Everyone knows that practice makes perfect. But this isn’t a mantra that only applies to sports and other performance based activities — the right AP prep courses and AP practice tests can also help you get more out of your AP subjects, as well as helping you improve your AP test scores. In fact, many students engage in AP test prep to help them significantly increase their scores.
Sure, it would be easy to simply take a chance and see how you do, but you only get one shot, and AP practice exams can help you study and know what to expect before you take that test. From AP test prep online to courses that can help you prepare, the time you spend up front is well worth it when it comes to increasing your AP test scores and strengthening those all-important college applications — with a good enough score, you can even get college credit before you ever step foot on campus!
Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute
With AP practice exams, you can start as early as you want when it comes to the prep before your actual AP exams. If you wait until a month or a week before your exam, you won’t have the time to adequately prepare with all those AP practice tests and study guides that can help drive your score up. Unfortunately, when you try to cram it all in at the last minute, you’ll retain much less than if you give yourself plenty of time to review all the materials you need to do your best on the test.
But when you start preparing early, all those AP practice exams and prep courses will allow you to pace yourself and retain more information while focusing on the gaps in your knowledge.
Make a Schedule and a Study Plan
To get the most out of your AP test prep, it helps to plan accordingly. Starting early can help you get a jump on things, but you’ll still need to develop a schedule that you can work with while you’re also meeting your other scholastic commitments. While everyone’s schedule is different, a little bit of planning goes a long way, and it can also help you get in more AP practice exams in the limited time you have available.
But in addition to a schedule, you’ll want to develop an actual plan for when you study. Are you the kind of student that needs to take AP prep courses or will study guides do the trick? Or maybe you’d rather double down on those AP practice tests. It all depends on what works for you and what you may need to get the best score.
Work on What You Need
The good thing about planning ahead is that you will already know what you have to do when you sit down to study, and that will help you avoid wasting your time with things that may not help boost your test scores at all. If you’re not sure where to start, think about the areas of your knowledge that may need a little help. Or, if testing is really your Achilles’ heel, then you may want to focus exclusively on AP practice exams rather than study guides or other course material.
However, don’t take AP practice tests and just move on after getting your score. Study the answers you got wrong and incorporate that information into your study sessions so that you can help close the gap between what you already know and what you need to know to ace that AP exam.
As the exam date closes in, you’ll likely want to switch modes from studying to exam prep, even if you typically do well on tests. You only get one chance to take the test, and knowing the material is only half the battle. Some students like to work with study partners or to create study guides and tools that they can use to study better, and it’s all fair game as long as it helps you get a better score.
Take Periodic Practice Exams
In order to understand how your studying is helping, it’s important to take AP practice exams at several points during your studies. One at the outset is a great way to establish a baseline and see where you are and what you may need to work on. After the initial practice test, develop a study regimen that can help you improve where you need the most work. Periodic testing every few months will help you track your progress, and each one will also give you an indication of how you’re improving over time.
It’s also important to take your practice exams under normal test conditions. This means no breaks and no interruptions, just like you were taking the actual exam. That’ll help you better understand how you’ll do on the actual test, which is what all the prep is really about.
If you’re looking for the best AP test prep in the business, Kyo Standard has your back. Contact us today to see how our AP practice exams and other materials can help you boost your AP test scores.
