I hope that in reading this, you can realize you are not the only person thinking this... Or that I am not the only one.
OK, I need to budget my time.
If you are like me, the largest issue you have while taking a standardized test is being able to finish in time. For some reason, I feel the need to second-guess every answer I choose, which causes me to sacrifice lots of time. Thus, my immediate thought is that I need to organize my time, and so I make a loose schedule, which usually I end up abandoning.
But, hey, "A" for effort, right?
Do I really need the AP credit?
As a coping mechanism for feelings of being unprepared, it is common to debate with yourself whether you really need the credit you're attempting to earn. It is a very real possibility that the school you're planning on attending, or applying to, does not accept credit for the AP tests you are taking.
In this case, you have nothing to worry about! You could spend the entire time writing an essay on the issues of standardized testing instead of your analysis of the rhetorical strategies Margaret Thatcher used in a speech, and it wouldn't make a difference.
I can't wait to see the memes on Twitter...
No matter what AP test you are taking, most students will agree that the most rewarding part of the entire process is getting to understand and relate to all the memes created with inside jokes from the test. It doesn't matter if you took the test a month ago, or a day ago; the memes will never not be funny.
Besides, is CollegeBoard really going to cancel all of our scores? I didn't think so.
I'm really thirsty, but I also have to use the bathroom.
Again, if you are like me, you have an issue finding the perfect medium of being hydrated and needed to use the bathroom every two seconds. This is a common thing I experience while testing. I may or may not have left in the middle of the math section of the ACT to use the bathroom.
What would happen if I decided to break out into song and dance?
OK, so this one might just be me, but I can't lie. This is a thought I have had multiple times while testing. The silence basically calls for a classic Broadway-style dance number. I mean, really, what would happen? Would I get scolded at? Would others join in? The possibilities are endless!
I'd probably get kicked out, but imagine!
I wonder what others are writing about.
No matter how confident I feel in my thoughts and answers, I can't help but wonder what everyone else has written about, or how they solved a certain problem. I think that this is inevitable, though, because it is pretty normal for AP tests to have relatively subjective answers. Confidence is the key to success, so when possible, trust your gut.
I am already dreading when everyone compares answers and I answered completely differently from everyone else.
I think most people can identify the one friend who always complains saying "I did not do well at all," or "I completely failed," but then ends up doing the best out of the whole class. For me, most of the people taking the AP test alongside me are these kinds of people. One of the more dreadful parts of AP testing is when everyone compares answers, to which it is revealed I did not have one single answer the same as anyone else.
How am I supposed to wait until July for my results?
Personally, I think one of the more irritating parts of AP tests is the fact that you have to wait two months before you can access your scores. There is nothing more tedious than sitting idly by for something so significant to your high school career. But as they say, "A watched pot never boils!"
Why do I give in to the ridiculous expectations of standardized testing?Â
For a few years now, I have become aware of just how inaccurate and unfair standardized testing is. A question that often occurs in my mind while testing is why I even allow myself to conform to these tests. How is a change supposed to occur when those who have issues with something cannot stand up against the cause?