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Facing the Tests:
Part II
By Katherine Wittig, Managing Editor
High school students are often faced with a pressing and vital
question: why exactly are we sitting through all of these classes,
spending hours on all these assignments, and taking so many tests?
Specific answers will vary, of course, but the main point of these
four arduous years of study is preparation for the future. Those
students planning to attend college must work hard to prepare even
further for the difficult standards of responsibility, diligence,
and intelligence. In Part I last month we addressed the issue of
preparation for the SAT. Now we’ll take a look at the AP Tests,
rapidly approaching, in which many students at El Segundo High
School are placing hope for college acceptance and choice of major.
These yearlong classes count for high school credit, but it is the
tests—that’s right, three hours of sitting in a classroom taking an
exam—that determines whether or not you can get college
credit for all this hard work.
It is important first to gain an
understanding of the coursework and indeed the structure of the
examination process. AP classes are offered in a wide variety of
subjects, ranging from mathematics to foreign languages, from
natural and social sciences to literature or composition of English
writing. At the beginning of each school year several students make
the important decision to take on this challenge and accept the
difficult and advanced coursework. To pass the classes and the AP
tests, it is vital to treat the class as a college level class,
approaching it with maturity, dedication, and a great desire to
expand one’s understanding and knowledge.
While the most important aspect of
passing any class or test is to work hard in learning and
understanding the material, there are particular strategies that
exist to help performance on the examinations themselves. The
College Board, which is the organization responsible for the
development, administration, and evaluation of the AP tests, gives
several facts about the format and structures of the tests. Go to
www.collegeboard.com for
more information about the specific strategies recommended for
individual tests. Any time a new or unknown challenge such as an AP
class arises, a well-prepared and motivated student should seek to
equip him or herself with knowledge and familiarity of the test in
order to increase potential and likelihood of a high score that
accurately demonstrates the hard work and knowledge the student has
had in the class. Preparation programs and supplements are also
available from various test-prep companies such as the Princeton
Review, Barron’s, Kaplan, and others. These books, far from
replacing the textbooks the student is using for the course, serve
merely as a guide in direct preparation for the AP and a methodical
path of study for one wishing to excel on the test. In fact, many of
these books will seek not only to help the student review and
remember the material from the class, but they also offer practice
questions and examinations geared to helping the student familiarize
him or herself with the format of the test itself. Just like taking
the SAT is much easier with practice and preparation, the AP tests
are certainly worth studying and practicing for.
The only question teenagers are more
likely to ask than “What?” is “Why?” Sure, you know what the AP
tests are, but why bother studying for them? AP classes and tests
are opportunities for students to equip themselves with advanced
knowledge in subjects that interest them, or that they plan to
pursue in college studies. They are also a way of earning both high
school and college credit, exceeding requirements for graduation and
college acceptance while also appearing quite impressive to colleges
weeding out prospective students. High performance on these exams
can prove to the admissions departments that a student is well
prepared for the college courses and atmosphere, through the
personal maturity and diligence as well as the specialized and
advanced knowledge. The AP examinations have the potential to
significantly affect students’ futures, and they should be taken
seriously and with a positive, motivated attitude. Taking steps to
further prepare for the tests is certainly worthwhile.
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