The end of the school year is approaching, which means so are AP exams! Advanced Placement courses are college level classes that many students have the opportunity to take during high school. While the variety of AP courses offered varies from high-school to high-school, they all culminate in an exam period at the end of the school year. AP exams are standardized, and the topics and weightings for each unit are available on the College Board’s website (for example, here’s the AP US History page). Understanding how to study for AP exams is crucial for success.
This year, AP exams are the first two weeks of May (5/5–5/16). Here’s the 2025 exam schedule. If you are an AP student, you may be studying already for your upcoming tests. If you are planning to take AP courses in the future, maybe you are curious to learn more about how to study for AP exams and the studying process. In this article, we’ll cover how to study for AP exams, along with information about curriculum updates and study skills. In this article, you’ll also find a list of resources with which you can continue and deepen your study strategies.
What Will Be on My AP Exam?
Students are correct in guessing that there are many resources available online to aid in their studies. However, it is important to note that some AP Courses have undergone significant changes in recent years.
For example, AP World History became AP World History: Modern in 2015, removing 9,000 years of history from the curriculum. This year the AP Chemistry, AP Physics, and AP Psychology exams are undergoing content and format changes. This means that if students are looking online for resources to supplement their exam preparation, they should be mindful of the date noted on the materials. While those outdated materials may include information that is relevant to your overall knowledge, it may not be directly relevant to the exam. Students should be aware of these changes before spending time on outdated materials with irrelevant questions.
Note that the way teachers approach the AP curriculum can vary dramatically by high school. For example, some teachers teach “to the test,” meaning their priority is to directly prepare students for the exam. Other teachers have a more expansive approach and may include in their yearly curriculum topics that are not necessarily tested in the exam but will be relevant to the students’ learning and development. Pay attention to and feel comfortable to ask questions regarding your teacher’s particular strategy to get a better understanding of what content from your course will or will not be on the exam.
When Should I Start Studying for My AP Exams?
When a student begins studying for their AP exams will vary depending on the student’s outside responsibilities or extra-curricular activities, their sports seasons, their finals schedule outside of the AP exams, their comfort with the material, and the quality of their study skills. As a general rule of thumb, students should organize their notes and AP materials throughout the year so that they are not scrambling weeks before the exam to find details on all of the content. A few weeks before the exam, students can create a study plan, outlining when they’ll review each unit, prioritizing their most challenging units first.
Note that for multiple choice questions, students can both practice content memorization as well as MCQ strategies. Spending a bit of time sharpening the process of elimination strategies will aid students in many different subjects and is a great way to save time when studying for multiple exams at once. Additionally, when practicing MCs, students should review all questions, whether they answered them correctly or incorrectly. Success with MC questions often depends on understanding why the other three answers are incorrect.
When practicing Free Response Questions, students should familiarize themselves with the grading rubric and review the successful examples provided by the College Board. Across the board, a mistake that many students make on the FRQ’s is speeding through or skipping altogether the outlining process. Note that the longer Free Response Questions come with a designated reading or planning period, typically 15 minutes minutes in length, that give the students the opportunity to think through the upcoming essay. This is a critical period during which students can plan strategically, in order to avoid getting lost in their writing later on.
How Long are AP Exams?
In your preparation process, you might wonder about the length of AP exams. How much time will you spend actually taking the test?
AP exams vary in length, averaging 2–3 hours. The longest AP exam is 3 hours at 15 minutes, and the shortest exam is 1 hour and 30 minutes. The sections on each particular exam will also vary; students should familiarize themselves ahead of time with the time that they will have for each (although, this information will also be noted directly on the test). Students should consider length in their exam preparation so that they can familiarize themselves with their focus, energy levels, and pacing during the exam.
If you are a student who receives extra time, this accommodation should be accounted for and organized with your school or exam proctor ahead of time so that there are no surprises on test day.
How to Study for AP Exams
Recommended Prep Resources
- AP Classroom — This is the College Board’s resource, which offers videos, practice questions, and progress checks. Teachers provide students with a code to access this tool.
- Free Response Questions (FRQs) — Previous FRQs are also accessible on the College Board’s website. For example, here’s the AP US History Free Response Questions.
- Third Party Resources — Companies like Barron’s or Princeton Review make quality prep books that help students review material and include full-length practice exams. For social studies courses, I’m partial to the AMSCO books.
- YouTube Channels — There are some fantastic YouTubers out there that dedicate their channels to reviewing entire units and answering practice problems. (Some students argue that these YouTubers are better than their actual teachers.)
AP Exam Tutors
Private tutoring is a fantastic resource for students hoping to improve their confidence and exam scores. Private tutors should be familiar with recent changes in the exams, possess expertise in their designated area of content, and create an encouraging yet challenging environment for their students. If students are considering meeting with a tutor, they should do so in advance of the month before the AP exams.
Because private tutoring centers and companies see an influx in students around the 2 month period before the exams, it’s best to plan in advance. If you or a student you know is preparing for the AP exams and could benefit from additional support, schedule a free consultation session with HelloCollege.
Conclusions
Preparing for AP exams takes time, strategy, and the right resources—but with the right approach, you can walk into test day with confidence. Whether you’re gearing up for this year’s exams or planning ahead for future AP courses, the tips and tools in this article will help set you up for success.
