The feeling of anticipation that every student gets is coming up.  AP tests are right around the corner! Many students are studying as they plan to go into AP testing. AP tests are usually around 3-4 hours long and are used for college credit. The scoring of an AP test goes all the way up to a 5, most teachers would like their students to score a 5 but an average amount of students score a 4 or even maybe a 3.

Now with the increase of technology there are many different useful study tools. Many students gravitate towards Quizlet to make online flash cards on their choice of topic. Some students gravitate towards Google Docs or slide to write out information or make presentations about what they remember and a slide for each subject. One of the most useful study tools I have learned is writing them out by hand. In fact AP Psychology teacher Jeremy Kittek stated, “I would rewrite my notes by hand and then go in and add my own examples”. Which is known to be a great way to study before an AP exam because it forces you to reread the information and write it out.

There are many different ways you can study before a test, many teachers try to encourage their students to start 2-3 weeks before their scheduled AP test. Kittek stated, “Half an hour per day of studying leading up to the test, and then a day before the test study a couple of hours”. This is a sure way to ensure success and making sure you aren’t cramming your brain with information last minute.

Students need to remember one important thing, it is worse to stay up studying than sleeping. Your brain can’t function properly without good sleep! It doesn’t matter how much information you tried studying the night before, if you don’t get enough sleep you won’t remember any of it. When asked the question of what should students do the day before a test Kittek stated, “sleep, the phrase is it’s better to get an extra hour of sleep than an extra hour of studying because you can actually overload your brain and sleeping actually helps build those important memory neurons to remember the stuff, don’t pull an all nighter it doesn’t work.”

If you are a student feeling anxious or nervous before AP tests an important method to remember is box breathing. Box breathing is when you inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds and hold for four seconds. This works to calm yourself down because your brain is so focused on the four seconds and creating a box in your head it can’t focus on anything else.

Make sure to be aware when your AP exams are if you are taking one! Remember some of these tips and tricks if you are going to study beforehand for them, or just feel anxious. Best of luck to every student testing!