Testimonials from the Trenches: Suggestions from Students Who Soared

Last year, several students in my AP Language and Composition course scored 4’s and 5’s on their exam. The secret to their success did not surprise me, but instead confirms what I had already suspected – AP exam prep is not about finding a magic formula. According to a few students that I interviewed, it’s about putting in the effort, staying consistent, and using smart strategies that actually work.

My question to the students: What tips would you give students who want to score a 4 or a 5 on their AP Lang exam?

• Ashvita - “My biggest advice would be to practice at home under time pressure. You get about an hour to write each essay and in the moment with all the stress it is very hard to focus on writing if you haven't practiced in that environment before. By practicing setting yourself up in this environment at home, you can mimic the day of the test and instead of it being overwhelming on test day it can seem like just another essay writing day. I would also recommend focusing a lot on your analysis. Don't just include the supporting evidence, but make sure to clearly explain how it supports your argument because that is what helps you to score higher.”
• Teddy - “I would say the two most important things are memorizing the rubrics and watching the AP Classroom Videos. I try to define every bolded word or keyword in a notebook for all AP classes.”
• Claire - ”My best advice is to practice reading comprehension and using the steps provided by the AP teachers. It's key to remember to always connect your evidence back to your thesis at the end of every piece of commentary. It is also important to just use pieces of evidence and literary elements that you understand and can explain confidently.”

Ashvita’s advice lays the foundation for a successful testing experience. Whenever students practice in a quiet space, and with time limitations, they are then able to reflect on their experience. In Ashvita’s case, she was able to determine which parts of the essays she needed to spend more time on. As she mentions, she made sure that some of the valuable test time was spent explaining how the supporting evidence supports her argument, which in turn, not only helped her score, but made her essays stronger.

Equally important, Teddy’s advice reiterates the purpose of the AP Classroom’s resources. Students can gain much insight from the videos, as the College Board genuinely cares about how students learn the material. Teddy took it a step further by being an active participant with the videos; he kept a notebook of terms that he learned from the material, and then was able to use this information for the exam. Writing down information (not just typing notes, but actually writing) can help reinforce content.

For Claire, her focus for the exam was practicing reading comprehension. The multiple-choice section of the exam can stump even the brightest students because the questions encourage critical thinking. Additionally, she agrees with Ashvita that connecting the evidence back to the thesis and explaining how the argument is supported is important because it strengthens the essay.

Lastly, Claire mentions using “steps provided by the AP teachers”. She is referring to the “Smart Steps Checklist” I created for my students when they practiced writing in the classroom. Using the College Board rubric for AP Language and Composition, I pulled the key criteria and organized them into a checklist for students. The original reason I did this was to help my students who view themselves as more “mathematically-gifted” than “blessed by the English gods.” The mathematics-minded students viewed the checklist elements (the criteria) as variables that all work together to produce a product (an essay). What I found was that the checklist was a hit with the majority of my students.

When students put in the effort for exam prep, they give themselves the best chance to succeed. They go into the exam feeling confident and ready to soar.

Contributing Authors: Special thanks to Theodore “Teddy” Mott, Ashvita Sherigar, and Claire Ballou for their contributions to this article. These students are seniors at Model Laboratory School in Richmond, KY.