AP Classes: What We’ve Learned

AP U.S. History teacher Robert Cousineau's classroom is filled with historical texts.
Photo Courtesy: Brooke Weber
AP U.S. History teacher Robert Cousineau’s classroom is filled with historical texts.

  As the doors to the classroom, library, and conference room open, a sea of relieved students floods out; its collective head held high with one certain group victory: the AP test is over.

  After months upon months of determined preparation, both Susquehannock and the nation as a whole are ready to celebrate when the final late-testing date for every exam finally passes on May 20.

  The official dates of AP Testing ended on May 13, but sophomore Erin Kaliszak was finished with her journey exactly a week before that when her first and only exam, AP United States History, closed its test booklet.

  “…It ended up being longer than I thought it was going to be, but overall…it wasn’t as hard as I expected,” Kaliszak said. “…Mr. Cousineau did a lot of different worksheets and things that we would use throughout the year, like study guides…that we would build upon each lesson we did, and then right before the test I watched a lot of different videos – shoutout to Adam Norris…because his videos helped me a lot.”

  These test-taking strategies were echoed by senior Brigit Duffy, who took five AP courses this year alone.

  “About a week before the test, I would organize all of my notes from beginning to end of the year,” said Duffy. “…I would just go through them a few times, and then I would pick out the stuff I was least confident [in] and just really focus on that…”

  All of this reviewing and prep work isn’t a symptom of a uniquely student-based phenomenon, though – even teachers like Barbara Nealon, who instructs on a variety of subjects including AP Biology and Environmental Science, must spend huge portions of their time keeping up-to-date with the material they handle.

Barbara Nealon helps AP Environmental Science student Emma Gruner on one of the final days of class.
Photo Courtesy: Brooke Weber
Barbara Nealon helps AP Environmental Science student Emma Gruner on one of the final days of class.

  “[Both classes I teach are challenging], for different reasons,” Nealon said. “They both require that I do a lot of reading and stay current. AP Bio is tough because it’s all molecular, and I…have to, a lot of times, teach myself things, because there are new discoveries every day that I didn’t have when I was in school, so you have to be a good learner. AP Environmental is the same way, I mean, you have an environmental disaster, you [have to] do all the reading, you [have to] figure it all out, so it’s staying current.”

  One huge aspect of AP tests that students don’t often consider is the fact that they change: every so often, as was done for the AP Bio test within the last five years, their curriculum and organization is altered, a situation that forces Nealon and other teachers like her to be adaptable.

  “You have to know the test so that you can get kids ready for it, so you have to know what kinds of questions,” said Nealon. “There’s been a huge shift from memorizing to being able to do science in the question itself, and so that shift has been real important to help my students realize you can’t just memorize and pass. You’ve got to understand the concept.”

  Of course, just as the onward march of time brings change to the AP tests themselves, so too does it bring change to the test-takers, even ones like Kaliszak who have just finished their inaugural AP year.

  “Probably I would’ve…studied more in advance…I probably would’ve taken more time, like, right before the test, to study, ‘cause I’ve been doing a lot of studying throughout the year,” Kaliszak said. “[Mr. Cousineau, the AP U.S. History instructor] makes study guides that you use in the future and [he makes] it easier on you to study before the AP test, so if you just do it then and don’t procrastinate, you’ll be good and you’ll have the review materials you need.”

  Quite poignantly, the same advice seems to come from Duffy, who will take her eighth and final AP test on May 18.

  “I would probably start studying earlier, because I really only studied about a week before the test, whereas I should’ve done [it] a couple weeks before, probably,” said Duffy. “…I’ve become a lot more organized with my notes, because I’ve found it’s a lot easier to begin studying for the entire year when your notes are organized instead of just all over your backpack and binder, so I’ve learned organization is very important…also, [don’t] freak out and stress out, just…relax, because you know the material, you’ve been learning it all year…”

  No matter what history you’ve got with the AP curriculum, both students recommend taking the advanced classes, saying that the hard work and studying hours put in are well worth it in the end.

  While Kaliszak assures that her first test reformed her work ethic and procrastinating habits, Duffy has a few words of wisdom to leave behind for future 5-earning hopefuls:
  “Well, first of all, take all the AP classes that you can handle because they’re…not as horrible as they seem, they’re not as hard, and also they prepare you a lot better for college and…you get college credit…don’t freak out, because AP sounds intimidating, but you can handle it.”

Nealon's whiteboard is still filled to the brim with reviewing tips for her AP and other classes.
Photo Courtesy: Brooke Weber
Nealon’s whiteboard is still filled to the brim with reviewing tips for her AP and other classes.