can be very lengthy so you need to pick out keywords from the question. Things like, “based on the time period,”  requires you to use background knowledge of that specific time period. That’s why it is essential to read your AMSCO book! Other questions may give you a document as a source and you will need to use that to find the correct answer. I find SAQ’s (Short Answer Questions) to be very difficult, but I have a tool to help answer these questions and in the right amount of time. It’s called the ‘TEA’ method. ‘TEA’ stands for topic, evidence, and analysis. On an SAQ there will most likely be three bullet points to answer and you will need to use ‘TEA’ for each point. For your topic, you will answer the question straightforwardly using knowledge from history and the document, if provided. An SAQ is not an essay, so you do not need an introduction. For evidence, you will back up your answer with facts from the time period or a source provided. And for analysis, you will need to explain the significance. Analysis is usually what students struggle with the most, me included. 

I also spoke to Ms. Kenny about the dreaded exams and she said that she loves to use Heimler’s History review videos for her class. There are great videos for every topic that are very detailed. “AMSCO is also a great resource that students are lucky to have because not every school has individual AMSCO books.” She is confident that her students and all AP students will be prepared for the test and they have the resources to do well. 

I also met with Mr. Gibbons for his input. He believes that virtual exams will benefit East Rockaway students because of the way our school year has gone and the way the curriculum has been set up. He encourages students to use the AP classroom for multiple choice practice.  Mr. Gibbons told me that the College Board has released videos explaining to students how the AP exam will be structured and what they should do to prepare. 

It’s no secret that students worry about AP exams, but with help from these teachers I hope everyone scores at least a 4! I hope I have been able to provide useful information and tips about the exams that will help students study. I know that I will be looking for keywords in multiple choice questions because I find those to be very difficult. Just remember to answer your SAQ’s with the TEA method and you will do great!