Opinion

Opinion Roundup: As AP season arrives, students share their most trusted study methods

Hannah Fang • May 6, 2025

Students share their study methods.

With AP exam season now officially here, everyone has various studying techniques that help them in preparation for these exams. Studying strategically has been proven to raise exam scores, and has aided students in achieving their academic goals, but the path to academic success is different for everyone. While some students will study for numerous hours, others may study less. By testing out different studying methods, students can find a daily studying routine that works best for them.

Below, students shared their opinions on the methods of studying they find most effective

“

“I try to follow a mentality where I tell myself that once I finish studying, I won’t have to bear the weight of stress that has been holding me down. I sit at my desk for a few hours straight so that I avoid getting up too often and getting distracted. I don’t follow a specific study schedule. Personally, I find that studying in the order of most important to least important subjects works for me. For tests I know are going to be difficult for me, I usually spend anywhere from thirty to fifty minutes studying. I look back at my previous notes, homework, classwork, and worksheets to establish what specifically will be on the test. From there, I write out a review sheet or study guide for myself.”

— Freshman Amanda Ng

“

“A lot of my studying starts with comprehension during class. When I begin preparing for tests, I then review my notes and crack down on the main points of each topic. Promoting healthy self-talk and healthy study habits helps motivate me, and so the self-talk cannot just be “it’s just a grade.” Emphasizing and reminding myself that I can do it…helps me stay motivated. I create a list of things to do to prepare and disperse them through the day before the tests. They are different for each subject but to be general: say it’s three days before the test, on that day I would review my notes and make a comprehensive study guide, two days before I would do practice questions, and the day before I would review my study guide and get a good night’s rest.”

— Sophomore Mohashin Tasfiya

“

“For techniques, I like to use the Pomodoro Method and spaced repetition. Sometimes I think about getting a terrible grade and how I felt at that moment. I know that I’m not defined by my grades, but seeing those numbers and results, they ultimately do to some extent have an effect on me, and [end up] motivating me.  I put my phone in my drawer so I’m just solely focused on what’s in front of me, and I try to prevent any other external stimulation. I always do my main homework first and then I study at the end of the day when I have free time. If there’s no study guide [from my teacher], I open up documents from past lessons.  I go through the lessons one by one instead of opening it all at the same time, which also helps me pace myself.”

— Senior Cristian Marroquin

“

“Organization [for studying] starts at the jump from class knowing what you learned on what day. The same day you learn something, look at it a second time and reflect on what you don’t understand so that you can see what you need to address at the end of the week. For students, I don’t think it is a lack of desire. I think students want to do well. A lot of the time it’s that pull of doing nothing that drags them down. When students start studying, the motivation starts to build by itself. Strategies that I used to use when I struggled with that is setting a timer for ten minutes and being undistracted and doing [a particular task]. Once I build up that initial momentum, it more often than not ends up being more than ten minutes.”

— Assistant Principal Abid Choudhury

Donate to The Classic

$736

$1000

Contributed

Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of The Classic. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment, support our extracurricular events, celebrate our staff, print the paper periodically, and cover our annual website hosting costs.

About the Contributors

Ryan Chen, Editor-in-Chief

Ryan is a junior at Townsend Harris High School, and he plans to pursue a career in business/finance. He enjoys taking photos but wants to improve at “making” photos. His favorite Classic project he worked on is the 2025 FON Saturday night live stream. He will forever remember the moment the song “Dynamite” started playing during the intro segment. After technical difficulties on Friday night, hearing that intro song and knowing that things were working came as a huge relief. His favorite Classic piece created by others is the video “High School Teachers Define Gen Z Slang.” He genuinely didn’t know half of the terms going into the video, and it helped him understand conversations during high school.

Bella Chen, Sports Photography Editor

Bella is a senior at Townsend Harris High School.