Hello Griffins! AP exams are here, and it is time to start learning some test-taking strategies and study strategies. AP exams are tough, and it is important that you have a plan. Luckily, there are many strategies that will help you be successful.

One of the most important study strategies to have a plan. If you have many exams, make a schedule of what you want to study each day and how long you want to study. This will help you feel more organized and not so stressed or overwhelmed. Next, organize all your notes and either rewrite them or make mind maps out of them. It has been said that this type of active studying helps you memorize and understand the material. After you have reviewed all the material, take practice exams. This will help you feel comfortable with the test format and figure put what you need to review more. I recommend purchasing AP review books. My favorite is The Princeton Review. It has all the units from the College Board curriculum and many practice tests. Now that you have studied, it is time to discuss some test-taking strategies.

The first strategy while taking the exam is to skip the questions you do not know. Because each section is timed, it is important that you pace yourself with each question. Do not take too long on one question you may not know because you will lose time. It is not worth it to waste 10 minutes on one question and not have time answering the last several questions you do know. Remember that you are not penalized for guessing, so skip the question and come back to it and guess if you still cannot figure out the answer. Another strategy is to sub-search the questions, prompts, and answer choices. It can be overwhelming because of the number of words but annotating the most important parts will help you figure out what the question is asking and what the possible choices are. This also leads to the next strategy, which is process of elimination. After annotating, cross out the answer choices that you know are wrong. However, you may become stuck between two choices. If that happens, choose the most global answer, or just choose a random answer since you will have a 50-50 chance.

AP exams are important because they determine if you can receive college credit. That is why you should take these exams seriously. Though you may feel very anxious, it is important to remain calm because it will help you focus better. AP exams are difficult, but they are not impossible. You can do this.