In This Chapter

^ Packing the tools you need ^ Following a study schedule ^ Building your confidence ^ Relieving stress

Reparing yourself for the AP exam involves several things, and they are all equally " important. First you should familiarize yourself with AP test (in case you haven’t done so already, check out Chapter 1). In this chapter, we take you a step further by explaining what you need to take with you to the test as well as how to study and mentally prepare for the test.

Taking Your Tools to the Test

Although you’re not packing to go to a remote island in Fiji (albeit, a great visualization skill to use right before the test! See "Practicing visualization" at the end of this chapter), we do want you to put the same amount of thought into what you need to bring and not bring to the test site on test day. Pay special attention to the lists in the following sections. Being prepared in advance will minimize your stress level and assure that you have what you need.

Packing what you need

It’s not advisable to ask the test proctor to wait 20 minutes while you run home to get your forgotten calculator. You definitely need to be sure you have the permitted tools for the test on test day. The night before the test try to pack the following list of items:

Pencils with erasers (#2): Used for the multiple-choice test Black pens (with nonfelt tip): For the free-response questions Your Social Security number: This number identifies you

Your school code: Your school counselor or AP chemistry teacher can give you your school code. The AP folks will give you one if you are home-schooled

Photo I. D.: Just in case they suspect that you paid your neighbor to take the test for you

A watch: You will need to pay close attention to the time

A scientific calculator: For use on the free-response section

Snacks and drinks: Quiet snacks, like soft granola bars, are a better choice than loud snacks like cookies. First, you won’t disrupt others, and second, you won’t come crashing down after a sugar high. Water is a better choice than sugar-filled soda for the same reason.

Appropriate clothing: You don’t know whether there will be an arctic freeze or global warming at the test site, so be prepared for both. Layering your clothes works for either instance.

Tissues: No one wants to be distracted by sleeve wipes or sniffing. Bring something to wipe your nose!

Knowing what not to bring

Ft\NG/ The following list needs just as much attention as the list of what you can bring (see the section above, "Packing what you need"). The below items are some things you definitely Don’t Want to bring. You run the risk of being thrown out of the test site for bringing some of these items, so read closely:

Scratch paper: The AP will let you use portions of the exam booklets to take notes. Notes, books, dictionaries, highlighters, or cheat sheets: Leave it all at home, folks!

Electronic devices like MP3 players, cell phones, beepers, and watches that beep:

No one wants to get interrupted by your Beyonce ringtone.

Your smart, nerdy friend to take the test for you: For some reason they don’t like that substitution.

Energy drinks: Unless you want to come crashing down and have a brain melt, leave them in the fridge.

Needing Special Attention

Normal is so last year. If you require special accommodations to take the AP exam, you are not alone. Not everyone takes the test under the same conditions. You may have special circumstances that require that the test be administered to you in a different way. Here is a brief list of special instances that might warrant an adjustment to the AP chemistry exam:

Learning disabilities: If you have a diagnosed learning disability, you may be able to get special accommodations. You may have extended time, large print, a reader, and frequent breaks, among other things, but you must specifically request learning disability accommodations on your application form. The accommodations you request will depend on your specific, diagnosed learning disability. You should make sure that your school has a SSD (Services for Students with Disabilities) Coordinator’s Form on file with the College Board. You must fill out this form and send it to the College Board. Allow seven weeks for the pros at College Board to review your request.

To get special testing

• You must have been formally diagnosed with a learning disability by a professional.

• You must have a current, individualized educational plan at school.

• In most cases, the evaluation and diagnostic testing should have taken place within five years of the request for accommodations.

• You must also describe the comprehensive testing and techniques used to arrive at the diagnosis, including test results with subtest scores.

• Your best bet is to log on to the College Board Web site (Www. collegeboard. com/ssd/student/index. html) To see all up-to-the-minute requirements for accommodations.

Physical disabilities: If you have a physical disability, you may be allowed to take a test in a special format — in Braille, in large print, or on an audio cassette or CD. Follow the same instructions detailed above to request accommodations, and if you have further questions contact the College Board directly for more information.

Religious obligations: If your religion prohibits you from taking a test on a specific day, you may test on an alternate date. Again, the College Board folks can guide you in the right direction for alternate dates.

Military duty: If you’re an active military person you don’t need to complete the normal registration form. Instead, ask your Educational Services Officer about the testing through DANTES (Defense Activity for Non Traditional Educational Support).

Using Long-Term Strategies for Training and Survival

When you decide to take the AP chemistry exam you’re basically committed to getting hitched. Think of the test day as your wedding day and the months leading up to it your engagement. You can consider the day after the test your divorce date, if you will, but for all intents and purposes, you are pretty darn committed to nurturing your AP perpetual partner until then.

You need to plan about ten months in advance for this test. You cannot study for this test like you might a regular test in an ordinary class. In other words, you can’t cram — it just plain doesn’t work for the AP tests. The AP people are a smart group — they know how to ask questions in such a way as to eliminate (or not "qualify") the students who didn’t plan in advance, and simply stayed up all night with a few cans of Red Bull as support. About now, you may be wondering what you should be doing for those ten months. Well, don’t despair: We’ve outlined the entire ten months for you in the following sections. Consider us your AP wedding planners!

Early planning

The early-planning phase takes you from September to October. In the following list, we’ve given you some solid ideas on what to do during each month as you plan for your upcoming exam:

September: As soon as you are able, enroll in an AP chemistry class. If your school doesn’t offer one, speak with your counselor and see if there is a community college chemistry course you could take. If an AP course is not available to you, get your hands on a college level chemistry textbook, but keep in mind that nothing comes close to a passionate teacher teaching you the concepts face-to-face.

I November: Because you’ve been studying chemistry for a few months, you should be ready to take a diagnostic test. You can use one of the sample tests in this book or you can go to Www. collegeboard. com And find some there. Taking such tests gives you an early indicator of your strengths and weaknesses, which can help guide your studying

In the months to come. Your first diagnostic score can also help to identify what concepts you need to pay more attention to in this book.

I December: Begin reading this book from the beginning. You will find that being in the classroom for the last four months has provided you a wealth of information. You should already be familiar with many of the concepts covered in the first third of this book.

Midyear planning

You lay the groundwork for taking the exam in the earlier stages of planning to discover your strengths and weaknesses. Although you’ve been honing your knowledge and skills the last four months, you still need to continue to prepare from January to May:

I January through March: Continue reviewing this book and take another practice test in early March. You still have two months before your wedding day, so your score on this test will help you pinpoint further concepts from this book that you might still need to review or re-review.

I April and May: Take another practice test in early May. Make this your last practice test. Whatever you do, Do not Take another practice test the week of the real test. Like a long-distance runner who has been preparing all year for the big race, she doesn’t do the race right before the race!

Up-to-the-minute planning

Last-minute planning does not equal cramming! For ten months, you should’ve been preparing for your exam, and the last few days and minutes count as well. Make the best use of your final time before the test by following this schedule:

I The night before the test: Relax the night before the test. You might be tempted to pull an all-nighter, but our experience has proven that if you don’t know the material the night before the test, you aren’t going to learn it the night before the test. Pamper your brain instead by eating a good dinner, watching a movie, reading a good book. If you want to glance at this book one last time, that’s cool, but just don’t turn it into a cram-fest.

I The morning of the test: Listen to your mama and eat breakfast, please. We know you may be nervous and your appetite might be slim, but your brain needs the energy. If you’re too nervous, or Heaven forbid, you’ve gotten up late, consider bringing some healthy breakfast items for the car ride. It can actually help keep your mind less stressed.

I Test day: Take the test.

June: Wait patiently for your score. . . very patiently. Did we mention to wait Patiently?

Feeling Confident: It’s All in Your Head

You have been studying and preparing for this test for a long time. You know more than you think you do. You might not remember every single detail of every single concept, but you know at least something about something. If you come to the test feeling completely insecure, please remind yourself that you did the work, you studied, and you will be fine.

Anticipating the outcome

Like we have been saying throughout this chapter, the AP exam tests core concepts and material. There are no surprises. After finishing this book, you will have been exposed to all the material you need to excel on this test. Anticipate the best possible outcome.

Remembering: This is a test… This is only a test

Listen, your score on the AP test is not going to change your life. It’s not a do-or-die type of experience. Your life’s success is not tied into the outcome of this test. Treat this test as you would treat any other test you have taken (you’ve taken hundreds, right?). And don’t worry, you don’t know the AP folks. They are not going to snicker as you walk by and say under their breath, "There goes the one that didn’t know what Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressure was." Although the AP guys don’t know you, we realize that your peers do. And it’s inevitable that "score gossip" will creep into your conversations with your friends. Comparing scores is not advisable, as it creates stress and underlying feelings about your chemistry capabilities. Remembering that this is only a test and not a life-defining moment will help you stay balanced and keep it all in perspective.

Surviving During the Test with These Four Stress-Busters

It’s completely normal to feel some fear the day of the test. Everyone does. Research has shown us that a little anxiety is actually good for the brain. A touch of anxiety helps the brain stay ultra-focused and attentive. A little anxiety tells the brain, "Hey, brain, if I’m feeling this way, whatever I’m doing must be important, so I better stay alert." However, excess anxiety and panic actually have the opposite effect. High levels of fear make the brain go into flight-or-fight mode. Your brain tells your body to conserve your higher-order thinking skills in an effort to send extra physical strength to the body in case of emergency. So, if you’re feeling too much anxiety during the test, here are some stress-busters that will calm those nerves.

Counting to four

Breathing is grossly underrated. Take a deep breath until your belly expands, hold it in four counts, and then expel the air for four counts. Be sure not to exhale like you’re in the middle of an aerobic workout so as not to disturb the other test-takers. Oh, and some breath mints wouldn’t hurt either.

Try not to take shallow breaths, which can cause you to become even more anxious because your body is deprived of oxygen. Hyperventilating or sucking on your inhaler during the exam is grossly overrated.

Stretching

Several stretches can help relieve stress and make your body feel more relaxed and comfortable. Do the practices in the list discretely so you don’t disrupt others around you — in other words, refrain from doing the downward-dog position from your yoga class:

I Rotate your head around to stretch out and relax your neck muscles. (We suggest keeping your eyes closed so the proctor doesn’t think you are trying to cheat.)

I Hunch and roll your shoulders to help relax your back and spine. You’ll be sitting for quite some time, so maintaining good posture is crucial.

I Shake out your hands like you have writer’s cramp. Imagine that all your tension and stress is going out through your fingertips.

I Extend and push out your legs like you’re pushing something away with your heels.

I With your legs stretched out in front of you, point your toes back toward your knees and hold that position for a count of three.

Right before the exam or during a short break, practice creative visualization. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in the test room cheerfully looking at questions that you know the answer to, filling in the answers, finishing early, and double-checking your work. Picture yourself leaving the exam room full of energy, and then getting your score and rejoicing. Think of how proud of you your parents are (if thinking about them stresses you out leave this one alone). Imagine not having to take early chemistry in college. The goal is to associate the AP exam with feelings of joy.

Any time you feel yourself starting to panic or think negative thoughts, make a conscious decision to

1. Say to yourself, "Stop, self! Don’t dwell on anything negative."

2. Drop that negative thought like a hot Bunsen burner.

3. Then switch over to a positive train of thought.

For example, suppose you catch yourself thinking, "Why didn’t I pay more attention to chemical equilibrium?" Change that script to, "I’ve got most of this right, maybe I’ll get this right, too. No sense worrying now, overall I’m rocking my world!"

Practicing visualization

Don’t do this visualization exercise during the test. You’ll just waste time and lose concentration.

Stop, drop, and, change your mind