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Juniors Connor Gleason and Omar Elbeshbeshy discuss their mock exam FRQ answers for their AP Physics 2 test. Elbeshbeshy specifically loves coming to the Marquette library after school to study because it’s calm and peaceful. “I know if I need a place where I can sit without disturbance, the Marquette library is the way to go,” Elbeshbeshy said.
Media by Siya Taneja
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Sophomores Gabby Silasi and Abby Zhang study for their AP European History test in the Marquette library. Zhang likes working in the library because of the vibes and atmosphere.
Media by Siya Taneja
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Enya Kabbendjian, freshman, finishes up her ELA project in the Marquette library. “I like the library because I can put my thoughts together with no distractions,” Kabbendjian said.
Media by Siya Taneja
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From 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., sophomores Rithika Pendurthi, Deetya Ladi, and Dhruti Kondamadugla study for their AP World History test at Panera. They enjoyed studying the entire day in the Panera environment because they were able to take food breaks when they needed to.
Media by Siya Taneja
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Mahesh Boddapati, freshman, discusses terms and asks questions for his upcoming AP Human Geography test with Justin Spurgeon, history teacher, during an AC Lab review session. Spurgeon recommends that students do not study the night before the test, and rather get a good night’s sleep to prepare for testing the following day.
Media by Siya Taneja
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Freshman Scott Shen and Tejasvin Gottipati quiz each other on MCQ questions for their AP Human Geography test in AC Lab. “I need Mr. Spurgeon’s help a lot, so I like coming to his AC Lab,” Shen said.
Media by Siya Taneja
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Reviewing her old notes packets, Allie Lappin, senior, diligently studies for her AP Human Geography test during AC Lab. Lappin enjoys taking AP Human Geography because she feels many terms in the class are self-explanatory.
Media by Siya Taneja
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After booking a study room at the Daniel Boone library, sophomores Maryum Ali and Tvisha Singh study for their AP European History test together, discussing timelines and events that they have learned throughout the year.
Media by Siya Taneja
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Standing on a chair, Maryum Ali writes out the key concepts she needs to know for her AP European History test on a white board in her study room.
Media by Siya Taneja
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Sophomores Tvisha Singh and Advika Srivastava answer each other’s questions about important historical figures in preparation for their AP European History test. They chose the Daniel Boone library to study because it was close to both of their houses, so it was an easy meet up point.
Media by Siya Taneja
For her freshman year, Harshitha Prabakar, freshman, decided she wanted to take AP Seminar.
“I wanted to see how it felt to take an AP and how challenging it would be going through high school,” Prabakar said.
Prabakar has found that studying for her AP test has been different than studying for typical tests, especially because there isn’t much she can do to prepare other than continuing to analyze passages and complete timed writes.
While she’s nervous about her test, Prabakar has found that the preparation has helped her in other aspects of her school life.
“In regular ELA classes, we don’t really do timed writes like this, and by practicing for my AP I think I’ve gotten better at that,” Prabakar said. “I’ve learned a lot of other skills too like time management.”
Prabakar spends most of her time studying at home, but she also finds she can focus better studying at quiet places like the library.
Louis Chen, senior, has taken 10 AP classes and 12 AP tests. This year, he’s taking 5 APs. He finds taking APs easy, and doesn’t do a lot of studying before the tests, as he’s retained most of the course information.
“In unit tests, there’s a lot of niche information you need to know, but in AP exams, they know you’re not gonna remember everything, so it’s a lot more broad,” Chen said.
Chen said he usually doesn’t cram before AP tests, but rather goes through slides or watches big hour long review videos on YouTube to refresh the material in his brain.
He recommends students take AP Chemistry and AP Calculus AB/BC, as he said it’s not easy, but it will help students in the long run.
“It’s a pretty difficult course, so it actually helps you develop good study habits and good problem solving,” Chen said.
He also recommends studying alone to learn the material, and only doing group study sessions once everything has been learned. Chen finds it’s best to study alone so students can interact with the material without distractions.
Though Chen doesn’t do a lot of studying, he suggests using online resources like Fiveable and Khan Academy.
Scott Szevery, AP US History teacher, said students should study the entire year so they don’t need to study as much before the exam.
“I always believe that if you approach the course seriously, then the need to cram and review at the end is not as intense,” Szevery said.
Szevery’s experience of being an AP reader and grading AP tests has helped him adapt his course to help students feel more prepared for the AP exam.
Over the course of the year, he gives his students three midterm exams to review the material they’ve learned. The week of the exam, he does a weekend cram session at Kaldi’s Coffee in Chesterfield Valley and additional review in class.
“The main thing to know is how much each section is worth and what to do within each section to score points,” Szevery said. “It’s not just about knowing your content, but you have to know the way you’re going to be scored or graded so that you can set yourself up for success.”
He recommends certain resources to his students, and makes his own handouts as well. He said it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the information out there, so he tries to choose a couple of quality resources that he knows will benefit his students.
Szevery recommends students take AP classes to prepare themselves for the intensity of college.
“Students that come back from college and visit me always say ‘my AP classes got me so prepared for college, and I feel like college is easier compared to how hard my APs were’,” Szevery said.
