Siona Chan ’26
“I took [Advanced Placement (AP)] Biology on Monday, [and] I think school prepared me well. I used the notes I took and some Khan Academy online practice to study for it… APs at Andover seem very optional, and I don’t think there’s a huge AP culture, which I appreciate… A piece of advice I would give people who are trying to take APs would be to not stress about it that much. My college counselor told me that APs don’t matter as much as a lot of people think they do in the college application process, so if you don’t feel ready to take one, then don’t take it.”
Angelina Vincent ’26
“I had to pull an all-nighter for AP Biology on Monday, but I’m go[ing] to start studying for Physics tonight because my test is on [May] 14. The only classes here that have really helped with prep[aring] are the official AP classes like AP [Calculus] BC because they actually give practice tests as part of the material…Because kids here are so smart, APs are bound to be a big topic in the Spring Term because it seems like everyone’s taking one, but they’re not that important unless you’re trying to get something like the AP Scholar awards.”
Patrick Xu ’27
“I’m taking Computer Science A and French. For Computer Science A, I’m doing the practice exams on Bluebook. For French, I purchased an AP Study Guide. I think I would’ve liked to space out my studying a bit more instead of cramming it into the last few weeks. I took the unofficial AP course for Computer Science A last term, which provided me with most of the material. For French, I’ve recently been working to incorporate as many cultural and grammar aspects from the AP syllabus as possible into my assignments as practice.”
Niccolo Lee-Suk ’28
“I’m taking [AP] Music. In class, we’ve been doing some reviewing leading up to the test, but then it actually got rescheduled, so we put a pause on that. We’re going to keep doing more review of vocabulary and things we need to know as the AP test grows near, and we’ve been taking practice tests for that too. Andover courses prepare you very well for the AP tests, and the way they’re graded allow for some gaps in your knowledge, so I would say don’t be super stressed about it. I would still recommend doing your coursework and maybe do a little bit of extra studying.”
Elliot Chang ’28
“I’m taking AP Computer Science A (CS A). I already know a bit of Java, but in general I’m just looking around online, looking for study guides, trying to cram as much stuff into my head. I think AP CS A is a bit on the lighter side of AP, since I already know a bit of computer science, but in the future if I give myself a bit more time to practice, I think it will be good.”
