Do you ever wonder how prepared students actually are for their AP® exams? Some may study all year but then slip up on exam day and forget their calculator. Check out our AP® Fun Facts infographic below to see what students forget to bring or do the most before their exams. Plus, find actionable steps you can take to help your students better prepare.
What do we know now?
After sending our survey to thousands of students who took an AP® Exam in 2017, we were able to pull a few fun facts. Now we know that even when students might be academically prepared for their exams, there’s still the chance they’ll forget the small stuff. Let’s take a look.
What are the most frequently forgotten items?
Snack
This was the most forgotten item with 39% of students not bringing one. Not only was it the item students regretted forgetting most, but of the students who brought snacks, many commented that they did not have enough. Out of the students who remembered snacks, 15% wish they had brought more.
Calculator
Out of the students who needed a calculator, 15% did not have one. Of students who did have calculators, 5% lost battery power during the exam. The amount of questions on a Calculus exam that require a calculator is high. While some students might make it through the exam, it can be a crucial mistake not only for calculations but also for timing.
Pencil
Pencils are the most basic and most necessary item for any standardized test. While a few AP® exams use computers, nearly every test requires a pencil. And yet, 10% of students did not have a pencil for the test. That means over 200,000 students a year forget the most basic necessity for an AP® exam.
Watch
A watch is paramount in keeping pace and ensuring you get through the exam in a timely manner, especially since test rooms don’t always have visible clocks. This year, 11% of students this year did not have a way to keep time.
What about before the test?
Overall students where mostly prepared the morning of the exam.
- Nearly everyone ate breakfast, with only 9% not consuming anything.
- Despite 17% of people not setting an alarm for the morning of the test, only 2% of students were actually late.
- Lastly, 92% of students remembered to turn off their phones. Good thing too because if your phone goes off it could disqualify your scores.
What can you to do to help?
Whether they are AP® exam experts or it’s their first one, here are a five things you can do as a teacher to help your students remember all the small things they need day of.
- Bring Bagels: This first tip comes from a student. Sam S. says, “In high school, I had teachers that brought bagels for every early morning practice test. While I didn’t assume food would be provided for the actual AP® test, it was comforting when they did. I knew my teachers were ready to give me any sort of boost they could and that made me just a little more confident in how they helped me prepare.”
- Provide Snacks: Several students this year commented in our survey that teachers brought snacks for breaks. While teachers can’t randomly stop by an AP® test, this idea really works for teachers who are also test prompters. Giving students support at break and the healthy edge of granola bars can really go a long way when they still have hours to go.
- Make a Checklist: Go over in class what students need for the test. Doing something as simple as collectively thinking of everything they would need can give them the mental notes to help them remember.
- Do a Practice Drill: In the week leading up to the test, have your students bring in everything they need as a practice drill. Encourage them to keep all of their must-haves in the same place so they’re not scrambling the morning of the exam.
- Lucky Pencils: While most students will remember a pencil it can be a sweet, symbolic gesture to bring in “lucky pencils” as a good luck gift. It might just give them the small motivational boost they need.
Have another other way to help your students remember everything? Email us at hello@albert.io or let us know in the comments section below.
