As the school year draws to a close, students face a multitude of challenges, from final exams and extracurricular commitments to the intense pressure of Advanced Placement exams.
While not applicable to all Dallastown students, many of our juniors and seniors (and even some underclassmen) take advantage of the opportunity to get a jump start on college-level learning through AP classes.
Dallastown offers 20 different AP classes for academically gifted and hardworking students. Most of these classes have only been offered for about 15-20 years, with some being first offered even more recently.
Along with the class itself, the College Board offers an exam that costs just under $100, and students can take it at the end of the course to test their knowledge and to receive college credit.
The scoring for these exams ranges between one and five, where scores of over three are generally accepted for college credit. Three and above is considered a “passing” score.
According to AP Physics teacher Mr. Ilyes, since the exams are in May and these classes are only offered during the first two trimesters, reviewing can be a challenge for students.
“This gives students two months to lose developed skills unless they constantly review- this impacts my ability to adequately prepare students,” Ilyes remarks.
Because students are forced to go back and review all of the content covered during the class, they often experience a lot of stress surrounding the exam.
According to AP Language and Composition teacher Mr. Mohar, he dislikes “the pressure students put on themselves surrounding grades and, especially, the AP exam.”
For many students, managing this stress becomes a critical part of their academic success, and some aren’t sure quite how to navigate it.
Some of the most popular ways to manage stress include self-care, taking study breaks, deleting social media, meditation, and taking short naps to boost energy.
According to AP Chemistry teacher Mrs. Mathias, the best way to reduce stress is “to not procrastinate. There is too much information to try to cram into a few days- plan ahead, so that you can also plan for some relaxation in between.”
Procrastination is a very dangerous habit for many students, especially ones who have multiple APs to prepare for.
Junior Georgia Smeltzer, who is taking three AP classes, plans to “study for two hours for each test per week,” and review using practice problems from textbooks as well as helpful websites like Khan Academy and AP Classroom.
For AP US History, sophomore Lexa Stiles finds it more helpful to study by completing practice tests and watching review videos.
Other students find that flashcards are more helpful. Junior Maddie Buytenhuys prefers to create Quizlets with terms from AP Environmental Science to help in her exam preparations.
Regardless of your study method, creating and adhering to a study plan for each exam is crucial. If you stick to a study plan, while also finding ways to take breaks and combat stress, it can be the key to getting that desired score of a 4 or 5.
