It’s March, and let’s be honest, most of us are losing academic motivation.
Outside, it’s brown and grey, and the ground is a combination of half-snow, half-dirt. Still, in our classes, lessons full of new content persist, giving us more topics to memorize and learn. And, for those of us in Advanced Placement (AP) classes, the intense May tests loom closer and closer.
Last year, as a sophomore, I was beyond worried about the exams. Despite having teachers that had been preparing us since August, I felt as if I would not be ready.
While these nerves spanned across multiple subjects, they were undoubtedly most prevalent for the notoriously difficult AP United States History (APUSH) exam. In retrospect, I regret the excessive worry I felt for this exam because, ultimately, it was never supposed to be that stressful.
However, after scoring a five on the assessment, there are multiple things I wish I would have—and wouldn’t have—done differently.
Don’t over-study the details
Having never taken an AP exam before I didn’t know what to expect. Based on the quizzes my teacher had given us in class that focused on the extremely niche details of each history chapter, I felt like I had to know everything for the AP exam. This prompted me to try to memorize every president in order (with the help of a song), each war in which the U.S. was involved, the convoluted evolution of the political parties, and more. I felt compelled to memorize specific dates that I definitely did not end up needing for the actual exam.
By doing this, I created unnecessary anxiety for myself. I felt that knowing the ultra-specific details of our country would benefit me (they did not). I filled too much valuable time and mental space trying to cram my head with intensely specific facts. Instead, I should’ve spent more time memorizing general concepts that would have been more applicable on the test.
Make a timeline of general concepts
If you’re starting to study for the exam, I would recommend making a flowchart of the country’s key eras. Particularly helpful if on a large poster board, list out sizable historical blocks like the Antebellum period, the Gilded Age, and the Great Depression. Under each era, list four or five key pieces of evidence that you can easily use on the Free Response Questions (FRQS) on the test. For example, under the Great Depression you could include terms like “Hooverville” and “Fireside Chats.”
While I was knowledgeable about the periods of American history, I didn’t have information about each of them as on-hand as I should have. Having spent so much time memorizing as many facts and details as possible, when I was instructed to write an essay on a specific time period, too many facts jumbled together, and I wouldn’t automatically just know what to write about. To avoid indecisiveness, just have a few events and/or main points that come to mind immediately for each major time period.
Use Barron’s Review flashcards—but take them with a grain of salt
Not unlike many of my peers, Barron’s Review flashcards were my primary method of studying for the exam. The cards provide helpful details, main vocabulary terms, general time periods, relevance, and more. Taking turns quizzing friends with these, even if just for a few minutes, can be extremely helpful—and even fun!
However, again, don’t do what I did and take it upon yourself to memorize all 500 of them. If it wasn’t mentioned in class and hasn’t been relevant, don’t stress about it.
Use College Board’s released exams
If you check out College Board’s website, they list all the FRQ questions from the past ten years. In addition, they provide sample responses with commentary detailing why students earned the scores that they did on the question. Granted, the responses and commentary can be vague (and dense). However, reading the reasoning for some of the higher scoring students can provide a guideline on how you should approach your own FRQs.
Additionally, you can use the questions as practice for a pretend exam. Just pick an FRQ format that you struggle with (for example, the infamous Document-Based Question), set a timer, and pretend it’s exam day. Or, if you don’t want to set aside the time to write a whole essay, make an essay outline with the main points you hypothetically would use.
Don’t freak out on exam day
Unfortunately for last-year me, I definitely freaked out before the APUSH exam. Yes, most people were anxious, but I was insanely nervous, even though I had studied the content for an unspeakable number of hours.
In my classes, teachers told us time and time again not to be nervous, and I’m telling you now that they were right. For me, all my worrying did was make me worry more, and I had little reason to be anxious in the first place.
Since I psyched myself out, I struggled to focus on the exam, as I quite literally went into fight or flight mode. Ultimately, this resulted in me second-guessing myself and not having a clear mind to plan my essays before writing. As a result, I ended up with essays that—although sufficient responses to the prompts—were much more scattered than I would’ve liked.
In addition, I completely blanked on the most obvious and well-known events relating to each prompt. Instead, all that came to mind were completely obscure facts, and using them made writing the essays five times harder than it needed to be. (This is how I ended up writing about 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater in my Long Answer Question. This is the only piece of outside evidence I can remember using.)
Instead of harboring anxiety, take some time to relax on exam day: listen to calming music, do yoga, and reaffirm to yourself that your life will continue if you hypothetically fail the exam (which you won’t). Or, consider going out to brunch either before or after the test. While APUSH’s 8 AM time made it difficult to get a meal beforehand, I did this for a 12 PM exam, and it made for a much more relaxed exam experience.
Most importantly, don’t bank your future on how this one exam goes. APUSH, at least at FHC, is a rigorous class, and making it through two semesters is impressive within itself.
