An Early Start: Teachers stress AP preparation

Photo Credit: Kirsten Selstad

Jill Domoney lectures during her fifth block AP Microeonomics class. Domoney also teaches AP American History, and she holds review sessions to give her students additional preparation for the exams.

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March 10, 2010  
Filed under Features

Students usually do not consider the tests they will be taking two months in advance, but because of the importance of the Advanced Placement exams, many have already begun preparing. Students and teachers have found that reviewing early for these exams will help to ensure they are ready on May 3 when they are scheduled to begin.

To prepare for all of these exams, students review material that they have accumulated throughout the year. Whether or not students realize it, everything that they have already learned is helping them prepare.

“Every assignment and every unit test is designed to help students learn the skills necessary to pass the AP exam,” Jill Domoney, who teaches AP American History and AP Microeconomics, said. “By the time of the test, students are well versed in the expectations of the course.”

Although students prepare all year, as the test date draws nearer, teachers offer more help to ensure each student’s success.

“To prepare students, most AP teachers offer review sessions in the months leading up to the exams,” counselor Jim Andra said. “These typically are after-school sessions and sometimes on a Saturday. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of these sessions in order to make sure that they are fully prepared for the exams.”

Many students understand the importance of these tests and are planning to attend review sessions.

“I will probably go to two or three of them,” junior Jonna Ramos said. “I want to do well on this exam. The people who took it seriously last year said that it really helped them.”

After utilizing these resources, students have generally continued to better their performance on the AP exams.

“West students have done very well,” Andra said. “For example, last May we had 571 exams taken, and 408 of these were at the score level of 3 [out of 5] or above. That is 71.5 percent of the exams taken.  This is significant in that a score of 3 or higher is the level at which a student must achieve in order to have an opportunity to receive preferential placement in course work or college credit.”

Even if students perform well on these exams, they will not know how many credits they will receive until they select a college. The amount of credit a student receives varies from school to school. By visiting www.collegeboard.com/ap/creditpolicy, students can see how different colleges award credits.

Even with the understanding that they can receive college credit and scholarship opportunities, some students still choose not to take the AP exam. Although individuals are not required to take this exam at the end of the year, it is recommended if they have performed well in the course.

“I would definitely recommend taking this test if you have already put so much work into the course,” Domoney said. “The test is a student’s first indicator of what the expectations are in challenging college courses. By mastering AP courses and taking exams, a student will do better in college, and good grades will open doors for more opportunities, such as paid summer internships and scholarships to study abroad. These college experiences will set the student apart from other graduates in the job market.”

With all of these opportunities, many students enroll in AP courses solely for the chance to take these exams, although they are not right for everyone.

“The student should be ready to commit to the extra time necessary to complete course materials,” Domoney said. “The viable candidate is not necessarily the ‘gifted’ student, but the student who has good study skills and is self-motivated and has good self-discipline.”

These traits will help individuals be successful as they prepare for the upcoming AP exams. The effort they put forth could pay off for them and for BV West in improving overall scores.

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