Exam Extravaganza

By: Madalan Jones

Finished your AP exams, or worse, still have your exams coming up? Well, fear not T-Wolves, ‘cause I’m here with some pretty solid advice that can range from APES to APUSH and everything in between.

Quick little disclaimer, this will not go over actual content because College Board scares me and I’m doing everything I can to not make them mad.

So you finished your AP Exams?

Awesome! You should feel great about yourself right now and for a good reason. You’ve spent that last school year working for this and you’re finally done! Kind of. Sure you might still be doing projects and watching videos about your chosen AP class(es), but the whole ‘AP’ part is done! The test? History (especially if you took World or US).

But let’s not totally forget the year is still going on. You’ve only got about a little bit left though, you’ve got this! As of June 1, there will only be 14 actual school days (including Wednesday), and 21 days in total. It’s only a little longer, and then you’ve got the whole summer to look forward to!

Even though you’ve still got school, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself. Hopefully, you’ve got a little extra time now that you don’t have the horrid College Board hovering over your shoulder. For the remainder of the year, at least. That means it’s time to let back a little:

Go to sleep a little earlier some nights! You deserve a break, this year has been hard, and I know we’ve all been on screen pretty much nonstop. I seriously cannot stress the pure happiness a few more hours of sleep can give you when you’ve been running on so little for so long.

Listen to music, and I’m not just talking about listening to it while you finish up math homework. I mean really let yourself enjoy the music. Get together a playlist of songs that make you feel alive and sit down, or go for a nice nature walk, and let yourself feel like the main character, (because you most certainly are, and this is your very own choose your own adventure story).

Do something for someone else. (shout out to Mrs. Shee and her Positive Psych unit for this one.) It’s psychologically proven that doing nice things for other people will make you feel overall better. And I can attest to this. It doesn’t have to be a big thing either, if you are still swamped with other school stuff, maybe write an unexpected text to a friend that tells them how much they mean to you. Help your parents around the house with something they’re always talking about. Get that giant cluster of baby spiders away from your sister’s window (this one might be a personal problem, but I cannot stress this enough, ah). Or if you do feel like doing something big, the Mill Creek food bank is an amazing place to start! You can donate or help stock. Either way, big or small, your actions will be appreciated, and you’ll feel better after doing them.

Dance. And I don’t mean fancy good dancing. I mean full out thrashing around, make your neighbors worry if they happen to see it. This goes along with music a little, but just put on some songs you like, and flail around. This is for you. Let yourself look stupid and make a fool out of yourself because I’m telling you this right here is freeing. Express yourself even it’s just in your room to yourself

So you still have to take the AP exams?

Yikes. No, I’m only kidding, you’ll come to see that really isn’t as scary as you think it will be. You’ve been practicing this whole year, it’s basically just a fancy midterm but on College Board instead of Canvas. You’ve got this.

Don’t stress yourself out. I know, I know, this is some of the most basic advice to give, but it’s true. Especially if you’re a freshman, you’ve been going through this year pretty much blind, which, given, everyone else has too, but it’s really hard when it’s your first year. Just remember that you know this stuff, and I believe in you.

Actively participate in-class review. Now that there’s less homework being assigned (that you have to turn in) you think it’s all done, and I totally understand the feeling, but you’ve only got a little bit more to go, you can hold on for a few more weeks, or days. Seriously, your teachers are trying to help you, and they want you to pass this test. All you have to do is put in the effort.

Romanticize the experience. Tell your usually noisy little sibling that you have a super-duper important test. I’m in no way saying not to take the test seriously, because it’s important. But I get it, the test is nerve-wracking but it doesn’t need to be to such an extent. Grab yourself a nice snack, and a nice drink, maybe a soda or lemonade, and make yourself comfy. These tests may be long, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer through them.

Believe in yourself. Again, yeah, stupidly obvious. But really, look at yourself in the mirror (I’m serious) and tell yourself that you are going to pass this test (still serious). Look yourself in the eyes and just keep repeating it to yourself until you believe it. Confidence is key.

No matter what

Remember that you did, or will do your best and that’s all anyone could ever ask for.

Don’t beat yourself, because no matter what happened, you tried, and you did well. Even if somehow you scored a negative 20 on the AP Gov test because the graders were so upset that you said Taylor Swift was the first president of the US (which won’t happen, I promise) you still did well because you tried. You put yourself out there, and you did it. So be proud of what you accomplished.

Any words of wisdom for those who’ve taken or still need to take AP exams? Leave a comment below with your input!