5 Takeaways from the Advanced Placement Examinations

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By: Samantha De Lusong, 12 Hudson Taylor

2019’s Advanced Placement (AP) exams were unexpected. In light of the ongoing pandemic, many have predicted that the College Board, the organization that facilitates the Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, will postpone or cancel the said examinations. However, when they announced that they will conduct the AP exams online, the majority of the exam takers were anxious and some even apprehensive about this decision. Many factors may affect the way an exam taker will answer the test: interruption of internet connection, the possibilities of cheating, accidentally closing the exam tab were among other possible technical issues. These factors that I have listed above, were only just a few of my worries, as an AP exam taker. Nevertheless, I have prepared myself well for two AP exams (AP Calculus and AP Language and Composition), and received results that exceeded my expectations. Here are my 5 takeaways from taking the AP exams that I want to share with future exam takers not only for AP exams, but for online exams in general.

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Know your weaknesses and your strengths. Right after the 4th quarter of 11th grade, I immediately started listing down the areas I consider as my weak spots, and the areas that have the most confidence with. This list was extremely beneficial for me because understanding your weaknesses and strengths can help one have a deeper understanding of areas to improve on, and, so they would be crossed out of the list once these weaknesses are turned into strengths.

Know your pace. Creating a schedule, making notes and cleaning up my desk motivated me to study further for the exam. Right after I finished making my list of my weaknesses and strengths, I used this list to create a schedule. I organized my schedule by week: Each lesson that I need to review on was arranged from the most challenging to the easiest. I reviewed all the challenging topics in the first week (5 hours per day), and once that was finished, I moved on to the easier topics. Rewriting my study notes also helped me review past lessons. Knowing a study method that meets your needs is crucial when studying or reviewing for an exam. Some may watch educational videos online, while others read modules or books. It is essential to know how you should pace yourself, how comfortable you are with your chosen study method, and how you should organize your study time.

Stay focused. Start reviewing early and say no to procrastination. I cannot emphasize this enough; getting distracted affects your momentum once you start studying. Before I plan to rewrite my notes, or watch videos, I set aside all my devices, I stay away from the bed, just so I can keep my head focused on my goals. By doing these, I have overcome procrastination. I set a goal every studying session, this boosts my motivation to achieve each goal. It’s best to carry through your goals as soon as possible, so that you don’t stray away from it later on. It may be challenging at first, but the more you put off your study time, the more you become susceptible to distractions.

Set realistic goals.

You can accomplish anything when you believe in yourself. However, far-reaching goals may be too hard for one to reach in a short amount of time. It is okay if you want to exceed what people expect of you, but sometimes you have to take into account the time you have left to study for the exam. Set realistic goals for yourself. If it’s too far out, you may overexert yourself, and it may harm your mental well-being and even your physical health.

But I must say, it is not wrong to dream big, as long as you have a flexible schedule, are given a long period of time to prepare, or have a healthy relationship with your failures and mistakes. If you have enough time to create big objectives for you to fulfill, then go for it! I will not discourage you from that, but sometimes we have to understand that if you only have a few weeks or a few days to prepare, knowing what specific goals you can attain given available time is important.

Take care of yourself. Do not force yourself to do something when you are not feeling well, for this might affect your performance while you are studying. I strongly recommend to know your limits, and rest when necessary. I did not take this into account, for I have fallen ill during my AP exam. When you overexert yourself, it can affect you negatively, or even make you sick for that matter. Take a time out, or a breather, and jump right back in when you are ready. Pray before, during and after an exam. God is your most valuable ally in this journey.

Overall, my whole experience with advanced placement exams made me realize my strengths and weaknesses and it helped me know what I’m capable of.