With AP testing recently coming to a close, many students are eagerly awaiting their scores. But before results are released, we wanted to take a step back and hear how students felt about the exams: before, during, and after.
We first spoke to Madeline Stein, a freshman who took the AP Government exam. While she initially felt intimidated, she found the test to be far less difficult than expected. Looking ahead, she expressed interest in taking AP Psychology next year. She credited her performance to consistent studying and watching videos by AP Government YouTuber Carey LaManna.
Senior Rediate Yeshitila, who also took AP Government, shared a similar experience. She rated the difficulty of the exam as a 7 out of 10 challenging, but manageable. Like Stein, she found review videos on YouTube to be especially helpful, highlighting how free online resources such as Carey LaManna and Heimler’s History have become popular study tools among B-CC students.
Sophomore Hamza Sebti, who recently completed the AP U.S. History exam and was preparing for the AP Psychology test, reported that APUSH was easier than expected. However, he felt nervous about AP Psychology due to the difficulty of the practice tests he had taken.
We also asked these students for advice they would give to future AP test-takers. “Try to do as much as possible of what your teacher teaches you, and watch videos online,” said Yeshitila. “Try to take shortcuts, so you don’t spend too much time on your APs.” Some of those shortcuts include outlining DBQs and LEQs before writing and using knowledge from the multiple-choice section to help answer free-response questions. Sebti emphasized staying on top of assignments throughout the year, noting that the practice they offer can be key to success.
