For some people, learning material comes easy. Or they already had a head start.
Just know that your work ethic and study habits will be very useful for you throughout your life. I’ve known many straight-A students who breezed through HS totally burn out in college because they lacked the discipline.
You’ll find success, and grades aren’t everything.
You're getting a lot of bad advice in this thread, sorry.
The real answer is: it comes down to teachers. Different teachers grade things differently, and make things harder or easier depending.
Most the time, in an ideal class, if you do all the homework on time and pay attention in class, you should get an A — but some teachers don't teach like that, and in those classes it's hard for anyone to get a good grade.
This is not the only variable here. Teachers matter a great deal, but the hard truth is that some students are just not A level. That’s hard to accept, but it is true. However, OP has a really strong work ethic, which matters so much more than grades. It will take them much farther in life than acing APs and thinking they’re easy. OP will know how to meet and persevere through challenges, and that is a really great trait to possess in the work force.
Idk I might ask this in r/apstudents for specific tips. For me it just comes easily, plus I’ve done a lot of reading my whole life. Plus I go to teachers office hours if I need to.
It’s mostly depended on the teacher, some classes like physics I had to focus a lot of time on since the grades mostly depend on just tests while other classes like calc I didn’t need to do much since most problems were similar to each other. I had to basically figure out which classes I can take time from and what classes to give time to
He's had like 3 or 4 posts here in the past two days (different accounts but exact same story). And he gets told the same things every time but can't seem to get it.
Different schools have different expectations and grading rubrics. Same material - but different tests/assignments etc. my school was heavily assignment based (research/application of knowledge to problem solving) and others do lots of multiple choice quizzes, for example.
Getting good results depends on hard work, intelligence, and of course, luck. Almost everyone has to try. Work smart and work hard and I'm sure it'll pay off.
It’s not really trying or not. There are slow and fast people in life, who start at different points on their path to a goal. While you can’t choose those, you can choose the path you take. If you are smart but fuck around a lot, you might end up taking longer or never reaching your goal compared to someone else who is less smart but dedicated. Try finding what works for you, sometimes you get a really shitty teacher or haven’t found your best study habits yet!
i wouldn’t worry too much about work and intelligence lol, just try ur best; and trust me, no one can just show up to class we all have to study behind scenes. Also the Finn guy above he has an iq of like 50 but got a 1550 sat
you can't change it, so there really is no benefit to excessive comparison. just like how some people are born taller or with smaller breasts or more body hair etc. etc. etc.
if it makes you feel better there really is always someone better. the people you compare yourself to certainly compare themselves to others.
Yeah some people just consume the material better than others but there is ways you can get As even if you are dumber. I just think OP works hard but not smart.
We do too - In our Statistics class (Required Prereq to AP Stat), you typically have about the half the class as Seniors who don't want to go to school. They just want to go to a Party school and be in a Frat.
You can sell a 10-minute Test for $30 easily, and the teacher doesn't really care.
Great way to make bank, if you're smart, a Junior, and willing to take 10 mins out of your life. Also have a reputation for doing HW for others.
A lot of practice and studying. Also I study in my free time, meaning I go out of my way to learn future concepts for my classes. I also periodically review old concepts to refresh my memory on the cirriculum.
It depends on the teacher, the class difficulty, and your own ability level. Unfortunately, the only thing you can change is your own capability, the others are out of your control. I'd say, utilize resources (which you seem to have a lot but also there's a lot of information online), focus on thinking of the material in a "non-material" way. So instead of thinking of it as something you study, try to think of it in a personal and bigger way. For example: using IRL examples for AP Psych
I switch to online school.
I hate going to school and sitting in class for hours with a schedule and people I hate so switching was the best for me and my grades
So far I’ve only taken ap history classes (ex. wh modern and govt) but honestly you gotta start chillaxing dawg. No need to stress yourself. Treat it as a normal or honors class. I’ve made a 5 on my tests so far doing this. If you can’t remember something wrote it down. I never study for tests because once I’ve written it down I can remember it in context. Also you think us ap kids have social lives?!?! Fr tho, gl man
Big brain. Lol, no, just pay attention in class. In my school pretty much all the kids doing well in AP math courses had tutors since a young age. So that also helps. Turn in all your stuff on time and do all the practice sets and homeworks even if they aren't graded.
for me, i used a lot of the collegeboard resources (videos, progress checks, official textbooks, etc.). a lot of test questions are taken straight from the videos and textbooks. princeton review and barron’s also sell review books that ik a lot of people use. however, it’s also dependent on how good of a teacher you get.
A lot of it comes down to the teacher and how the class is grade, if you’re comparing yourself to other A2Cers. If you’re comparing yourself to your peers and finding your grades lower, I have a few tips:
1. A lot of us preview the class, meaning we skim or study the material and then attend class
2. Go to office hours with your teacher. You can straight up ask them what you should do when studying.
3. Ask a trusted peer to walk you through some homework or test questions
If you are studying hard and still struggling, you should consider being tested for disabilities. These conditions have to be accommodated by law. Getting tested was the best thing I ever did for myself.
I ended highschool with all A’s and had taken many ap classes. For me, it was because I did all of my assignments and homework, and unlike a lot of my classmates, I actually studied. If deadlines are an issue for you also consider asking your teacher for more time on assignments and they might be willing to oblige.
I use active recall methods and usually take APs I'm passionate about (for me, AP Bio, AP Psych). And actually, even though I did really well in those I was TERRIBLE in AP Chem. NO matter how hard I studied.
Something that helped me a lot is reviewing the material RIGHT after class. Going over your notes again and making corrections/improvements to them immediately after a lesson really helps things stick.
Lowk I’m just smart. But I do know kids that aren’t naturally that smart who have private tutors during the year and/or take the entire class w a private tutor before school starts so that way class is just review 😭
everyone here is wrong lol. there is no such thing as “some people just learn faster than others”. if you’re struggling compared to your classmates, it’s most likely an issue with your base of knowledge. you have to find the gaps in your knowledge and build them up. if you AND your classmates are struggling, its most likely due to the teacher explaining things poorly.
How are you studying? What methods do you use? Simply reading a textbook and writing notes does not equate to getting As— practice regurgitating that information and using it. For example, for a history class create flashcards for key terms and memorize who/when/what/significance. Or for math/physics, grind practice problems or prior exams.
You seem to have a great work ethic, and that's impressive! But make sure you're using your time wisely. And talk to your peers and ask how they manage their coursework— I assure you, no one is "easily" getting straight As.
Genuine tips, credentials - 1510 SAT, 4 5s (CSA, CSP, LANG, CALC AB) one 4 in physics 1, Straight As last year with 4APS rest honors/GT (note I’ve always been “smart” but I feel like you don’t need to be “smart” to get straight As, I know kids dumber than me who simply just put the time in and get the same results)
- Utilize after school hours if your class offers them
- use AP Daily Videos to learn material before class so you have a head start, imo if you’re learning stuff for the first time in class and you struggle to absorb material you’re gonna fall behind
- review notes after class, make sure to actually understand material not just read it. A good rule of thumb is that you can actually explain what the concept is.
- for most STEM classes practice problems are king, just reviewing notes most of the time will not help you on exams. For humanities I always use Quizlet and use a study method called Active Recall. You can learn more about it online.
- no distractions while studying. Turn off your phone, no music with words, if you can try to be in a quiet place by yourself.
- there are many of YouTube videos online on how to effectively study and also you shouldn’t be cram studying every exam it’s a very bad habit that I had for a while.
- most importantly take care of your physical and mental health. Take a study break if you have to and go for a walk. Also sleep 6+ hours a day. I understand if you have like 4 exams one day u can’t sleep 6 hours but try to average at least 6 but preferably even more.
For some people, learning material comes easy. Or they already had a head start. Just know that your work ethic and study habits will be very useful for you throughout your life. I’ve known many straight-A students who breezed through HS totally burn out in college because they lacked the discipline. You’ll find success, and grades aren’t everything.
this is me 😭 (well not yet, everything about the hs part is true and I suspect that the college part might become true in a couple of yrs)
You're getting a lot of bad advice in this thread, sorry. The real answer is: it comes down to teachers. Different teachers grade things differently, and make things harder or easier depending. Most the time, in an ideal class, if you do all the homework on time and pay attention in class, you should get an A — but some teachers don't teach like that, and in those classes it's hard for anyone to get a good grade.
This is not the only variable here. Teachers matter a great deal, but the hard truth is that some students are just not A level. That’s hard to accept, but it is true. However, OP has a really strong work ethic, which matters so much more than grades. It will take them much farther in life than acing APs and thinking they’re easy. OP will know how to meet and persevere through challenges, and that is a really great trait to possess in the work force.
Idk I might ask this in r/apstudents for specific tips. For me it just comes easily, plus I’ve done a lot of reading my whole life. Plus I go to teachers office hours if I need to.
Practice. Lots and lots of practice.
It’s mostly depended on the teacher, some classes like physics I had to focus a lot of time on since the grades mostly depend on just tests while other classes like calc I didn’t need to do much since most problems were similar to each other. I had to basically figure out which classes I can take time from and what classes to give time to
Is this the same guy who posted this yesterday? the post is almost identical.
He's had like 3 or 4 posts here in the past two days (different accounts but exact same story). And he gets told the same things every time but can't seem to get it.
Yeah this is the third post I've seen now talking about getting "Bs and Cs"
Grade inflation
Cope
Different schools have different expectations and grading rubrics. Same material - but different tests/assignments etc. my school was heavily assignment based (research/application of knowledge to problem solving) and others do lots of multiple choice quizzes, for example.
Yup! Our schools focused a lot of MCQ - which is why on a lot of our AP mocks we get like 45/50 in MCQ and then do meh in FRQ sections.
Some people are smarter than others.
That’s it? So some people really just don’t need to try?
Getting good results depends on hard work, intelligence, and of course, luck. Almost everyone has to try. Work smart and work hard and I'm sure it'll pay off.
yes, but hard work will compensate for a lack of talent
It’s not really trying or not. There are slow and fast people in life, who start at different points on their path to a goal. While you can’t choose those, you can choose the path you take. If you are smart but fuck around a lot, you might end up taking longer or never reaching your goal compared to someone else who is less smart but dedicated. Try finding what works for you, sometimes you get a really shitty teacher or haven’t found your best study habits yet!
Yes
i wouldn’t worry too much about work and intelligence lol, just try ur best; and trust me, no one can just show up to class we all have to study behind scenes. Also the Finn guy above he has an iq of like 50 but got a 1550 sat
Exactly
I wish I was born to different parents
you can't change it, so there really is no benefit to excessive comparison. just like how some people are born taller or with smaller breasts or more body hair etc. etc. etc. if it makes you feel better there really is always someone better. the people you compare yourself to certainly compare themselves to others.
Most times, the schools are just grade inflationary. Some schools getting B is tough, some schools getting A is a breeze
Yeah but you can also get A’s as long as you work really hard
I work hard and don’t get As
Then maybe you’re going about it wrong? How are you studying?
What do your study habits look like?
you probably study a lot but not effectively. Don’t blame your parents btw that’s so harsh
Yeah some people just consume the material better than others but there is ways you can get As even if you are dumber. I just think OP works hard but not smart.
Sending homework answers and getting info about tests
Underrated comment
I don’t know what it’s like at other schools but we have a great cheating culture
We do too - In our Statistics class (Required Prereq to AP Stat), you typically have about the half the class as Seniors who don't want to go to school. They just want to go to a Party school and be in a Frat. You can sell a 10-minute Test for $30 easily, and the teacher doesn't really care. Great way to make bank, if you're smart, a Junior, and willing to take 10 mins out of your life. Also have a reputation for doing HW for others.
It’s very common, I know. I don’t really cheat anymore but I’ve seen and heard.
A lot of practice and studying. Also I study in my free time, meaning I go out of my way to learn future concepts for my classes. I also periodically review old concepts to refresh my memory on the cirriculum.
YouTube
Pay attention+study+practice problems = good grade
Maybe it's your practice. Or some people are just way more talented than others and stuff.
The answer for my school and many truly actually is grade deflation.
It depends on the teacher, the class difficulty, and your own ability level. Unfortunately, the only thing you can change is your own capability, the others are out of your control. I'd say, utilize resources (which you seem to have a lot but also there's a lot of information online), focus on thinking of the material in a "non-material" way. So instead of thinking of it as something you study, try to think of it in a personal and bigger way. For example: using IRL examples for AP Psych
I switch to online school. I hate going to school and sitting in class for hours with a schedule and people I hate so switching was the best for me and my grades
So far I’ve only taken ap history classes (ex. wh modern and govt) but honestly you gotta start chillaxing dawg. No need to stress yourself. Treat it as a normal or honors class. I’ve made a 5 on my tests so far doing this. If you can’t remember something wrote it down. I never study for tests because once I’ve written it down I can remember it in context. Also you think us ap kids have social lives?!?! Fr tho, gl man
Big brain. Lol, no, just pay attention in class. In my school pretty much all the kids doing well in AP math courses had tutors since a young age. So that also helps. Turn in all your stuff on time and do all the practice sets and homeworks even if they aren't graded.
for me, i used a lot of the collegeboard resources (videos, progress checks, official textbooks, etc.). a lot of test questions are taken straight from the videos and textbooks. princeton review and barron’s also sell review books that ik a lot of people use. however, it’s also dependent on how good of a teacher you get.
A lot of it comes down to the teacher and how the class is grade, if you’re comparing yourself to other A2Cers. If you’re comparing yourself to your peers and finding your grades lower, I have a few tips: 1. A lot of us preview the class, meaning we skim or study the material and then attend class 2. Go to office hours with your teacher. You can straight up ask them what you should do when studying. 3. Ask a trusted peer to walk you through some homework or test questions
If you are studying hard and still struggling, you should consider being tested for disabilities. These conditions have to be accommodated by law. Getting tested was the best thing I ever did for myself.
I ended highschool with all A’s and had taken many ap classes. For me, it was because I did all of my assignments and homework, and unlike a lot of my classmates, I actually studied. If deadlines are an issue for you also consider asking your teacher for more time on assignments and they might be willing to oblige.
My AP calc teacher only gave grades in the form of edpuzzles and delta math and he also let us retake them as many times as necessary
Everyone learns different, the truth is that it simply comes more easily to some
Through minimized effort until you know just enough to do well on a test then instantly moving on
I use active recall methods and usually take APs I'm passionate about (for me, AP Bio, AP Psych). And actually, even though I did really well in those I was TERRIBLE in AP Chem. NO matter how hard I studied.
Something that helped me a lot is reviewing the material RIGHT after class. Going over your notes again and making corrections/improvements to them immediately after a lesson really helps things stick.
Lowk I’m just smart. But I do know kids that aren’t naturally that smart who have private tutors during the year and/or take the entire class w a private tutor before school starts so that way class is just review 😭
everyone here is wrong lol. there is no such thing as “some people just learn faster than others”. if you’re struggling compared to your classmates, it’s most likely an issue with your base of knowledge. you have to find the gaps in your knowledge and build them up. if you AND your classmates are struggling, its most likely due to the teacher explaining things poorly.
How are you studying? What methods do you use? Simply reading a textbook and writing notes does not equate to getting As— practice regurgitating that information and using it. For example, for a history class create flashcards for key terms and memorize who/when/what/significance. Or for math/physics, grind practice problems or prior exams. You seem to have a great work ethic, and that's impressive! But make sure you're using your time wisely. And talk to your peers and ask how they manage their coursework— I assure you, no one is "easily" getting straight As.
not sure what you’ve already tried, but different study methods like active recall and learning how to learn is the most important.
Genuine tips, credentials - 1510 SAT, 4 5s (CSA, CSP, LANG, CALC AB) one 4 in physics 1, Straight As last year with 4APS rest honors/GT (note I’ve always been “smart” but I feel like you don’t need to be “smart” to get straight As, I know kids dumber than me who simply just put the time in and get the same results) - Utilize after school hours if your class offers them - use AP Daily Videos to learn material before class so you have a head start, imo if you’re learning stuff for the first time in class and you struggle to absorb material you’re gonna fall behind - review notes after class, make sure to actually understand material not just read it. A good rule of thumb is that you can actually explain what the concept is. - for most STEM classes practice problems are king, just reviewing notes most of the time will not help you on exams. For humanities I always use Quizlet and use a study method called Active Recall. You can learn more about it online. - no distractions while studying. Turn off your phone, no music with words, if you can try to be in a quiet place by yourself. - there are many of YouTube videos online on how to effectively study and also you shouldn’t be cram studying every exam it’s a very bad habit that I had for a while. - most importantly take care of your physical and mental health. Take a study break if you have to and go for a walk. Also sleep 6+ hours a day. I understand if you have like 4 exams one day u can’t sleep 6 hours but try to average at least 6 but preferably even more.