I just took my first AP test today in school for AP computer science principles. There were quite a few things I did right, however, there were almost as many things that I did wrong and that’s the reason I’m writing about this today.
Though I may have little experience in terms of APs I have learned quite a bit about them even from just one. Let’s start with things that I did well, firstly it is important to pace yourself during the 2-3 hour exam. I personally think that you should finish the test with about 20-30 minutes left to allow yourself to check and revise your answers. I personally finished with 26 minutes left after answering all 70 questions, this leads me to my next point which is DONT LEAVE ANYTHING blank. Even if there is a 1% chance that its right points are not deducted for incorrect answers. So you might as well take an educated guess and fill out an answer.
Nextly it is always a good idea to write down things so that you don’t forget little notes. Because as far as I’m aware there aren’t any rules against that. For example in my test, I wrote down the first 8 bits of binary as I figured it would be useful to know. Another thing that is important to do is to read each question a few times if possible to fully understand what it is asking. As sometimes the wording can be confusing and complex.
Now there is of course something that I would recommend that will help you . The first thing though it seems obvious as well is to study for the weekend coming up to the test if not earlier. This test is an essential part of an AP class and as such it is imperative that you do well on it. This being the case studying for this test should take quite a while but it is necessary as there can be a lot of material that you need to cover.
This next tip has to do with right before the test as in the night before. Getting at least 10 hours of sleep is what is recommended before a huge test like this as well as a filling and nutritious breakfast and lunch. Also if you have other classes before the test it is best to take them easy and not stress as the test will be mentally draining.
This final tip is for those of you who may have more than 1 AP test in a day. First off good luck and secondly. After you complete your first test I recommend taking a 30 minute break to decompress before studying for your second test. This way you will be refreshed and ready to go once again
Thank you all for reading this post I hope you enjoyed it. And make sure to stick around for another post coming soon!