Stressed about the updated AP® exams in light of school closures impacted by COVID-19? We at Albert have got you covered. In this post, we’ll answer frequently asked questions about the 2020 AP® exams, review how to create a remote learning-friendly study space and plan, as well as general AP® test-taking tips to help you excel in these turbulent times. 

Read on to get everything you need to start studying for your AP® exams today. 

Understanding AP® Updates for Schools Impacted by Coronavirus: FAQ

In this section, we’ll cover commonly asked questions around the 2020 updates to the AP® exams due to coronavirus. We’ll continue to keep this page updated as the College Board releases new information.

What’s the New Announced Format of Online AP® Exams for 2020?

On March 20th, 2020, the College Board announced that for just the 2019-2020 AP® exams, students can take a 45-minute online exam at home that would be open book. 

Typically, AP® exams are roughly three hours, with some being slightly shorter or longer depending on the subject covered. 

When will the AP® Exams Be this Year?

The College Board released the 2020 AP® exam schedule recently first via a teacher webinar on 4/2 and then officially on 4/3. We have a complete post with a downloadable table for this year’s exam test dates here.

Here is a quick summary of both weeks of primary AP® testing:

How is College Board Adjusting to Accommodate School Closures?

The College Board understands that some states have seen greater losses of instructional time due to COVID-19 than others. As such, they’re adapting the scope of AP® curricula tested on the 2019-2020 exams to reflect topics and skills that the majority of AP® teachers and students have already covered in class by early March.

They have provided a complete breakdown of what units will be covered and what units will not be covered on this page.

Will Colleges Accept this Year’s Online AP® Exam Results?

From what has been shared, colleges do support this solution presented by the College Board and have committed to ensuring students will receive credit for this year’s exam. This policy has a history in the past in which shortened AP® exams have been accepted for students who had experienced emergencies.

Scores will be released as close to the usual July timeline as possible. Schools will be provided their students’ responses by May 26th so that teachers and administrators can decide whether they’d like to use the student responses as part of a course grade or as a final exam.

What is the College Board Doing to Address Access and Equity Concerns?

At this time, the College Board has created a form where students that potentially do not have access to remote AP® learning and assessments can request support here.

To qualify, you will need to include your contact information as well as which AP® subjects you are taking. This form is intended for low-income and rural students who may struggle to have reliable connection to high-speed internet or other accessibility concerns. 

What Topics Will Be Tested and Won’t Be Tested on the Online AP® Exams?

Most topics and skills that have been covered by AP® teachers through early March will be assessed on the 2020 modified exam. 

You can refer to the table below in this post for greater specificity on which topics are tested and which will not be tested. 

For example, for AP® Biology, Units 1-6 will be tested but Units 7-8 will not be tested. 

What Additional Supports is College Board Providing to Help Students and Teachers?

Starting March 25th, the College Board is providing free live AP® review courses that are being hosted by AP® teachers across the nation. You can access the calendar here.

These review sessions will be recorded and available on-demand so that you can access them in case you can’t catch them live, and will not be dependent on what your AP® teacher is currently teaching. The recordings will be posted on their YouTube channel here.

Aside from this new support, the College Board is opening up free-response questions that were only available for in-classroom use so that teachers can share these with students to better prepare for this modified 45-minute exam. Teachers can find instructions on AP® Classroom here.

Can I Cancel My AP® Exams? Will I Be Charged?

The College Board is allowing students the ability to cancel their exam at no charge. We would recommend against doing this, as the exam fee in most cases has already been paid and this modified exam still provides the same opportunity for you to gain college credit for your hard work all year!

Will the 2020 Online AP® Exams be Open Book?

Yes, the 2020 AP® exams are open book. That being said, it doesn’t necessarily mean this year’s exam will be any easier than usual. You will still be asked to apply what you’ve learned in class in order to score the maximum points on your free response questions.

The 2020 AP® exams have been designed knowing that students will have access to notes and resources, so the exam questions will lean towards applying concepts from your notes and resources in new ways.

Also, something very important to remember is that while exams are open book, collaborating with others is not permitted. You will not be able to receive aid during the exam.

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The Best Review and Practice Resources for the 2020 Online AP® Exams

There are a ton of great review and practice resources you can use to prepare for the 2020 AP® exams. 

In this section, we’ll focus on digital learning resources since distance learning is at the top of everyone’s mind!

Official AP® Review Resources

The College Board provides a few key resources to help with your AP® test prep:

• AP® Classroom: This tool is teacher-led and allows your teacher to assign different practice questions for review, provide personal progress checks to check for your understanding, and exposure to free-response questions.
• AP® Central: This is where the College Board provides their library of past free-response questions, as well as score distributions and Chief Reader reports. We highly recommend reviewing the Chief Reader reports with your teacher, as they’re a great way to better understand how AP® Readers approach awarding and not awarding points on different FRQs. 
• AP® Live Review: This YouTube channel is going to be uploading the recordings of all the review courses the College Board will be providing students and teachers starting March 25. 

We recommend using the official AP® review resources when you feel you have adequately studied a topic or theme. Reason being: there is a finite amount of publicly available official resources and you’ll want to save what you can to simulate the real exam. 

Online AP® Practice Questions

AP® practice questions are helpful for checking your understanding and comprehension on key skills and topics. 

We recommend you use an online AP® practice question resource since you can then track your biggest areas for improvement. Online tools also allow you to get immediate feedback, helping you make the best use of your limited study time.

• Albert: We’re home to thousands of AP-aligned practice questions and full-length exams. Our site includes detailed explanations for every single question, which helps with your review process as you prepare for this shortened 45-minute exam. Even with this modified exam being just free-response, you’ll find Albert’s practice questions helpful for reviewing key concepts similar to how your teacher may use Personal Progress Checks in AP® Classroom. 

Popular AP® Review Videos

Answering practice questions and reviewing your class notes can get monotonous. To change things up, you may find it helpful to find a knowledgeable YouTube video on the topic you’re studying. 

To make it more engaging, think about what questions your teacher may have asked you as you watch the video, or jump into a Google Hangout with your classmates to discuss a video you all watched together. 

• Tom Richey: AP® US History and AP® European History lectures from a highly engaging history teacher. Tom Richey is well-regarded for his expertise in AP® histories. 
• Crash Course: Tons of sociology, computer science, and history review videos that are fully animated and engaging.
• Adam Norris: Home to great APUSH review videos. This teacher also runs APUSHReview.com which provides helpful review guides for free.
• Heimler’s History: Provides review for AP® US History, AP® World History, AP® US Government, and AP® Macroeconomics.
• Khan Academy: Tons of AP® STEM FRQ review, with particular focuses on AP® Chemistry, AP® Physics, and AP® Calculus. 
• BozemanScience: One of the original and best content creators for AP® Biology. 
• Josh Beasley: This is a current Yale student’s curated selection of videos sharing his experiences taking different AP® exams and what he found most helpful to excel. 
• StudytoSuccess: Similar to Josh Beasley, a top performing student’s personal guide towards different AP® exams she took. She ultimately was accepted to several Ivy Leagues.

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Our Top Picks for Promoting Collaboration and Studying in Groups

Not being able to rely on your normal schedule of going to school can be tough, but there are some tools that can help promote collaboration and studying in groups as you begin your AP® review. 

The Albert team has reviewed over 100 tools that promote distance learning you or your teacher may find helpful here. 

Here are our recommendations for tools to help you study more effectively in pairs or with your classmates for this year’s AP® exam:

Video Conference Tools for Student Collaboration

1. Cisco Webex: Allows you to facilitate group work or review. They’ve announced their supports for virtual learning here and have a section dedicated to students here.
2. Hangouts Meet: Google’s webinar tools. They’ve extended supports that you can read about here but you may need your teacher’s help to set up these larger video chats. .
3. Skype: Video chat. You can learn more about ways classrooms have used Skype here.
4. YouTube Live: Allows you to run a livestream with your peers with an interactive chat box. Great way to have review sessions with friends that can be accessed by classmates later. 
5. Zoom: Video conferencing that’s popular because it doesn’t require a download. They’ve written on the support they’re offering here. 

Fun Tools for Distance Learning AP® Review

1. Video Ask: This lets you create asynchronous Q&As — which could be great for making a quiz game with your friends. Free account here. 
2. Kahoot: Create interactive live quiz games with friends. COVID-19 supports are offered here.
3. Quizlet: Make shareable flashcard sets, host live review games with friends, and more.

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How to Create a Remote Learning-Friendly Study Space

If you’re like most students in this country, you’re probably used to doing the majority of your learning in a classroom. As you transition to studying for the AP® Exams from home, you might be surprised by the role that your physical environment plays in your study sessions. 

Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to create a comfortable, effective study space.

1. Choose an area of your home to be your designated study-zone.

Since you’ll be taking the AP® exams remotely, you have the unique opportunity to take your exams in the same place where you study.

This is ideal because of something called context-dependent memory, which means that you can recall information more easily when you’re in the same environment as when you first learned it. 

So, carve out space where you can both study and eventually take the AP® exams. A desk is ideal, but you could also use a kitchen table or counter. In a pinch? Get creative with a makeshift desk made out of textbooks or boxes.

2. Minimize distractions during your study sessions.

You’re probably used to having some leisure time while at home. It can be difficult to ignore the allure of your television or the notifications popping up on your phone.

Do your best to minimize distractions while you study. Ask the other members of your household not to disturb you for the duration of your study session. Turn your phone on airplane mode so you don’t receive texts or calls.

If you can’t be alone while you study, put in headphones and play some white noise. We do not recommend music since it can be distracting.

Remember: this time is for studying and studying only. Everything else can wait.

3. Dress for success.

It might be tempting to wear pajamas all day every day while you transition to your new role as a remote student. However, we recommend getting dressed for your study sessions just like you would for school. This can help put you in the studying mindset, whereas wearing pajamas might leave you feeling a little sleepy.

If you do get into the habit of wearing a more put-together outfit while you study, make sure to do the same on exam day. You’ll be surprised how the clothes on your body can affect your confidence, even when you don’t leave the house.

4. Build a consistent study routine.

You keep telling yourself that you’re going to study after this episode… but you just can’t seem to get off the couch. We’ve all been there.

Keep yourself from falling into the “study-from-home” rut by building a consistent routine that includes designated study time. And, even more importantly, stick to it! 

Here’s an example of what this might look like:

• 8 am – 9 am: Breakfast and morning routine
• 9 am – 11 am: Remote school work 
• 11 am – 12 pm: Virtual check in with classmates and teachers
• 12 pm – 1 pm: Lunch and brain break
• 1 pm – 3 pm: Study humanities subjects
• 3 pm – 4 pm: Break for exercise/fresh air
• 4 pm – 6 pm: Study for STEM subjects
• 6 pm – 7 pm: Dinner and family time
• 7 pm – 9 pm: Leisure time

5. Get an accountability buddy to help keep up your study habits.

Just because you’re studying from home doesn’t mean you have to study alone! Pair up with another student from your class to develop a study plan and share resources.

You can have virtual study sessions to check each other’s work and quiz one another on material. Plus, you can hold one another accountable for studying every day.

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How to Create a Distance Learning AP® Study Plan for Your Exams

Let’s be honest: there are a lot of changes happening to AP® exams this year.

Your AP® exam study plans will clearly look much different given all the schedule and exam adjustments. These changes may initially feel stressful or discouraging – but fear not! We’ve developed three clear steps you can take to make sure your studying is organized, effective, and puts you on a path toward a 5.

While the steps below are focused on using Albert as a study resource, the suggestions will help you with any review book you have access to.

Step 1: Pace yourself with a clear calendar

The most common distance learning mistake that AP® students make is jumping right into a textbook or website before taking time to “zoom out” and create a coherent plan of attack. Before you actually start reviewing content, it’s critical that you invest the time to create a study calendar.

There are two main things you need to know to create your AP® study calendar:

• The number of days you have until your exam
• The number of topics you’ll need to master before the exam

You can then take the total number of topics you need to master and divide by the number of days you have until your exam to find the approximate number of topics you should study each day.

To help create your plan, we’ve included an updated table below showing all of the adjustments to 2020 AP® exams. Two main things to note:

• You will not be assessed on all units in a course. Only specific units from each subject are being assessed – the units at the end of courses are being left off of the 2020 exams.
• Exam dates have changed. Look carefully at the table below to make sure you know exactly how many days you can include in your study calendar.

Use the table to find the specific info you need and then map out how many days you can spend studying each unit on your test. You can write your plan out on a printed calendar or use an online tool like Shovel to track your final study plan.

Updated AP® Exam Live Review Schedule 2020

Subject	Units on the updated exam:	Units NOT on the updated exam:	Exam question type(s)	Exam Date #1	Exam Date #2
Art and Design: 2D Portfolio	N/A	N/A	Selected Works: 3 works required (instead of 5) to be submitted digitally + Sustained Investigation: 10 images required (instead of 15), also submitted digitally	Portfolio due date extended for all students to May 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Art and Design: 3D Portfolio	N/A	N/A	Selected Works: 3 works required (instead of 5) to be submitted digitally + Sustained Investigation: 10 images required (instead of 15), also submitted digitally	Portfolio due date extended for all students to May 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Art and Design: Drawing	N/A	N/A	Selected Works: 3 works required (instead of 5) to be submitted digitally + Sustained Investigation: 10 images required (instead of 15), also submitted digitally	Portfolio due date extended for all students to May 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Art History	Units 1-6	Units 7-10	*	*	*
Biology	Units 1-6	Units 7-8	*	*	*
Calculus AB	Units 1-7	Unit 8	*	*	*
Calculus BC**	Units 1-8 + 5 topics in Unit 10 (10.2, 10.5, 10.7, 10.8, and 10.11)	Unit 9, Unit 10 (except Topics 10.2, 10.5, 10.7, 10.8, and 10.11)	*	*	*
Chemistry	Units 1-7	Units 8-9	*	*	*
Chinese Language and Culture	Units 1-4	Units 5-6	*	*	*
Computer Science A	Units 1-7	Units 8-10	*	*	*
Computer Science Principles	No final AP® Exam	No final AP® Exam	Explore Task + Create Task only; no multiple-choice exam	Digital Portfolio due date extended for all students to May 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Economics – Macro	Units 1-5	Unit 6	*	*	*
Economics – Micro	Units 1-5	Unit 6	*	*	*
English Language and Composition	Units 1-7	Units 8-9	*	*	*
English Literature and Composition	Units 1-7	Units 8-9	*	*	*
Environmental Science	Units 1-7	Units 8-9	*	*	*
European History	Units 1-7	Units 8-9	*	*	*
French Language and Culture	Units 1-4	Units 5-6	*	*	*
German Language and Culture	Units 1-4	Units 5-6	*	*	*
Government and Politics: Comparative	Units 1-3	Units 4-5	*	*	*
Government and Politics: U.S.	Units 1-3	Units 4-5	*	*	*
Human Geography	Units 1-5	Units 6-7	*	*	*
Italian Language and Culture	Units 1-4	Units 5-6	*	*	*
Japanese Language and Culture	Units 1-4	Units 5-6	*	*	*
Latin	Units 1-4	Units 5-8	*	*	*
Music Theory**	Units 1-6	Units 7-8	*	*	*
Physics 1	Units 1-7	Units 8-10	*	*	*
Physics 2	Units 1-5	Units 6-7	*	*	*
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism	Units 1-3	Units 4-5	*	*	*
Physics C: Mechanics	Units 1-5	Units 6-7	*	*	*
Psychology	Units 1-7	Units 8-9	*	*	*
Research	N/A	N/A	Academic Paper only (no presentation)	Digital Portfolio due date extended for all students to May 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Seminar	No final AP® Exam	No final AP® Exam	Individual Research Report + Individual Written Argument only (no team or individual presentations or end-of-course exam)	Digital Portfolio due date extended for all students to May 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Spanish Language and Culture	Units 1-4	Units 5-6	*	*	*
Spanish Literature and Culture	Units 1-6	Units 7-8	*	*	*
Statistics	Units 1-7	Units 8-9	*	*	*
U.S. History	Units 1-7	Units 8-9	*	*	*
World History	Units 1-6	Units 7-9	*	*	*

* This information will be updated once College Board releases an update on Friday, April 3.
** It will not be possible to provide subscores this year.

Not sure what exact topics are covered on each unit of your AP® course? Checkout the exam pages on AP® Central or simply explore the subject guide for your course in Albert’s AP® course library.

Step 2. Create a specific daily routine

Once you’ve outlined your daily overall study calendar, it’s time to get really detailed with what your AP® exam study routine will look like. Depending on how many total AP® exams you’re taking this year and how many days until your test, we suggest anywhere from 1 – 3 hours of daily studying per exam.

Maybe you’re already a master of focus and self-discipline…but let’s be honest: we could all use some extra help in those areas.

Albert believes (and research shows) that students learn best by doing. This means the bulk of your routine should be active learning or practicing. Don’t just passively watch YouTube videos and think you’ve done enough. You must actually practice a skill to make sure you’ve mastered it.

Your routine for AP® exam studying could look something like this:

• 25 minutes: watch review videos on YouTube (here’s a list of some of the best channels)
• 5 minutes: break (walk outside)
• 25 minutes: practice writing answers to free response questions
• 5 minutes: break (snack)
• 25 minutes: read explanations and take notes on the most important concepts to remember; possibly make flashcards for key vocab terms
• 5 minutes: break (take a TiK Tok break)
• 15 minutes: multiple choice practice and review

Notice how the routine proposed above fits nicely within the Pomodoro Technique. If you’re unfamiliar with Pomodoro Technique, it’s a time management method that includes cycles of 25 minute focus periods with 5 minutes of rest. To learn more,  check out this article on the Pomodoro Technique.

Pro Tip: focus on FRQs!

The online 2020 AP® exams impacted by the coronavirus will consist of all free response questions – no multiple choice. So, you should obviously spend extra time practicing FRQs. 

Additionally, the updated 2020 AP® exams will only be 45 minutes long. You should build up your stamina to where you can write FRQs for 45 minutes without any issue.

Albert makes practicing these FRQ questions really simple! Just click on the “Free Response” tab in the subject guide to explore a wide range of practice FRQs, as shown below:

You’ll notice we’ve included practicing multiple choice questions in our sample routine above even though the updated online AP® exams will not include multiple choice questions. Why? Quite simply: multiple choice questions generally take less time than free response questions.

Continuing to practice a small number of multiple choice questions each day is an efficient way to keep your skills and knowledge fresh while you prepare for test day.

Step 3. Use data to adjust your plan

The calendar you created in Step 1 and the routine you established in Step 2 are not in total control of your studying process: YOU are in control. Your plan and routine are tools designed to help you – not to cause you extra stress.

You should certainly stick to your study schedule and routine as much as possible – consistency and commitment are keys to earning a 5 on your AP® test. But you always have the power to adjust your plan and routine. 

Did you just bomb a practice FRQ question? No worries! Just make an adjustment to your study calendar and add an extra day to review that topic.

Are you feeling exhausted and unmotivated? That’s normal! The top-performing students tend to include consistent breaks in their schedule (such as every Sunday) so they don’t get burned out.

One of the benefits of “active learning” is that you can constantly get feedback on how you’re performing. Use that feedback and data to make adjustments to your plan. 

You have a plan. You are in control. You’ve got this!

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General AP® Review Tips and Tricks 

When it comes to studying for the 2020 remote AP® exams, you’ll benefit from some of the same study tips and tricks you could use for any exam. We’ve put together a list of our favorite study “hacks” to help you prepare for this unique administration of the AP® tests.

1. Study higher priority topics first. 

According to College Board’s announcement about the 2020 AP® exams, the revised remote tests will only assess topics that most AP® classrooms would have covered prior to early March, when coronavirus first started affecting schools.

Consider that in conjunction with the fact that some topics are more frequently assessed on AP® exams than others, and you can quickly narrow down the most important topics to study for this exam. 

Of course, the distribution on the remote AP® exams might be a bit different than past full-length exams, so be sure you’re still studying all possible topics. Just spend a little extra time on the most important topics. 

Pro Tip: Talk to your classmates about which topics they think will be most important to come to a consensus around what to study. 

2. Learn from your mistakes. 

Many students think that re-reading their textbooks or going through their notes is all the studying they need to do. While this is studying, we consider it “passive studying.” 

Passive studying is not nearly as effective as “active studying,” or practicing the skills and concepts you’ll see on the exam.

How can you study actively? Practice, practice, and more practice.

Complete practice questions and exams to see what you can do on your own. Then, go back to see where you made mistakes and take the time to find out why. (This is where those textbooks and notes will come in handy.) Now, try it again!

Remember, the exam scorers can’t grade you based on what you know in your head, they can only grade what you’re able to do on the exam. 

3. Take breaks.

This might be our most appealing tip of all, but it’s also extremely important. Research shows that taking study breaks can help you commit what you’re learning to memory. 

This is why you should budget yourself enough time to build breaks into your study schedule. For a more productive study break, try something like taking a walk around the block, doing some yoga stretches, or having a healthy snack.

This is also why cramming is not an effective study technique. If you overload your brain with new information, you can be certain that you will not retain all of it. 

4. Pay attention to question vocabulary. 

This tip is true no matter if you’re studying for AP® Calculus, AP® English Literature, or even an AP® World Language exam. There is so much vocabulary that goes into each AP® subject, and it’s important to get comfortable both reading and using this vocabulary. 

We recommend keeping a running list of each word that feels important to your subject. Read through released exams and highlight every term that is subject-specific. Then, use this vocabulary list to build yourself a flashcard deck that you can practice with during your study sessions. 

Pro Tip: Try to use some of your vocabulary words in a sentence at least once a day. Using new terms can help you remember what they mean. 

5. Get some study buddies.

Studying is almost always easier in a team. Create a study group of your AP® classmates for virtual study sessions. You might even be able to get your teacher on board!

You can share study resources, play group study games (we love Kahoot), and grade one another’s practice questions. Plus, it can make the whole experience a little more fun. 

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How to Make the Most of AP® Central’s Past FRQs

With the adjusted format of the online AP® exams, knowing how to tackle free-response questions just went from important to crucial. Fortunately, you can find released FRQs from past AP® exams on AP® Central. 

But wait – what are you supposed to do with these questions? We know it can be tricky to teach yourself how to answer AP® exam FRQs without the benefit of a teacher or classroom. So, we’ve broken down how to make the most of AP® Central’s Past FRQs into 5 easy steps. 

Step One: Try your hand at a couple problems cold

Head over to AP® Central and navigate to the released questions for your AP® subject. Then, pull up only the question. Do not use any other resources, notes, or cheat sheets (unless the exam includes an official reference sheet).

Complete the problem or essay on scratch paper. Even if you find it challenging, persevere in completing the problem entirely on your own. Don’t worry if you get stuck; just do your best!

If you’re completing a full-length essay, one problem is enough. If your FRQ is shorter in nature, try out a couple problems.

Step Two: Grade your work 

Now, navigate to the Scoring Guidelines document for the FRQ(s) you just completed. Take some time to read and process the rubric on its own.

Then, put on your teacher hat and start grading your own work. Give yourself an official FRQ score for that problem. 

It’s important to be honest here. Remember, you’re preparing for an exam that will be graded by professional scorers, so there’s no use boosting your own score now.

Step Three: Check out the sample responses 

One of the most valuable resources on AP® Central is the sample response set they provide for each released FRQ. Sample responses are taken from actual student exams and organized by score, so you can see student work for each score level. 

Take some time to go through the sample responses for each possible score. Then, compare your work to the highest-scoring sample response. Make a note of what you left out or where you went wrong.

If you’re still having trouble understanding the FRQ, read the section titled “Overview” in the response document or the file called “Commentary”, depending on what AP® subject you’re preparing for. 

Step Four: Repeat the process for the same type of question

It’s time to try it all over again! But don’t switch gears and attempt a completely new type of FRQ. Pick another released question that focuses on the same skill or standard as your first.

This way, you’ll be able to practice the skills you just internalized with your first FRQ experience. 

Pro Tip: If you’re running out of questions on AP® Central, you can also check out Albert’s AP® course library or a selection of released questions on AP® Classroom. 

You can repeat this process for the first type of FRQ as many times as you’d like. Then, move on to step five. 

Step Five: Move on to master the next type of FRQ

If your AP® exam includes more than one type of FRQ, make sure you’re taking the time to study each unique type.

Repeat steps one through four with the next type of FRQ until you feel comfortable with each unique question. 

Remember, the remote 2020 AP® exams are going to be entirely free response, so this is the time to focus all your time and energy on mastering these free response questions.

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5 Last Minute Test-Taking Tips for Online AP® Exam Day: Quarantine Edition

Phew! We’ve come a long way. In this section, we’ll go over three final test-taking reminders as you prepare for your AP® exam. 

1. Dress like you would for school the day of the exam.

As tempting as it may be to take your 2020 AP® exam in sweatpants, the act of simply putting on your clothes as if you were going to school can serve as a mental trigger for you to have your testing game face on. Dressing like you would on a normal test day can help you feel more present and have a higher level of commitment and engagement towards your AP® test. 

For more on the research behind this, check out this study from Northwestern.

2. Clean and prepare your test-taking space a few days ahead of your AP® exam.

Earlier we detailed the importance of having a dedicated study-zone. Ahead of your test day, make sure your study zone is clean of distractions and clutter. 

Check to make sure lighting is good enough to not impede your reading ability. Have a bottled water or glass or water ready to go the day of the exam. Make sure your computer chargers are all functional and your devices fully charged before exam day. 

This will allow you to get the benefit of feeling comfortable having already studied extensively in this specific area, while also removing potential distractions that could impact your focus on your AP® exam. 

3. Eat a healthy breakfast two hours before your online AP® exam.

One of the benefits of the 2020 online AP® exams is that it’s only 45 minutes. That being said, make sure you eat your breakfast at least two hours before to allow for digestion and peak mental performance. 

Research has shown a 20-40% reduction in concentration, alertness and memory when young people don’t eat breakfast.

Look to have foods like whole-grain cereal, eggs and toast with a side of yogurt, or oatmeal with fresh fruit and a glass of milk. These sorts of breakfasts feature long-lasting sources of energy (complex carbohydrates), protein, and help balance your blood sugar levels. 

If you’re prone to getting hungry quickly, have some “energy” snacks an hour before the exam. These may include nuts like almonds or walnuts, trail mix, or protein bars. Make sure to drink water and stay hydrated! More guidance can be found here.

4. Tell your family members when your exam is set to be administered.

The last thing you want to do is be distracted during your exam. Be sure to tell your loved ones when you’re going to be taking the exam so that you are distraction-free for that 45-minute duration. Maybe they can prepare a little celebration for you after!

5. Do some light stretching right before the exam.

One benefit of taking the AP® exams from home is that you won’t look crazy when you stand up and start stretching right before the exam. Sitting for too long doesn’t feel great for your body and can make your mind feel restless. So, take advantage of the opportunity to do some light stretches, yoga, or even confidence boosting poses before the exam begins!

Wrapping Things Up: How to Study for AP® Exams with Distance Learning

Needless to say, the upcoming 45-minute online AP® exams are going to be unique. However, with the right mindset and some hard work, students can still excel on these tests and earn the college credit they deserve. 

In this guide, we’ve walked you through how to take advantage of your at-home study time leading up to the 2020 AP® exams. Some key takeaways from our guide include:

• Make the most of online resources available to you, including official resources from College Board, the wealth of teacher and student created videos on YouTube, and all the practice websites designed to prepare you for the AP® exams. 
• Continue collaborating with your peers with web-based study programs and video conferencing platforms. Your study group can be your greatest asset!
• Create a study space in your home that you dedicated entirely to preparing for and taking the AP® exams. If you can’t go to the classroom, it’s time to bring the classroom to you.
• Make a study calendar for the days leading up to the exam so that you don’t fall into the trap of cramming the night before. With no real school to go to, you have plenty of time in the day to schedule study sessions.
• Maintain the good study habits you would use for in-person exams. Even though the 2020 AP® exams will look different, it’s still important to keep up habits like prioritizing higher-value topics, practicing vocabulary, and learning from your mistakes.
• Practice the released FRQs on AP® Central. Since the remote AP® exams are going to be entirely free response questions, you should practice as many FRQs from past exams as possible.
• Develop a pre-test ritual for the hours leading up to the exam. You have some added flexibility taking the exam at home, so be sure to maximize your test session with a good breakfast and some stretches. 

We hope this guide helps you navigate this unique AP® testing season. While this has been a stressful school year for teachers and students alike, we want to help you do your best on the 2020 AP® exams.