8 AP Study Tips to Get Through AP Exams [Video]

Due to the pandemic, AP Exams have changed this year. Our commitment to helping you succeed hasn’t! Check out these 8 tips to get ready for your in-person and digital exams.

Rank your AP exams by difficulty.

This will help you prioritize your study-time. Spend less time on the AP subjects you feel confident about, and more time on subjects you find more difficult.

Get your notes out. All of them!

You’ve been taking notes on each lecture, right? AP classes are taught around the structure of each AP exam, so everything your teacher talked about in class, and all assigned readings are fair game. If you want to be sure about the final exam topics, clarify them with your teacher and make frequent reference to AP Free Response Questions.

Take practice exams.

If you’re taking exams online, you can access the AP Exam’s digital testing application beginning April 8. Use it to answer practice questions similar to the ones you’ll see on your actual exam, and to get familiar with how the site works. You can also check out AP Classroom for practice questions and progress exams to make sure you’re on the right track.

Make sure your technology is ready to go.

If you’re taking exams online, you’ll need to make sure you’ve installed the digital testing application on your computer before the day of your exam. If you’re taking more than one, you’ll have to set up each individual subject on the application. This is also a great time to test out your internet connection!

Pull out your old quizzes/tests.

Review them to see how much you've learned, refresh your knowledge of material from earlier in the course, and make sure you’re clear on any test or quiz questions you made mistakes on.

The night before the test, sleep!

Your brain will thank you. While you sleep, your brain will sort what you've studied to help you recall the information you need during the test.

The day of the test, hydrate and eat a good breakfast/lunch.

Get that mind body connection working for you during your test by ensuring you're hydrated and have had a nice, healthy meal before your exams!

BONUS tip: Take advantage of Free Response Questions (FRQs) available for every AP exam

The best way to get ready for any AP exam is by practicing with actual questions from the test. You can do exactly that with AP Free-Response Questions (FRQs). You can find FRQ’s for every AP subject here.

For more information about your standardized exams and how they have been affected this year by COVID-19, be sure to read through our SAT, ACT, and AP Exam Updates page or log into your AP College Board portal.