Before taking the test, review the topics from last year. Reviewing the topics will not only refresh your memory about the material, but it also makes knowing the material more engaging. If you are taking the test because you want to increase your grade point average, then there is no harm in reviewing the previous year’s topics. If you have been taking Calculus courses for several years, then you know the material will be very familiar to you, so you may skip some questions if you know the answers already.
Know when the test is being administered, even if you are not sure when the actual test is. In many cases, the exam date is posted on the AP website early in the year, but you may not get a chance to find out when the test is administered until closer to the date. For example, if you are planning on taking the exam in January, you might check the exam date with your school office. If they don’t mention the test date, then find out when the test will be administered, as this could influence which class you select in order to take the exam.
Get plenty of sleep before taking the test. The day before your test, your brain will probably be rusty and may not be as ready as it needs to be for the test. So the best time to do your test prep is in the late afternoon or early evening. It is also very tempting to grab a candy bar during test time, but you should stop this habit if you need to go to the restroom. Doing your test in this state is probably not going to give you the best results! If your brain is tired, then you are less likely to remember what you read.
Plan to study for the test at least an hour before you intend to begin doing the test. This will allow you time to learn the material thoroughly. Since you cannot hold all of the previous topics in your head at once, it will be necessary to learn as much as possible, and this includes finding out the topics you need to know before you begin taking the actual test. You may find that there are parts of the test you forgot to learn, which will help you tremendously when it comes time to do the math. So spend the extra time to learn everything you can before test day.
Get started about two weeks before test day. Your preparation will really pay off when test time rolls around. You want to be able to review and learn as much as possible before the test day, so try to make sure you are doing a little bit of studying each day before school. This will give you enough time to learn all the topics you need to know. It is also a good idea to set aside a few hours each night to study for the test, so this gives you plenty of time to get the material down.
Practice tests are your best friend when it comes to preparing for exams. You want to get into a routine where you do your practice tests each day, rather than doing them after school. By doing this, you ensure that you are not rushing and are getting a lot of practice in. There are many different kinds of practice tests you can take, including short multiple choice tests and full multiple answer tests. These will help you learn a lot about how the questions are answered, so you will know what to expect on the actual test day. You will be surprised at just how much you will improve when you get plenty of practice tests in.
Finally, if you feel as though you have studied enough and still don’t feel prepared, then it is time to get some more practice tests. Take a friend or relative with you, who is also taking the test. This will allow you to ask them questions that you may not want to be asked and will get you ready for test day. As long as you are prepared when test day comes, you will do well on the AP Calculus Exam 2100.
