AP & IB Exam Day Procedures

Attendance

Students will not be required to attend class on the day that they have an AP or IB exam. On exam day students must sign-in at the courtyard before going to the exam room, and must sign-out before leaving school. For attendance purposes, students with exams will be considered present for their classes that day as long as they are present at school and have signed in. Students who are off campus when their exam is not in session will be considered to have an excused absence. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT SIGN-IN OR OUT, OR WHO ARE NOT PRESENT DURING THE REQUIRED TIMES WILL HAVE AN UNEXCUSED ABSENCE.

Morning Exams

For a morning exam, students must be in the front courtyard by 7:30 a.m. They will sign-in, then proceed to their exam room by 7:45 a.m. If the exam ends before 11:00a.m, they must remain in the courtyard until 10:00am. After 10:00 a.m. students with completed morning exams and no afternoon exams are free to leave, but they must sign-out with Ms. Biela before doing so.

Afternoon Exams

For an afternoon exam, students must be in the front courtyard by 9:55 a.m. They will sign-in, and then prepare quietly for the exam. Students should bring a nutritious lunch to eat. Students will remain in the front courtyard until 11:45 a.m., at which point they will proceed to the exam room. After the exam, they will return to the front courtyard, and when ready to leave they will sign-out.

Regularly Scheduled Classes

Though students may choose to attend classes if they wish, students are excused from all classes on the day of an AP/IB exam. If students are on campus and have signed-in, they will be counted present. Any work assigned or due in the classes missed must be made up according to the North Hills absence policy. If students do not sign-in or out their absence will be UNEXCUSED.

Dress

Students may wear their uniform, or jeans or khaki pants, work-out pants or shorts and a NHP shirt (polo or t-shirt, including class or club shirts). No hoodies, sweatshirts with pockets, pajamas or yoga pants are permitted. Students must wear their North Hills identification badge. Any students who do not have their badge and / or wear inappropriate clothesmay be sent home without the opportunity to take the exam.

Late Arrival

Do not be late for your exam. You may not be admitted once students have begun testing.

Missed Exams

If you miss an exam for any reason, contact Ms. Bielaimmediately. AP exams may be made up on the late AP testing date, though this often incurs a $45 fee. In most circumstances IB exams cannot be made up at a later date.

Materials to Bring to Exam

Pens (dark blue or black ink) and #2 pencils are required for AP & IB exams. You also should probably bring a watch to keep track of time, and a sweater or jacket (and wear long pants) in case the exam room is cool. Other materials may be allowed as well depending upon the exam, such as a calculator or ruler—check with your teacher about any other allowed materials.

Do not bring any other materials with you to the exam. Backpacks, books, notes, watches, cell phones, and other materials will not be permitted at your table.

Exam Tips

  • Start studying now. Try to avoid simply reading over your notes. A more effective technique would be anything that causes you to practice the necessary skills and process the information covered by the exam in new ways. Answer study questions, go over old exams and make a list of the types of errors you made (and then correct them), outline responses to practice essay prompts, diagram information, make timelines and charts, take practice exams, etc.
  • Get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam. If you stay up late studying you are likely to forget what you crammed in the night before, and sleep deprivation might cause you to make costly mental errors, such as misreading exam questions. Go to bed early if you have a morning exam. And don’t sleep in too late if you have an afternoon exam, because that might make you sluggish.
  • Eat a nutritious meal before the exam, but don’t overeat—that might make you drowsy and inattentive.
  • Come prepared to the exam having studied and with all required materials, and be on time. Not doing so might stress you out, and stress reduces memory.
  • Read all instructions carefully and be sure to follow them. Don’t assume that you know what to do because you have taken practice exams—the instructions may have been changed, and you may lose points for failing to follow them!
  • Read all exam questions carefully to be sure you understand what you are being asked. Plan out essay responses by making a chart or outline that responds to the question, then write your essay.
  • Be conscious of how much time you have remaining. There will be a clock in the exam room. Before beginning an essay section, write the time at which you should have finished each essay on your paper to help pace yourself. For a multiple choice section, write the time you should be halfway through and ¾ of the way through on your paper before beginning.
  • Try to use all of your time to write the best essay response possible. Do not leave any questions blank! A partially correct response can receive a score, but blank responses are a sure way to fail an exam.
  • Don’t skip questions in a multiple choice exam. If you read the question, answer it, even if you aren’t sure of the answer (there is no “guessing penalty” so you might as well answer every question and try to get points for it). Narrow down your choices by crossing out any answers you are sure are wrong, and then choose an answer from those you haven’t eliminated. Circle the question number in your exam book so you can go back at the end and review the questions you weren’t sure of. Don’t change any answers, however, unless you are certain that you made a mistake. Your first “gut instinct” is more likely to be right than “second guessing”.
  • Since there is no “guessing penalty”, you should not leave any multiple choice answers blank.
  • Finally, take a deep breath, relax, and do your best!