<p>i got a 5 in Human Geo and Euro. Get a good nights sleep, you dont want to be tired and unfocused, dont get too nervous, you will most likely do fine and if you thought the test was extremely hard, chances are youre not the only one. GUess only if you can eliminate some. Dont leave too many blank. =)</p>
<p>I NEVER leave ANY question blank. They only subtract 1/4 of a point if it's wrong, and statistically if you can eliminate some answers it would be worth your while to guess. For every 4 you guess wrong, if you guess 1 right you still haven't lost any points. That's my little tidbit.</p>
<p>I did the bubbling at the end thing for the calc mock.</p>
<p>Two problems:
-One guy I know didn't finish bubbling; teacher forgot to warn us when there was 10 min left, and instead gave us 5 extra minutes after time was suppose to end (which apparently was not enough for him)
-I inadvertantly forgot to bubble 5 questions, that turned out to be all correct, and if I had bubbled those I would've gotten a 5 on the mock.</p>
<p>Needless to say, I abandoned that idea. Too risky and you can easily lose track of time, leaving almost no time to go back at the end to bubble.</p>
<p>Any last minute advice you guys can give?</p>
<p>After completing my 10th exam yesterday, and having recieved 5's on the 6 that I have scores for already, I'd hope that I could contribute a few things here.</p>
<p>1.) If you don't know it by now, you never will. Cramming does NOT work. If you must cram, go to bed early and cram the morning of, you'll retain much more. Also, consider why you're taking this test - if you cram your way to a 3/4/5 and use the credit to skip a class, you're expected to KNOW the material.
2.) Don't change your routine. People have this complex where they get up an extra hour early, eat a huge breakfast, spend 20 minutes sharpening pencils or whatever else becuase it's TEST DAY. All that does is build up anxiety and stress for the test; go in cool and composed, like it's just another day and you'll rock out - promise.
3.) When in doubt, DO SOMETHING. Write something, anything down. You'd be amazed what you can get points for on some of these questions. Freezing is the enemy of the test-taker.
4.) Take timed practice tests. They're a great indicator of your knowledge and preparedness. They also give you a feel for timing throughout the test, everyone goes through tests differently, some are one-pass, some three - whatever your style, if you've done a few TIMED practice tests, you can get a feel for what you need to do.
5.) A note on time - you'll find on test day that you often end up with some extra time at the end of each section. Take this as a sign of confidence - the time constraint usually doesn't affect the kids that know it at all, it just saves them from waiting forever for the kids who are trying to 'figure it out'. Come test day, you gotta KNOW IT.
6.) What's done is done. As the absurd number of seals indicates, once you're done you need to move on. You can't change what you've already done - just have confidence in yourself and the ridiculous curve that defines most of these tests. It's easy to come out thinking you did poorly, but confident is as confident does. Be confident.</p>
<p>Nice psquared. I agree with everything you've said. I'm glad I didn't give up when I had 3 Blank FR in 30 min. I managed to get something down in every blank. It is hard to not think about how well you did on the test though. I tried very hard today but my brain kept going back to those confusing problems. anyways..Now we just have to wait for our scores!</p>
<p>For the English MC tests, this tip has proven to be very useful for me... try not to skip any questions on the first skim, especially if you're a slow reader, because skipping means more seconds spent on rereading more of the passage, and if one has practiced, one should trust his instincts. For each passage, I'd finish the easy questions, and then deliberate over each of the hard questions for a MAX of 30s. If I'm still unsure, I'd follow my instincts, choose the best answer, and mark it with a question mark - one mark for the "least" unsure, and three for the most unsure. After I finish the entire section, I would go back, starting from the threes to ones - but I'm usually exhausted by then.</p>
<p>is it good to guess on the ones you're not sure about. my thinking is as such: even if i have only the slightest idea on a question, ill guess becuase if i get only 1 out of 5 ill still break even. is that a good idea or should i just leave them blank?</p>
<p>As long as you can eliminate a single answer, you should guess. You'll be breaking even with absolutely no idea which answers are wrong, so that is the only case in which you should leave questions blank.</p>
<p>My two cents:</p>
<p>Sparknotes AP Power Packs--you can buy 'em at Barnes + Noble--are a godsend.</p>
<p>They advertise as: "5 days to a 5!" And yes, they can get you a 5 with only 5 days of studying.</p>
<p>I think there are two things which have lead to my good test scores:</p>
<p>1) Visualize your success. Close your eyes and picture yourself sitting there and confidently bubbling in all the answers and eagerly writing the free response. You know your stuff. So let yourself show it.</p>
<p>2) I cannot stress how important it is to ENJOY what you are doing. When you're in an exam, you have to immerse yourself in the moment. There is nothing better for your scores than FOCUS. That passage on AP Lang? Pretend its the most fascinating thing you've ever read. Those numbers on the AP Calc problem? It's an enjoyable puzzle you can't wait to unravel. I've noticed that it almost never feels as if I've just been sitting there for more than 3 hours because I've been focusing so intently on my work. The more you think "UGH, I can't wait to get this over with!" the worse it will be for you. You're in that room and staring at that test for almost 200 minutes...so have fun with it.</p>
<p>Also, for AP Calculus-do more free response problems than mc when you practice. FRQ tend to synthesize a lot more techniques, and so you will learn the material for the mc <em>and</em> techniques for free-response.</p>
<p>That's what really tripped me up on this year's AB...argh.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
1) Visualize your success. Close your eyes and picture yourself sitting there and confidently bubbling in all the answers and eagerly writing the free response. You know your stuff. So let yourself show it.
[/QUOTE]
Whoa. The principal of my school says that before every AP Exam.</p>
<p>My advice: try not to stab yourself during the initial bubble fill out session.</p>
<p>I've used 4s and 5s on AP exams to get out of some classes at my school and I must say the last 2 weeks this year have been hell because I've been cramming. You can cram it all in, but do it before the tests start because today during English Language and Comp I really wanted to sleep. But the most important and effective test preparation strategy is to take as many practice tests as you can get your hands on. If you can go into that exam room and know exactly how the test is going to proceed and that you've already taken it 4 or 5 different times then you've probably got some multiple choice questions that are really close (especially in Comp gov't, US History, World History, Latin, Biology). Writing essays is just as important because if you're on a timer at home, believe me you'll be much faster at writing during the test and you won't feel a need to even watch the clock. SO PRACTICE TESTS!!!!</p>
<p>
[quote]
I cannot stress how important it is to ENJOY what you are doing. When you're in an exam, you have to immerse yourself in the moment. There is nothing better for your scores than FOCUS. That passage on AP Lang? Pretend its the most fascinating thing you've ever read.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is true not just for AP Lang, but for every other AP exam as well as SAT. As boring or confusing the question at hand seems, you have to imagine it being the most exciting thing you have ever read. Don't ever lose focus.</p>
<p>The other very important thing is to do practice tests. I never actually review any material, I just practice with old exams :/ I did nothing except 1 practice test for AP Bio last year and got a 5. You need practice with the problems, especially if you are taking Bio/Chem/Physics. Simply reading a review book isn't going to do much.</p>
<p>true, have fun with the ap tests. i once had this kid sitting right next to me have too much fun though...he took off his shoes and put his feet right on the side of my desk which i kinda ignored. then he got his tests and started flapping his booklet so that he could wing all that nasty smeel in my face=x</p>
<p>i have to disagree with waiting till end to bubble in your answers, its DEFINETLY too risky..</p>
<p>Thats because the time could end (Say the teacher didnt warn) and you didn't notice so you barely filled in any blanks Meaning you BOMBED MC, which will make you extremly stressful on FRQ.</p>
<p>If you absolutly MUST do that then: A. have a watch or something and look at it every now and then to Time yourself
B. try to fill in at least like 10-15 questions in the beginning (usually the easy ones) that you are sure of, that way, even if you end up not filling anything else (worst case scenario) you ll still have SOME points up there.</p>
<p>Too much caffeine can break your brain.</p>
<p>Answer all the questions you know for sure. Then rule out all the answers you can. Then go back to the questions with ruled out answers. If you have it down to 3 or fewer, make an educated guess.</p>
<p>Don't listen to people discussing the test before the exam. Tell vulgar jokes before the exam instead.</p>
<p>Don't Freak Out.</p>
<p>Use Common Sense.</p>
<p>If You Get A 1, 2 Or 3, It Is Not The End Of The World. It Just Means That You Have To Take That Class Or Another One In College.</p>
<p>Don't Go Back When You're Done And Change Answers. I Did That And The Ones That I Changed, I Had Right The First Time. Go With Your Gut Instinct.</p>
<p>If You're Taking A Math Test, Know In's And Out's Of The Calculator Before The Test- Don't Rely On Your Calculator- Sometimes, It's Just A Waste Of Time.</p>
<p>Use Process Of Elimination. If You Can Get The Answers Down To 2, Then Guess By Using Common Sense. If You Can't Eliminate More Than 2 Answers, Leave It Blank.</p>
<p>Depends on the test, but i must say this</p>
<p>1) Don't leave essay question's blank. EVER. If you must BS, then do it, its better than nothing at all.</p>
<p>2) Don't panic.If you can relax when you write, you'll do better ( It's true for me.</p>
<p>3) DON'T leave alot of blank spaces</p>