<p>Also, get a good head start; don’t wait for your teacher’s pace. As an example, I’m taking Comp Sci next year and I plan on finishing the textbook over the summer. The way I figure, if I’ve learned Java before the school year even starts, I’m well ahead of the game. Generally one has more free time in the summer, so start early and don’t fall behind. Then, in APril or May when your friends are studying until 3 or 4 AM trying to cram, you can relax. Relaxation and sufficient sleep are the two most critical factors in that final week before the exam.</p>
<p>Pay attention to your teacher. If your teacher sucks, then make sure you get ahead and learn all the material by yourself.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, I appreciate everyone’s feedback. I plan to get ahead in Bio by reading CliffsNotes and Barron’s, as well as some powerpoints and flashcards, I also want to study for AP Calc (since I basically skipped Pre-Calc) and also read AMSCO for APUSH.</p>
<p>Instead of Barrons, get Holtzclaw. It actually goes along with the Campbell book, and it’s very useful if I didn’t manage to take notes on a chapter or something, because it’s basically the key points of the chap.</p>
<p>My homework tends to take up the whole day without extracurriculars. Maybe this thread can help me get what I need done faster lol</p>
<p>Some of you guys sound absolutely ridiculous. Wow. </p>
<p>Self-loathing over a class or an exam is moronic. Give yourself pep talks and motivation to get a 5, obviously, but anything beyond that is stupid and puts you at risk of depression and such.</p>
<p>Sleep deprivation is also a pretty terrible idea, and a health risk. I didn’t get much sleep last school year either, but it’s not because I was studying all the time; it’s because I was doing my work at a relaxed pace, and then turning up the speed a bit when I needed to. For most people though, I recommend “time management,” maximizing your productivity… I just have to work like this to give myself downtime, personally.</p>
<p>My biggest tips:
- LEARN TO TAKE STANDARDIZED TESTS WELL. This will help you on APs, SATs, and the ACT. They’re really quite formulaic, generally speaking… To do this, just look at past tests and take a couple of practice tests. The patterns aren’t that hard to spot.
- Relax. Yes, you have to get your work done. Yes, you will be stressed. No, a mistake or two is not the end of the world. I’m terribly sorry for anybody who feels that way. Sounds like a great way to make yourself miserable throughout your school years…
- Pay attention during class. I can’t stress this enough. If you’re anything like me, I really didn’t study that much, but I retained a lot of information from class/homework.</p>
<p>You don’t have to go overboard and try to get 10 5’s in one year! Do what YOU can manage yourself, but remember to challenge yourself. </p>
<p>First and foremost, recognize your strengths and be confident about it. It’s the first step towards anything. It’s UNBELIEVABLE how confidence can make a difference in any kind of performance. I’ve seen smart kids with no confidence. I’ve also seen kids who are as smart as the former but possess confidence. They kids simply do a better job in tests/quizzes/etc etc. They seem “smarter” too b/c they are not afraid to take intellectual risks. This is what I have seen in my 4 years of HS, and from tutoring the SATs. BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR ABILITIES. Confidence makes a HUGE difference.</p>
<p>Second, I guess I can say…time management! God, I am TOTALLY guilty of procrastination. And I barely slept through HS b/c of it. I got all the grades I needed, but it SUCKED. I wanted to sleep…I wanted to hang out with friends. But I simply couldn’t because I never had time to have fun, partially because I’ve been wasting my time NOT focusing. Manage your time, and be consistent with your schedule. It makes you feel happier. And believe it or not, you will have so much more free time to hang out and go on fb, etc etc.</p>
<p>And third. I agree with another poster on this board. Teachers make all the difference. Great teachers in great schools produce a LOT of 5’s. I had an awesome AP Calc Teacher who did all the test practice with us since Day 1. And man…that test was EASY. And so believed many students who weren’t so talented in math! I didn’t even have that much homework. All the learning happened in the class. If you dont’ have good teachers, find resources for yourself. Making use of resources outside of the classroom is key to being a successful student. There ARE online aids out there. Google them. There are TONS. And they are SO helpful! If you have friends who have good teachers, ask them for help. I learned nothing in AP Music Theory but thanks to my friend, I got a 5!</p>
<p>Finally. Just be intellectually curious. Curiosity is powerful. Take some genuine interest in the subjects you are studying (don’t be annoying about it though :P). It makes a difference in everything.</p>
<p>So you don’t have to hate yourself. You don’t have to lose sleep. Take it easy. Be confident, curious, and resourceful. Let yourself grow as a learner, and stop stressing about the grades. Believe me…the grades will follow. Don’t let yourself follow the grades…this would only starve your mind. It also hurts when you realize what you have missed out in life! I learned the hard way.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the worst for me (but it’s the best tip) is be happy with 5 or 4 hours of sleep. Also, <em>always</em> have something with you that you can work on, and above all, LEARN HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME WELL!! Try a graphic organizer or a calendar, those are actually really helpful for visual learners and such. </p>
<p>PS: Start studying for your AP tests <em>early</em>, too</p>
<p>Make sure you understand every single concept that was discussed in class and its applications. At that point, no studying will affect your future grade.</p>
<p>I meant self-loathing in the sense of not accepting things as being “ok” when you obviously could do better. Set your own standards, but don’t complain when things don’t go your way–you control your own destiny. When you take responsibility for getting a B and internalize it, only then will you know what it takes to get an A. Better to be a self-loather than a whiner.</p>
<p>…I read Cliffs the the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before the Monday morning bio test. 7-8 hours of sleep every night that weekend. I have the crappiest teacher for bio (in fact, we’re allowed to sleep bc he considers it college…and I did 75% of the time).</p>
<p>Just relax, read diligently, and you’ll get a 5.</p>
<p>Please don’t overkill bio. Please. Cliffs makes it harder than it is, so the real thing will seem easy.</p>
<p>I got Cliffs for Bio too and I’m going to go through it and maybe take a couple of practice tests before I start AP Bio. What’s strange is that everything in the book is the exact same stuff I learned in Bio Honors. It’s a good thing I saved all the powerpoints my teacher put up. 
I can sense an easy AP Bio year</p>
<p>Two things:
- Time management
- Lack of sleep</p>
<p>The latter is terrible.</p>
<p>@notatruetarheel Did you use CliffsAP for the SAT II Bio M?</p>
<p>Seriously, I’m doing 3 ap’s and 2 honors classes next yr. and I feel like I’m screwed…lol i fail</p>
<p>I did the homework for all of my AP classes either the morning of the day they were do, during my free periods of those days, or the night before. I never did homework, essays, or projects in advance. I procrastinated SOO much</p>
<p>^I would explode from doing hw the day before. Just can’t take the adrenaline rush from it</p>
<p>3 things:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You can get 5s by reading the review book the week/weekend before the AP test for most memorization tests (Bio, Gov, Econ, APES, APUSH, etc.).</p></li>
<li><p>Coffee. You really don’t need sleep during the year. I’d get home from school/sports around 6, have dinner, hang with friends etc. then just pull all-nighters with lots of caffeine. Is this unhealthy? Yes. Does it give you more time in your life? Very yes.</p></li>
<li><p>Pay attention in class. Lots of kids in my school complain about bad AP grades, but it’s because they never pay attention. It’s not that difficult to listen to the teacher.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Guys, relax. AP tests aren’t really that hard unless you make them hard for yourself. I screwed around in all my AP classes and didn’t get an A in a single one of them and yet I have 7 5s and 3 4s.</p>
<p>There’s been a lot of good advice on this thread, but most importantly, TAKE PRACTICE TESTS!</p>
<p>You’ll be amazed that most ap teachers do not teach directly to the ap test - for better or for worse. By taking practice tests (timed or not) you can pretty much review all the material you don’t understand. I honestly can’t focus for extended periods of time, and this is what I did for the sat, sat IIs, and ap tests.</p>