The morning of May 1, any students passing by Convo Hall will see an unexpected number of seniors waiting outside. Those seniors are this year’s AP Government students, ready to kick off AP and IB testing with the first AP exam of the year. 

AP tests span two weeks, from May 1 to May 12. Popular exams include AP Psychology on Tuesday, May 2; AP US History on Friday, May 5; AP World History the morning of Thursday, May 11; and AP Physics 1 in the afternoon of Thursday, May 11. 

Each test takes around three hours, with morning tests starting at 8 a.m. and afternoon tests starting at noon.

Almost all AP tests will take place in Convo Hall, with the exception of the language tests and AP music theory. Those tests involve audio, so they will take place in the library.

IB tests span three weeks, from May 2 to May 19. They will take place in a variety of rooms across the school, ranging from room 110 to room 231 to the library. Most tests span two days, with a two-hour session on each day.  

AP and IB tests are challenging because they cover an entire year’s worth of content, so AP and IB students must study everything they’ve learned.

To prepare for his first AP tests, sophomore Michael Gallagher has started reviewing and benefited from in-class review. 

“For AP World I’ve watched some Heimler videos and I’ve gone to some of Sweeney’s reviews…for AP Physics we just took a practice AP test and I’m planning on taking one more of those on my own,” he said.

Junior Suraj Dumasia has been practicing free response questions from the College Board website for his AP tests and has also been studying for the IB Economics test. “I feel prepared and confident for all four of them,” he said.

For IB seniors, their tests are even more challenging because they cover two years of content. 

Senior Michaella Neidermyer is concerned about the two years of material she must review. 

“I feel very anxious about [the tests] specifically because several of the tests are what I’ve learned over the past two years,” she said. “It’s a lot of information to review in a short period of time.”

Some advanced IB students are stressed for a different reason: they’re taking two-year tests a year early. 

Junior Tori Fox is worried about her IB tests. 

“I feel very unprepared and I have no idea what to expect,” she said. “I skipped year one of IB math and I don’t know if that is going to negatively impact my test.”

No matter the subject, reviewing material and familiarizing with the test format can help to prepare and relieve stress. 

Neidermyer shared that she’s reviewing with a study schedule and Quizlet, which helps her to remember information from history and English courses. 

Dumasia advised that students narrow their studying to difficult topics. 

“Focus on the concepts from the course that you found challenging throughout the year,” he said. “If a topic came easy to you, it would likely be more productive for you to spend your time reviewing something else.”

Above all, it’s important to balance academics and healthy habits. Stay focused, get a good night’s sleep, and good luck on test day!