For all of the AP students, the big test is up and coming. The week of May 6-10 and May 13-17 are testing weeks. Two Advanced Placement (AP) teachers at Rock Hill, Mrs. Natale and Ms. Bruns, talk about how important it is to be prepared for those tests. 

Bruns has been teaching for 10 years, and Natale for 12. Their experiences with these tests can help students not stress for the exams they will need to take. 

“Study in some way. Fiveable, Quizzlet, youtube videos, or read through the material,” Bruns said.

They are both very experienced, amazing teachers. They want students to succeed and have provided tips for before and during the exam. 

“[An amazing way to find out what you need to study is to] Google AP-(the course)-CED pdf’. Then go through every unit and look through the essential knowledge, anything you don’t know write down to study. You don’t need to study the things you already know, so find the things you don’t and focus on that,” Bruns said.

Studying is essential to getting good scores. Although it’s not always the best path to take the night before. 

“The night before, don’t study. You are not not going to magically know everything, you know what you know. Don’t stress yourself out. Have a normal day and relax. The day of the test, wake up and eat something before,” Bruns said. 

Below are a few tips provided by Mrs. Natale:

Day of exam tips:

1. 1. Be well rested from the night before. This is not the time to try to pull an all-nighter.
   2. Eat a solid breakfast to help you power through the exam since you are only given 1 break and cannot snack during the exam. 
   3. Arrive to your campus testing location early! 
      1. If you’re early, you’re on-time
      2. If you’re right on-time, you’re late
      3. If you’re late, no test for you & no refund either
   4. Have all of your required supplies (+ extras) & ID with you

Exam tips

1. 1. Utilize reviews provided by teachers as well as what you can find online.
   2. Don’t wait until the last minute to begin studying – pace it out (units, periods, etc.)
   3. You won’t know everything on the exam – that’s okay! And normal!
   4. Pace yourself, breathe, and take your time.

Words of Encouragement

1. 1. Not earning a 5 is not the end of the world. 3, 4, & 5 will all earn you college credit.
   2. I personally do not care what you score on the exam – as long as you’ve worked hard all year, shown progress throughout the year, and have ultimately tried your best. Your score does not define you overall!!!
   3. You’ve got this! We all believe in you!

How to Prep for the exam

1. 1. Do not wait until the last minute to begin reviewing and studying.
   2. Don’t try to cram everything in the week before the exam.
      1. You’ll only get overwhelmed and frustrated
   3. Pace yourself – study a little bit each night (15 mins +)
      1. Especially earlier units
   4. Use a variety of methods to help you study.
      1. Practice tests/questions
      2. Flashcards
      3. Kahoots, Quizzizz, etc.
   5. Mock Exams are a good pre-exam experience
   6. Talk to your teacher to see what advice they can provide for specific sections of your test
      1. Example: They may have strategies for MCQ that you may have not thought of.

Exam season is always stressful, but using these tips can help take an extra layer of stress off. Studying during the weeks coming up to it and relaxing the night before are the main two themes from teachers. There is lots of help online when using these resources: Heimler, Mr.Sinn, The APsolute RecAP, and Jeremy Krug. 

 Get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast, and it will be a breeze,” Bruns said.