stress from ap tests

BY: LUKE LONGMIRE

TEST STRESS

A In depth look on stress from the AP tests

THE END OF THE YEAR IS A VERY STRESSFUL TIME FOR ALL STUDENTS WITH END OF YEAR TESTS, FINAL PROJECTS, AND WORST OF ALL AP TESTS. ALTHOUGH AP TESTS ARE OPTIONAL, MANY STUDENTS TAKE THEM AND THIS LEADS TO EXTRA STRESS. THIS STRESS COMES FROM BOTH THE STRESS FROM TAKING THE ACTUAL TEST AND THE HUGE INCREASE IN STUDYING THAT COMES BEFORE THE AP TEST. HERE I WILL INTERVIEW 3 PEOPLE, ONE PERSON HAS NEVER TAKEN AN AP TEST BEFORE BUT IS PREPARING TO, ANOTHER HAS TAKEN THEIR FIRST AP TEST, AND THE LAST HAS TAKEN MULTIPLE AP TESTS. THESE 3 INTERVIEWS WILL GIVE US AN IN DEPTH VIEW OF WHAT THE SOURCE OF STRESS IS AND WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO PREPARE AND MITIGATE THIS STRESS. THEY WILL ALSO GIVE US TIPS ON HOW TO HELP WITH THE STRESS YOU MIGHT BE FEELING AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

FIRST WE HAVE SAMUEL ROSENTHAL WHO IS TAKING AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY AS HIS FIRST AP TEST AND HE WAS INTERVIEWED BEFORE HE HAD TAKEN HIS AP TEST. WHEN ASKED TO RATE HIS STRESS ON A 1-10 SCALE FOR THE UPCOMING AP TEST HE SAID THAT IT WAS AN 8. AS A PERSON TAKING THE AP TESTS FOR THE FIRST TIME HE SAID THAT HIS STUDY TECHNIQUE WAS TO MAKE FLASHCARDS AND DO PRACTICE TESTS AND SAID HE WAS STUDYING 4X THE NORMAL AMOUNT HE WOULD FOR A TEST. SAM SAID “I DO NOT FEEL PREPARED OR NOT PREPARED, IT IS JUST HAPPENING. ” AND I THINK THAT MANY PEOPLE FEEL THE SAME WAY, THAT IS ALL SAM HAD TO SAY ON THE AP TESTS.

NEXT WE HAVE PRANJAL PAUDEL WHO HAS JUST TAKEN HIS FIRST AP TEST WHICH WAS AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. LIKE SAM, PRANJAL SAID THAT ON A SCALE OF 1-10 HIS STRESS LEADING UP TO THE AP TEST WAS AN 8. HIS STUDY TECHNIQUES WERE TO DO KAHOOTS, QUIZLETS, AND PRACTICE TESTS. HE ALSO SAID THAT HE WAS 3X AS STRESSED FOR THE AP TESTS COMPARED TO NORMAL TESTS AND THEN HE FELT A LITTLE PREPARED FOR THE TESTS ON THE TESTING DAY.

LASTLY WE HAVE MATTHEW BEDELL WHO HAS TAKEN 2 AP TESTS THIS YEAR BEING AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY AND AP COMPUTER SCIENCE. WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS STRESS LEADING UP TO THE TESTS HE SAID THAT IT WAS A TEN AND MOSTLY CAUSED BY HIS OTHER CLASSES EATING AWAY AT THE TIME HE COULD HAVE BEEN USING TO STUDY. HE SAID THAT THE STUDYING TECHNIQUES THAT HE USED WERE WATCHING THE VIDEOS ON AP DAILY, USING AN AP PREP BOOK, AND DOING PRACTICE TESTS. MATTHEW SAID THAT THE PREP BOOK IN PARTICULAR WAS VERY HELPFUL BECAUSE IT GAVE HIM ACCESS TO MANY ONLINE RESOURCES SUCH AS PRACTICE TESTS WHICH CAN BE HARD TO FIND. LASTLY WHEN ASKED HOW PREPARED HE FELT ON THE DAY OF THE TEST MATTHEW SAID THAT HE FELT PREPARED BEFORE HE STARTED IT BUT THAT ONCE HE STARTED IT HE FELT LIKE HE SHOULD HAVE STUDIED MORE.

STUDYING TECHNIQUES

-KAHOOTS -QUIZLETS -PRACTICE TESTS -FLASHCARDS -TEST PREP BOOKS

THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO TO STUDY IS TO JUST SIT DOWN AND START -MATTHEW BEDELL