It’s that time of the year again: AP Season.

The key to earning an AP exam score of 4 or 5 is solid preparation.

One thing to keep in mind is that AP exams are rather unpredictable. You may have an FRQ on something you learned in September or face 10 consecutive multiple-choice questions on the one unit you never understood. That’s why it is vital to prepare as well as possible.

* I want to preface this by saying that I am by no means an AP professional. Take everything I say with a grain of salt. What works well for me may not work for you and vice versa.

With that said, here are some of the best ways to prepare for your AP Exams:

1. Make a schedule after reviewing the “AP Course and Exam Description” for each of your exams.

I am not someone who relies too heavily on strict schedules. Most of my work and studying is done intuitively. However, for something as large as an AP exam, it is crucial to prepare a plan of action when tackling a year’s worth of college material. Refer to the AP “Course and Exam Description” (Here is the one for APUSH this year, as an example: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-us-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf).

Go through this document, and divide all of the topics across, ideally, 1 month. This should be more than enough time to review all of your course material before the big exam.

1. READ YOUR TEXTBOOK!

People always ignore me when I tell them to read their textbook, but I cannot stress the importance of this advice enough. This technique has carried me through my entire academic career in almost every single class. I understand that this form of studying is ineffective for some, but I highly recommend it for those who do not routinely read their textbooks. A common misconception is that you need to take notes while studying, but this is not true at all! Oftentimes, I simply read the textbook to clarify what I already know and renew my pre-existing knowledge. However, if you come across anything you do not remember or understand, you should make note of it so that you can look deeper into it.

Textbooks also contain hundreds, probably thousands, of practice problems. Most AP classes have textbooks that are specifically centered around exam preparation, which makes them a perfect source for extra practice questions!

1. Don’t waste your time and money on third-party prep resources… or do so at your own risk.

When preparing for the AP Bio exam, I purchased a Princeton Review prep book that supposedly contained 6 top-notch practice tests. Spoiler alert: it was no help. The questions were basically all irrelevant to the AP exam. I learned the most random stuff that is not even on the AP syllabus, like the inner workings of the heart and bile production (I thought I got the wrong book…). You are much better off using authentic materials from the College Board, like previously released exams, which I will further elaborate on later. Long story short, third-party resources, like Barron’s and Princeton Review, may seem appealing, but most fall short in preparing you for the actual AP exam.

1. Practice using released material from the College Board.

Every year, the College Board releases the open-ended portion of the previous exam, along with the scoring guidelines. These can be found on the internet. You can use these to prepare for your own AP exams and get a feel for the variety of questions that you may see on exam day.

1. Divide your time based on your level of understanding.

Do not waste 4 days studying the chapter that you aced one month ago. On the flip side, do not avoid the chapter that you never understood until the day before. Your study plan should strike a delicate balance between reviewing the information that you already understand but just want to refresh and revisit the information that you struggled with. Remember that it is a better use of your time to focus on the topics that you struggled with the most or don’t seem to remember as well. Tackle these topics first.

1. Start early. Seriously.

It is in your own best interest to take initiative as soon as possible and start reviewing at least three weeks in advance. Now is the perfect time to make a schedule that you can follow in the coming weeks. Cramming is never a good idea for any test, especially when it comes to a cumulative exam. Put your best foot forward now, and reap the benefits later. School is overwhelming, but your initial studying can be passive, such as watching an AP Central video on the bus ride to school or as you eat your lunch. Any effort will make a difference.