AP exams are coming up, with T-minus two weeks until the first of them all. Uworld College Prep, a reputable source, suggests one should start studying 1-3 months preceding the exams in order to effectively study. However, studying that far in advance doesn’t seem to be the trend among Wilsonville High School students.
How many of us have procrastinated, waiting until the last waking minute to study all the material for tomorrow morning’s test, in spite of teachers forewarning you weeks in advance? This isn’t uncommon, especially in high school. Whether students cram-study for a vocab quiz the next day, a Spanish speaking test, or a math final exam, cramming seems to be many high school students’ go-to study method.
A UVM article shares that a 2014 survey of 1,500 kids showed that 99% of them acknowledged serious procrastination study. The issue with this is the lack of learning that accompanies crammed study sessions.
Students aren’t likely able to remember material after just one night of review; The next morning, they’ll wake up with only a hazy recall of last night’s (or early that morning’s) study session. Most students are aware of this side effect, cognizant that procrastination is not the best way to study.
Students procrastinate anyway.
Junior Paige Hibbard states that, “I know I shouldn’t procrastinate; I know it’s not super effective. But sometimes I just can only get myself to study when there’s that element of stress that comes with procrastination.”
She continues, “AP exams are in two weeks and I haven’t even started thinking about them until like two days ago. Maybe I’ll start studying soon.”
Brodie Huffman, a Junior at Wilsonville High School, seems to be going a similar route, saying that, “I’m probably gonna make some flashcards for the AP lang exam soon, I honestly haven’t tried to think about it yet; It’s too stressful.”
So, yes: Procrastination is prominent. Burning the midnight oil seems to be what many Wilsonville High School students will do as we approach AP exam season: Spending strenuous hours reviewing the rigorous syllabi in these Advanced Placement courses.
Despite AP classes’ heavy curricula, students find ways to narrow down the content they choose to study, and students study in meaningful ways.
Hibbard explains that, “(I’ll) have ChatGPT help me summarize the units; ChatGPT helps me study. I can just look at the summaries and then ask it to explain the concepts I forgot.”
Others utilize flashcards, study groups, or Princeton Review curriculum books in order to review forgotten AP class content. However, a very accessible resource often neglected is AP Classroom.
AP Classroom provides all AP classes’ course curriculum, partitioned by units. This website provides students with videos for each portion of the units, covering all syllabus that might be seen on the AP exam. Additionally, AP classroom offers mini tests that cover portions of different units, as well as practice exams that parallel what you may see when taking the final exam.
However, students chose to study, this is a time of intense AP exam preparation. Encourage those taking the AP exam(s) to not burn themselves out. Take breaks and make time to prioritize mental health.
If you’re preparing for AP exams right now, remember: High school is a season to learn how to manage time when studying for huge exams like these, so don’t put too much pressure on it. No matter what, you learned something from the experience. Whether that be that procrastination didn’t work out fantastically, or how you studied worked great, take that with you into the future: It’s a valuable learning experience.
