<p>I'm planning on taking AP English Language next year, and I find that my biggest weakness is that I tend to not think clearly under pressure due to time restraints. I mean on my long-term essays in class I do fairly well because I can write at my own pace and think things out clearly, but during the exam I will not be able to do this.</p>
<p>Other than practice, are there any tips to reduce this pressure? I really want to write quality essays and get a 5</p>
<p>stop freaking out about something a year away! honestly, so much could change between now and then. who knows, you could be a whole new test taker? :)</p>
<p>Some people have called me 'silly' or 'weird' for this, but I actually meditate. It helps a lot. Look up some techniques if you want.</p>
<p>Try doing morning pages - three full pages of stream-of-consciousness writing every morning as soon as you wake up. Don't read over them afterward for like a month or longer. Quality is not the point, only that you clear your brain of clutter. You will be writing down stuff like "English practice test is due Friday I can't forget about it. NHS drive ends next week"...etc. Just all the junk constantly running through your head each day. Once you write it down, you'll find you can relax more about it. You will start writing better and definitely be less stressed.
And of course, timed practice essays will definitely help you out. But this exercise will improve your creativity overall.</p>
<p>Practice is the key to success. The more essays you practice, the better you will become. You will be able to work on getting your thoughts down more easily if you're constantly practicing under the format and time restraints of the AP exam. Be sure to practice writing plenty of practice essays this year and you should be successful.</p>