Photo courtesy of senior Lily Scurria
San Luis Obispo High School students prepare for Advanced Placement (AP) testing to begin on May 2, 2022 and go until May 13, 2022. While this may be stress inducing for some, many AP students have discovered methods of studying that work for them.
“Usually for all of the tests I’m more worried about, I buy review books and I do a lot of practice tests so I can learn from them and make a list of things I need to brush up on,” said junior Emily Pan.
Pan is not only taking four AP tests this year, but is also a varsity swim team member as well as a part of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), which means she has a lot on her plate. Although finding time to prioritize AP tests can be difficult, she will be entering the testing weeks confident in her abilities due to both her independent studying and review from class.
For some, this will be their first year ever taking an AP exam. That is the case for sophomore Camilo Baltodano, who will be taking the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam as well as the AP European History exam. However, he’s going into it feeling pretty relaxed.
“I’m not stressed. I’m doing the AP Euro prep book and reviewing my notes. I’m also listening to music to get me in the right mindset. Music is important,” said Baltodano.
The Princeton Review creates many AP preparation books in all subjects and says the best way to prepare for the exams is to go all the way back to the oldest material and review from there to the most recent material. They advise marking a calendar and mapping out what tests are on which days, to make sure no confusion occurs.
As “senioritis” (a decline in motivation in the last year of high school) is afflicting many seniors as of late, this has created a new obstacle during the AP season.
“I do find myself getting distracted sometimes but since I started studying early enough with practice tests and stuff, I feel pretty prepared,” said senior and veteran AP test taker Tashi Schaffner. Since he knows what to expect, he’s not overly concerned about his four exams this year.
No matter your own preferred method of study, whether it be prep books, music, meditation, or beginning months in advance, remember to enter these next couple of weeks with confidence in your own abilities.
To all sophomore, junior and senior students taking AP exams, make sure to eat balanced meals the night before and day-of, get plenty of sleep, and stay hydrated, as advised by Best Colleges. Good luck to all Tigers taking an AP test this year!
Sources: princetonreview.com, bestcolleges.com
