By Allison O'Keefe Testing season is here, and that means students are working harder than ever to make sure their year-long efforts are going to pay off with a qualifying score. The month of May is known as the month of exams as classes shift towards College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) testing for high school students and MCAS/PARCC for elementary, middle and high school students. |
.Students are required to take either MCAS or PARCC up through the tenth grade, after which many chose to challenge themselves with a variety of AP classes that Mashpee offers. AP Human Geography is the first available advanced placement class offered, and the transition into a more challenging course can be an educational experience.
There is a silver lining to all this stress and preparation, however: as new students open their first test booklet, upperclassmen have the ability to share their pre-test tips and tricks to make sure all students have a chance for success.
Lauren Thomas, a current Mashpee senior who plans on taking four AP exams this May, thinks back on her first AP experience with fondness. “I took AP Human Geography as a freshman in high school,” she says. “The large workload and difficult tests were a big challenge for me and my classmates. It was a very fast-paced class as we had to get through all the material before the AP exam. Since many of us went from taking the lower level classes then jumping straight into a college level course, it was rather difficult to transition quickly into the mindset we needed for class. But once we seemed to get into the groove of things, the class was extremely fun and interesting. My favorite part was doing the case study on the mill girls in Lowell, Massachusetts and learning about the agricultural processes. Overall the class was extremely interesting, but I wish I waited to take it another year when I was more settled into the high school groove.”
There are plenty of AP’s offered at Mashpee if one doesn’t call to you, however. The history department offers AP’s like US History and European History, where the English department offers Language and Literature. STEM is also a big field at Mashpee, with AP’s like Biology, Physics I & II, Environmental, Calculus, and Statistics. The more creative students can challenge themselves with AP Studio Art or Music Theory. There’s something for everyone’s interests.
So how does one prepare for something as seemingly intimidating as the AP exam? Seniors Caitlin Lee and Brittany Martini had some key pieces of advice for AP first timers.
“Don’t just study the night before,” Lee suggests. “Set up a study plan.”
“And relax. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t pass, but still try your hardest. Be confident,” Martini adds.
That is the universal truth when it comes to preparing for these exams: keep calm and study on. With this key information, students should know to start early when preparing for their test and to not panic under the pressure. In the end, the knowledge one has gained from the course can be enough of a reward.
There is a silver lining to all this stress and preparation, however: as new students open their first test booklet, upperclassmen have the ability to share their pre-test tips and tricks to make sure all students have a chance for success.
Lauren Thomas, a current Mashpee senior who plans on taking four AP exams this May, thinks back on her first AP experience with fondness. “I took AP Human Geography as a freshman in high school,” she says. “The large workload and difficult tests were a big challenge for me and my classmates. It was a very fast-paced class as we had to get through all the material before the AP exam. Since many of us went from taking the lower level classes then jumping straight into a college level course, it was rather difficult to transition quickly into the mindset we needed for class. But once we seemed to get into the groove of things, the class was extremely fun and interesting. My favorite part was doing the case study on the mill girls in Lowell, Massachusetts and learning about the agricultural processes. Overall the class was extremely interesting, but I wish I waited to take it another year when I was more settled into the high school groove.”
There are plenty of AP’s offered at Mashpee if one doesn’t call to you, however. The history department offers AP’s like US History and European History, where the English department offers Language and Literature. STEM is also a big field at Mashpee, with AP’s like Biology, Physics I & II, Environmental, Calculus, and Statistics. The more creative students can challenge themselves with AP Studio Art or Music Theory. There’s something for everyone’s interests.
So how does one prepare for something as seemingly intimidating as the AP exam? Seniors Caitlin Lee and Brittany Martini had some key pieces of advice for AP first timers.
“Don’t just study the night before,” Lee suggests. “Set up a study plan.”
“And relax. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t pass, but still try your hardest. Be confident,” Martini adds.
That is the universal truth when it comes to preparing for these exams: keep calm and study on. With this key information, students should know to start early when preparing for their test and to not panic under the pressure. In the end, the knowledge one has gained from the course can be enough of a reward.