IRVINE- Patriot students studied for hours and attended many study sessions just to take their Advanced Placement Exams (APs) from May 4 through May 15. Many students prepared diligently for their exams, studying night after night to acquire a minimum of a three, the lowest passing grade, on the exam. Teachers reviewed practice tests, handed out study guides, and held study sessions to help students to prepare for the exams. AP World History teacher, Mr. Goldenberg, has a wall of quotes from past students posted to motivate and inspire current student. “AP stands for Advanced Placement, not Always Procrastinating,” suggested Amy Pho, Mai Suzuki, Shelley Kim, and Danielle Melgarejo on the wall.

   AP English teacher Mrs. Mintz explained her methods of preparation. She explained, “I handed the students four practice tests and eight FRQ’s followed by three essays. I held a study session on Saturday for three hours, and forty percent of the students from my class showed up.” She gave her students a study guide that contained 147 literature terms and, of these, 40 will be on the exam. The exam for AP English was held on May 7.

    Another member of the Patriot staff, Mrs. Solanki, who teaches AP Economics, explained her methods for preparation. She detailed, “I gave three practice exams and a packet full of ten FRQ’s.” She gave her students several study guides and held many review sessions as well. The exam for AP Microeconomics will be held on May 14.  “There are no short cuts in the end… just STUDY,” advised Sherrie Yu on Mr. Goldenberg's wall.

    Some Patriots are very nervous about the upcoming examinations because these are their first AP exams. Sophomore Khyati Parekh said, “I am nervous because we have been doing the AP World History countdown since the first day of school, and now it’s almost here. It used to be a three digit number until the AP exam, and its nine more days left.” Like many other first-time test takers, she has been going through her prep book, reviewing flashcards, attending Mr. Goldenberg’s writing seminars, and going to movie nights after school.

    Many Patriots, on the other hand, are confident about the exams. Patriot Megan Monroe, a junior, expressed, “I am not nervous because I know what to expect. I also know that the tests are not hard as some teachers want people to think.” Monroe has taken AP United States History and will take AP Environmental Science on Tuesday, May 12.  Like many Patriots, Monroe purchased a review book from Barnes and Noble and, to refresh her memory, looked over material from the beginning of the year. She took a lot of practice tests to see what she needed to brush up on and also used flashcards to study for the exam. While these are popular and beneficial ways to study, senior Sylvia Lin also advised, "Make sure that you understand the chapter’s material. Do not just write down things.”  Lin took AP Government, AP Microeconomics, AP Computer Science, AP English, and AP Psychology.  Overall, Priya Patel and Taylor Holmes explained it best on Mr. Goldenberg's wall: “Reading and note taking are the meat to the perfect sandwich of success.” 

    A senior Patriot, who prefered to remain anonymous, however, mentioned the growing threat of senioritis. This student said, “I do not prepare much for the exams, except for AP Statistics. It's more of the seniors, especially, that do not care.”  On the wall, Kya Le, Evan Dixon, and Irene Marie Cruz's advice seems pointed at these seniors. They suggested, “Just remember AP is like a pie. It takes a lot of work to make, but tastes delicious in the end.”

    After the APs, Patriots may feel relieved that the tests are over, but they still have to wait until after school is out for the results to arrive.