WGHS Students Prepare for Finals and AP Tests

image courtesy of CollegeBoard.com

Just last week, EOCs and AP exams began here at Walnut Grove. A few of the students here explained their studying strategies as test day approached.
​by Dani Young

BEFORE THE TEST

Just last week, EOCs and AP exams began here at Walnut Grove. A few of the students here explained their studying strategies as test day approached.

Many students took an AP exam last week, such as seniors Zack Ford and Sheldon Shaw. Both students took the AP Environmental Science exam, which required a lot of studying. To study, Zac explained, “I looked at my college work questions… [along with] looking at some of the practice questions we took all through the year.” Unlike regular test grading, AP exams are graded from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest and 1 being the worst. Most students, like Zack and Sheldon, shoot for 3+ but are fine with a 3. “I’m feeling pretty confident. I’m going for a 3+,” Zack expressed. 
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Like Zack, Sheldon prepped and studied in a similar way. “I looked over my notes and review books,” Sheldon explained, “I watched videos on the different units, and just pretty much looked over all the material that Mrs. Amos provided us.” Sheldon was “...confident, and [he was] hoping for a 3.”

​Similarly, sophomores Ashlyn Chafin and Christina Casey took the AP US History exam, which is known to be one of the hardest exams to take. Like the AP Environmental exam, the AP US History required a ton of studying to even make at least a 3. To prepare, Ashlyn stated, “I just did some practice DBQs and watched some videos on the material.” She went on to say, “I would like to make at least a 3, but I’ll probably make a 2 because it was pretty hard.”

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AFTER THE TEST

Students looked back on their studying techniques and strategies, some wishing they would have done something different. Zack looked back and said, “I probably would have tried to do some of the math portion of the class a little bit more because it was pretty hard.” Sheldon didn’t have much to say when looking back on his studying strategies, but he did give insight on how he used his test taking strategies on the exam. “If I knew [the answer], [then] I would answer it,” he further explained, “but if I didn’t, then I would leave it blank and come back to it.” Not only does studying help to pass a test or exam, but the way a student takes the exam, such as using process and elimination or like Sheldon did, skipping questions that are not the easiest.

In contrast to Ashlyn, Christina felt extremely confident about the exam saying, “I feel like I made a 4 because I feel like I did really good on the FRQs.” She went on to explain that although she was confident in herself, leading up to the exam, she was “really nervous…and annoyed because [she] didn’t want to take it.”

After the exam, looking back on her time spent studying, Ashlyn expressed, “I wish I would have studied more because I procrastinated.” She further stated that she will “definitely study more for the next exam” she has to take. When looking back, Christina explained she wished she would have “studied more in detail because yes, I already knew like the basics, but there were some questions where you had to know the specifics.”

At the end of the day, all students can come together and say that studying for a test or exam is no joke, but it is a trial and error process. Students learn from previous mistakes, which betters them for the next year.