It’s AP week and everyone’s running around desperately trying to study for all of their exams. No matter the subject, we could all use a hand studying for these tests; here are some tips that have helped me to prepare myself to get the best grade possible on  AP exams.

One thing that has always helped me boost my score for every test and assignment I’ve studied for is to find some friends and study together. Whether you’re going over notes or quizzing each other over the material, it can be incredibly helpful to review with someone else. They may remember things you don’t or have input that may help you to better understand the material.The only issue is trying to keep from getting distracted because, as we all know, studying can dissent into idle chat if you are not focused.

Personally, I really like studying via Skype because everyone can be at home with all of their stuff set up just how they like it and it takes away the problem of trying to all meet up somewhere and coordinate.

If you’re on your own, you can review your notes and read the textbook of course, but one thing I like to do is use the website and app, Brainscape. It is similar to Quizlet in that it’s a flashcard study program, but on Brainscape you have the ability to rate how well you know the information on each card, and the program will repeat the ones you are unsure of more often. After making the set, and flipping through a few times, I find that I am much more prepared than if I had simply stared blankly at the textbook for a few hours.

Not that anything is wrong with studying your notes, it just has to be done the correct way. I find it incredibly helpful if, as you read, you have another piece of paper and as you read through you create a sort of “cheat sheet” that holds all the most important information from each set of notes. This helped me pass every physics test we took this year, it helps you review while also creating another item for you to review later on.

Some teachers host review sessions before the AP exams to help answer questions and better prepare you. If your teacher does not have planned review sessions but you need help studying go in and ask them when they are available and if you can create a session, they may say no, but it doesn’t hurt to try.

Snacks. A tip all of it’s own. Snacks are helpful when studying to keep you focused and can even be an incentive. No matter which method you use, it can be very challenging to focus on the material for long periods of time. If you’re having trouble focusing just tell yourself, “Okay, every time I finish rereading a page of notes I get to eat some snack,” and this can be a very powerful motivator, especially if you studied through dinner.

The ultimate tip is to start studying early, if you haven’t already begun your preparation, then now is the time. Cramming the night before is ineffective and will not get you the 5 that you want on the AP exam. Studying a few times for a shorter length will help you far more then pouring over the textbook for three hours at midnight the day before the test.