The season of standardized tests is upon us once again. Come every spring, students of all types are bombarded with SATs, ACTs, subject tests, finals, and for many students, the worst of all: AP tests. AP tests are held toward the end of each school year to test the knowledge gained from students enrolled in advanced placement classes. These tests are not mandatory, but many students opt to take them in order to test out of certain classes in college. To receive college credit for taking an AP course, students usually have to score at least a four out of a total of five points on the subject’s test (some colleges accept threes, but that is usually not the case).

Preparing for these tests can be extremely difficult. For one, if students had a class that ended after the first semester, they would have to find a way to keep that class fresh on their minds for the four-month gap until the test. Also, the exams test cumulative knowledge that was built up over the course of a class, so students have to review the course as a whole—making it even harder to remember specific topics.

Test results are not released until early July, so students have two months to anticipate their scores and hope for that golden five. We wish students the best of luck during this testing period and remind them to have a good night’s sleep!