AP Exams 2015: How To Find Score Release Dates, Tips For Students Taking Advanced Placement Tests

More than 2 million students were due to take tests in more than 30 subject areas this month as part of the 2015 Advanced Placement exams. The AP program, which is designed to let high school students earn college course credit, concludes each year in May with two weeks of cumulative testing. The exams started May 4 and continue this week through Friday. Tests in subjects such as French, statistics, human geography and world history were still to come.

Scores won't be available until early July, and the exact day they're released depends on a student's location. The College Board will post AP scores as follows in these general locations. Check the 2015 Access Schedule for exact states and times.

• Northeast -- July 6
• Midwest -- July 7
• Southeast -- July 8
• Southwest and West -- July 9
• California, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii -- July 10

To get their results, students will need a College Board account. Access the account with a College Board username and password as well as AP number, which must be input on answer sheets this month.

Scores are released this way to evenly distribute demand, according to the College Board's website. Students will receive a score of 1 to 5, with 5 indicating a person is "extremely well qualified" in a subject. Individual colleges determine which scores correspond to which courses, as well as how high a student must score to receive credit.

In the meantime, students should focus on doing their best on the tests. Here are five tips to help you prepare for AP exams, collected from Time, Cardinal Scholars and U.S. News & World Report:

1. Sleep well the night before the test. Last-minute cramming likely won't help you now, so try to get at least eight hours of rest. This will ensure you're awake and alert for the exam itself.

2. Come stocked with supplies. Bring No. 2 pencils, a blue or black pen, a snack and a watch. If your test requires a calculator, bring extra batteries. Check with your teacher beforehand to see if you'll need other items. That way you're not scrambling or worrying about being unprepared.

3. Leave your phone at home. Your cell phone and other devices that make noise are not allowed in the exam room. If you're caught with one, or an alarm on something goes off, the AP sees it as a security breach. Your test could be invalidated. Don't risk it.

4. Show your work. If you're taking a math exam, write out all your steps while solving a problem -- especially if you're stumped. You can earn partial credit for using the correct method even if your answer is wrong.

5. Pace yourself. Your greatest enemy during an AP test is time. Figure out how many minutes you can take per question, and stick to that schedule. Don't let yourself get tripped up on one problem, because that could mean you don't reach the end of the section. Skip questions you can't answer and come back to them once you've done everything else.