Tips from an Irvine AP Tutor: 4 Reasons You Should Form an AP Study Group ASAP

Tips from a Private Irvine AP Tutor: 4 Reasons You Should Form an AP Study Group ASAP

Now that the second semester is in full swing students should be thinking about their AP test prep. Of course, students have been in their AP class the whole year, but now the actual exam is not that far away. Students should be prepared for a full day of testing and prepare themselves for the task at hand by working with their dedicated peers. Unfortunately, many students start their test prep way too late and end up having an anxiety attack over May testing. If students start soon, they can avoid a fair portion of their anxiety through preparation and perseverance – don’t wait another minute to book your Irvine AP test prep tutor.

1. You know your peers’ strengths and weaknesses

At this point in the school year, it should be clear who is truly dedicated to their AP study and who has developed excellent study skills. Get together with your classmates and look at who can complement one another. For example, perhaps one student is great at analyzing obscure poetry while another has a knack for solving tough calculus problems. Whether you’re all in the same course or taking multiple AP courses together, it’s important to play off each other’s strengths so you can all improve. Remember, the AP exam is graded on a straight scale so it’s possible for everybody to get a 5.

2. Study and review

The AP test can cover anything from the entire year as well as from material provided by the College Board. It can be difficult to remember something you learned back in the fall, so it’s important to split up the tasks of study and review. Attempting to make 500 vocab flashcards is entirely overwhelming for one student but may be possible for a group of five to split. Remembering all of those advanced math formulas might be really tough but, again, when split up between five or six people it won’t be that bad. Many students focus on only new material and forget to review. Thus, study groups are essential in this area (READ: “Ask a Nerd! Taking the AP Exam”).

3. Studying the test prep book

AP students are strongly encouraged to get at least one test prep book to help them prepare for the exam. Remember, test prep in any area is its own subject and different from the course itself. Learning to fill in bubbles on an English exam is different from actually knowing English. Test prep will have to be conducted above and beyond content learning. When students work together and study the test prep book they can go through all of the tips and tricks together to figure out how to beat that standardized test. Additionally, many students get frustrated and skip over much of the commentary in their test prep book, much of which contains very useful information. When in a study group, these tasks can be allocated to different members in smaller portions making it easier to complete (READ: “SAT and AP Exam Survival Guide”).

4. Moral support

High school students, especially seniors with other things on their mind, can find it easy to forgo AP study for more exciting activities. However, this can be detrimental to their overall GPA and their college admissions. When students meet once a week or so with their study group they will be holding themselves and each other accountable for any work that needed to get done. Also, when a member of the group is becoming overly stressed out the other members can help by providing moral support and by acting as cheerleaders. Each and every high school student in an AP class will become overwhelmed with the volume of study at some point. Having friends and classmates who are in the same position can be really helpful as a reminder to keep your eye on the prize and remember that an exciting college experience is just around the corner.

Get a high score on your AP final with the help of one of our private Irvine AP tutors. Call us today for more information.

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