At AJ Tutoring, part of our core mission is to help students navigate the test-taking process with a minimal amount of stress. Attaining this goal involves planning ahead. If you’d like to talk through your specific situation, please reach out to us. To learn more generally about the process for a successful test preparation season when it comes to the subject-specific exams, read on!
First, we have to understand what the AP and SAT Subject exams are. For a break down, click here.
Second, we have to envision how the tutoring schedule works.
Here’s a breakdown of our approach to AP/SAT II test preparation:
Sessions & Homework
We meet with students for 3 to 5 weekly sessions leading up to the AP exam or SAT Subject Test. Homework consists of a combination of full-length practice tests and shorter assignments.
Course Content
Our exam prep program covers content and test-taking skills, including question interpretation, guessing strategy, time management, free response strategies, and essay writing.
Materials
We use official, published exams that have been administered in past years, as well as our own curriculum that we update annually to reflect any changes in the AP courses or SAT curricula.
Keeping in mind that AP exams are in May (you can find a schedule here) and most students aim to take the SAT Subject Tests in June (schedule here), the most common preparation schedule would be to start in late March and plan on meeting once a week in April and May to fit in preparation for one AP exam and one SAT Subject Test.
For example, if you are enrolled in AP US History, have loved learning about US History, and are getting a great grade in the class, you might think about taking the AP in May and the SAT Subject Test in June. You can connect with a history test preparation expert in early March to schedule a weekly session starting in mid-to-late March and also clear out time for weekly homework assignments through the June SAT Subject Test.
If you need to double up on AP preparation and SAT Subject Tests (a not uncommon conundrum), you’ll want to plan on meeting twice per week and likely starting earlier.
It’s not too early to solidify a plan for which exams, what schedule, and which tutors will make the most sense for you! If you’d like to talk through your specific situation, please reach out to us! We’d be glad to have a conversation.
