With the anticipation of summer, students first have to worry about passing end of year AP and IB tests. For some students, passing the end of year tests is a must, but for others, it isn’t a necessity. Different students have different study types, but almost all students will use practice tests. Zach Schilling, a Freshman at Skyline, says, “From what I’ve heard from upperclassmen, most of them will use practice tests, whether they be online or inside a study book.”
After school study sessions are one way that students can prepare, and some think that it is the best way to relearn materials from teachers. Maya Jacobsen, a Senior at Skyline, says, “I think it depends on the person, but for me, the study sessions after school have been helpful. They allow me to look at what I know and need to know. When I study on my own, I sometimes can’t figure out what I need to work better on.” Many students feel the same, which is why a lot of after school study sessions are held towards the end of the school year.
Some students find that, even when they study, they aren’t getting the test scores they want. It could be possible that this is because of the time limit and the stress when taking the tests. Both the AP and IB tests have a lot of expectations, and with the added time limit, it can be really stressful, but there are ways that this stress can be lowered. “With AP tests, you have time limits on everything, so it can be helpful to make sure you can, say, write an essay in 40 minutes or answer 80 questions in 60 minutes.” says Jacobsen. “Putting in the effort to study with time limits can give test takers a huge advantage and make it so that they can finish fast while also having good and accurate answers.”
There are a lot of tips and tricks that go around when talking about AP and IB testing, and sometimes it can be hard to tell which ones do and don’t work. Sometimes students try to overload on studying and preparing for tests, which can lead to anxiety during the test. Junior Mae Fagergren says, “Don’t stress about it. Trust what you studied and don’t overthink things and freak yourself out during the test. Take your time and reread questions if needed.”
