It’s May, and students are almost at the finish line. For those taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams, it’s time to review all content and prepare for exam day.
Here are tips from teachers to make you ready to get a five on your AP exam(s).
Study Resources
Utilize your resources. To start, video lessons, quizzes and practice exams are all available through AP Classroom. They can be accessed by logging into your MyAP account on CollegeBoard, then clicking on one of your AP courses and finally going to the “Course Guide” tab and selecting a unit or practice exam. “It’s like having a little electronic tutor,” said Abby Griffin, AP Language and Composition teacher at Ida B. Wells High School.
CollegeBoard also posts all of the free-response questions from past AP exams with student samples. This is a great tool to get more practice with AP exam-like questions and see what past students answered.
Sometimes studying by yourself can be difficult, or boring, even. This is why it may be a good idea to hold study sessions with friends with whom you share an AP class. You can help each other better understand the material and have more fun with the process.
For all students taking AP Calculus AB, Brittney Jenkins, a math teacher at IBW, is holding a “Cram Jam” study session on May 10, 2025, in room 31, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Snacks will be provided.
General tutoring for all core subjects is also available on Wednesdays, after school from 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the main hall for the rest of the school year. While these aren’t AP-specific sessions, they’re still a good way to have dedicated studying and practice time with teachers and peers to support. For more information, talk to our Guardian Scholars coordinator, Jamie Suehiro.
Taking advantage of flex is also helpful in getting more individual help from your teachers in any struggling areas.
In addition, free online resources like study guides, YouTube videos and sites like Quizzlet, Kahoot or Blooket are also great for practice and review, while adding some variation to your study routine.
Stay Informed
It’s important you know what to expect on exam day. AP tests can be stressful, so knowing what will happen on the big day can help remove any excess worry.
All AP tests will be held at the Marshall High School campus. It’s important that you factor in the travel and parking time into your test day plan. Keep in mind, every student in the Portland Public Schools district is taking their AP exams at this campus, so it may be crowded.
Remember the date and time of your exam, and stay up-to-date on what you are and are not allowed to bring with you for test day. This information can all be found on the PPS AP exams page. For more help, talk to your AP exam coordinator, Abby Menashe, in room 139.
Make sure you know your CollegeBoard login before you arrive at your AP testing site; the administrators won’t be able to help you on test day with login troubleshooting.
Self-Care
AP exams are difficult, and for some, very stressful. Self-care is just as important as studying when it comes to acing these exams.
Make sure you keep eating well. According to the Mayo Clinic, eating a nutritious diet helps to improve our memory and retention, an important factor in effective studying.
Getting enough sleep is also important. Despite what you might think, late-night cram sessions actually reduce the amount of information we are able to process and fully understand. “If you don’t know it by now, you ain’t gonna learn it in one night,” said Norman Stremming, AP Psychology teacher at IBW. To make sure we retain the facts we study, we have to make sure we’re sleeping at least seven hours a night.
Remember to take breaks and spend time outside to reduce stress and improve retention of review material as well.
“Students, you’ve worked hard for this,” said Stremming. “Go in with a good mindset to fulfill the prophecy.” Work hard, use your resources, take care of yourself and come in prepared— then you can breeze through exam season feeling accomplished.
