Issue 2: Everything and Anything About AP Exams

1. Online Editor-In-Chief Hannah Kim answers the question: “How do you study for AP exams?”

If it’s you’re first time taking an AP exam, I know it seems really daunting. But I hope it comforts you to know that 1. It’s not as hard as it seems and 2. The scores don’t matter as much as you’d think. First of all, in general, I would just advise you all to focus way more on your grade and your GPA than your AP score. However if you’re grade is already solidified and at a place you want (or if it’s just a lost cause), it is good to start focusing on the exam.

This might be one of the first times you have to independently study long-term and it seems hard at first. Start with a plan. Be honest with yourself and self-aware of where you’re at in the class and how much time you have to spend reviewing. Make a study plan and plan to review units within a reasonable time frame. For example, it’s two months before the exam and you have 8 units to review. Then, you can review 1 unit per week. For me, I always start with the exam rubric and how it’s scored. Some classes like AP history classes or AP English classes have strict rubrics and you don’t even need to write well to get the highest scores—you just need to follow the rubric exactly.

For a lot of classes you don’t even need to fully review, just make sure you know the essential vocabulary for each unit! If you find yourself getting burnt out or unmotivated in the process, I recommend changing your environment (try studying at the library instead) or getting a study buddy or a study group! At the end of the day though, it’s not a big deal if you do horrible and fail the exam. Just remember: your exam score is not a reflection of who you are and it doesn’t impact your grade in the class at all—colleges won’t even see it if you don’t want them to!

2. Online Editor-In-Chief Hannah Kim answers the question: “How do you handle the reading for AP history classes?”

I know all your teachers probably already say this, but it’s true: don’t let your reading stack up and if it does, don’t try to read it all in one day. I know what it feels like to push off your work and reading until it all builds up to become a daunting mountain of work that you hate to confront the night before the big test, but take it from me, it’s just so much better to do a little each day. If you resolved or made a plan to read 5 pages of your AP U.S. History textbook every day and you fail one day, don’t just give up and fail the rest of the days—no matter how tempting it is. If that happens, just read 10 pages the following day!

Honestly sometimes though, you don’t have to read the textbook at all. There have definitely been classes where reading is assigned but I found that I don’t actually need to read in order to perform well, or there are specific units where I feel like I know the material enough to go without the reading. However, if you’ve never read the textbook for a class (even though you’re supposed to) and you’re not doing as well as you’d like to in that class, it’s time to give it a try. A lot of people exaggerate but the reading is honestly not that bad—just take it day by day.

3. Online Editor-In-Chief Hannah Kim answers the question: “How many AP classes is too many?”

I’d say it’s different for everyone. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and depending on those, they have different limits for hard classes. For me personally, I knew I’d really struggle with taking more than 5 AP classes in a single year (unless some of those were only 1 semester long). One of my biggest regrets and pieces of advice would be to avoid blindly signing up for classes that would boost your GPA and instead set priorities.

Ask yourself questions like, “Why do I want to take this class—is it related to what I want to do in college or as a career or is it just for my GPA or just for fun?” Or “Do I have enough time to do all this?” If you’re planning on participating in 2 sports, have a leadership position in a lot of clubs, or have a job or 2, it might not be wise to sign up for so many APs and it might even hurt you in the long run. I’d set realistic goals or expectations for myself and then pick the classes that’d make it possible.

If I want to get all As but also have a job and manage 3 clubs, I wouldn’t take more than 4 or 5 APs. Another big factor is college credits or alternative class options. Most colleges won’t take more than a certain number of AP credits or won’t take certain scores on the exam such as a 3 or lower or even a 4 sometimes. There are alternatives to AP classes that are sometimes regarded as easier! Dual credit classes with community colleges in the area that are offered by the high school or “accelerated” or “AP-weighted” classes have the same impact on your GPA that an AP would, and sometimes these alternatives are considered “easier” or less consuming than their AP counterparts. Also, consider factors like 2-period science classes— do you have room in your schedule for a double-period class? Also, it might be more worth it to have an A in an honors or regular class compared to a B or C in an AP class. I’d say if you’re signing up for a bunch of AP classes, think twice, and make sure you’re driven to succeed in them.

4. Online Editor-In-Chief Hannah Kim answers the question: “Is AP way harder than honors?”

Honestly, no. Usually, that is the case but it’s not always true. For example, one of the hardest classes I’ve ever taken was Honors Geometry. Obviously, everyone’s different and to some people, that specific class may not have been that difficult. However, for me, that class was really challenging because my brain had a hard time making those connections quickly and I was not very motivated to do the extra work needed to succeed.

The actual subject of the class matters more than if it’s an AP class or an honors class, but typically AP classes are harder- at least in terms of course load. In my experience, AP classes do demand more and usually have a bigger time commitment or expectation. For example, AP literature is much more time-consuming than its counterparts, English 101 or something like creative writing or Speech 101. AP Biology is miles more demanding than regular Biology. That being said, sometimes a class can only get so hard. It really depends on your definition of “hard” or “challenging.” Some people may think if a class gives its students a lot more work or requires a lot of time of attention, it’s automatically more difficult. Others may think that if a class is more difficult, the tests are just more challenging or the teacher simply doesn’t give students as much guidance. That being said, when picking your schedule for the following year, consider how much time you’re willing to put in a class and how well you typically do on that subject and pick classes accordingly.

If you hate classes that demand a lot of work or time, AP U.S. History or AP Biology may not be for you. If you’re scared of not doing well just because tests or the course itself is more difficult, you probably shouldn’t choose classes like AP Physics or AP Statistics.