How to Prep for Finals and AP Exams

Taylor Boehm ’26

With the end of the school year approaching fast, so are AP Exams and finals. The first week of AP exams just concluded this past week, and now students are currently gearing up for a week of exams and final assessments. To make the most of the remaining time and end this year with success, it is important to do everything you can to prepare, study, and relax before heading into summer. In case you are feeling a little lost or unsure throughout this whole stressful process, here are a few quick and easy tips to help guide you along a path to success so you can enter summer knowing you finished the 2024-2025 school year with success. A lot of these tips may be pretty unconventional, but I find that sometimes that’s the best way to learn how to approach challenges. Thinking outside the box, even when studying, can often lead to deeper understanding and more success in your endeavors. 

• Create a Stress-Free Zone: Designate a space, whether that be in your house, outside, a library, or elsewhere that is completely free of distractions, clutter, and any other reminders of things you have to do. Having a clean, organized study space often helps increase productivity monumentally. The more happy and free your environment feels, the less stressful studying will be for you, and ultimately will make you more successful in the exams. 

• Take a 5 Minute Break Every 25 Minutes: Recently, I learned about a study technique called the Pomodoro method, which, according to Tech Target, is “a time management method based on 25-minute stretches of focused work broken by five-minute breaks” and allows for the prevention of burnout and exhaustion. It allows students not only to improve their focus on their studying but have a motivation for studying, knowing after a certain amount of time you will be rewarded with a break. The short, consistent breaks allow your brain to recharge, keeping you productive without feeling overwhelmed and is the perfect way to study for huge tests like finals and APs. 

• Visualization Meditation: Meditation in general is super helpful when working to combat stressful situations. Visualization, often considered a form of meditation in certain contexts, is when you picture something, someone, or even a feeling in your head to help reduce stress. In this situation, take a few minutes every day to close your eyes and imagine walking out of your AP exam or final feeling proud and accomplished, feeling like you knew you did well and you are excited to receive your score. Visualization can help reduce anxiety and boost confidence by creating a mental connection to positive outcomes. When you picture yourself succeeding, you’re more likely to act with self-assurance and succeed in your preparation for the test. 

• Active Recall: Instead of passively reading your various notes, looking over material actively test yourself on key concepts. While reading and studying is a great way to retain information, it is even better if you are able to understand the material when you don’t have it in front of you. To do this, cover up your notes, and try to recall the information from memory. This process strengthens neural pathways and really just makes it easier to think about this info during your exam because that’s how you practiced it. The more you challenge your memory, the stronger your recall will be under pressure.

1. And finally, Sleep: Sometimes we think that to get the best score on an exam, we need to cram the night before, memorizing and looking at all of the information as much as we can, but sleep is way, way more important than this. Rather than cramming all night, prioritize sleep before exams. Your brain consolidates memory during deep sleep, making it more efficient in recalling information as opposed to staying up and getting no sleep before an exam.. A rested mind will outperform a fatigued one any day, and you’ll feel more alert and focused when you walk into that exam room.

Of course, there are so many other methods to studying with success, like having a study buddy, meditating, using a reward system, flashcards, exercising, and so much more—but here are some more unconventional and even subconscious strategies you can try that require very little effort, just the intention to act on them! Remember, success isn’t about studying the hardest—it’s about studying the smartest. Take care of your mind, trust your preparation and the work you put into your studying, and give yourself the grace to rest and reset when needed. You’ve got this!