Hey,
This is my first year in an AP history class, and the first test I took I bombed. I studied for hours but still didn't do very well. Do you guys have any tips to help me with these difficult tests?

One tip that really helped me out was to memorize the presidents in order and the years in which they served - I would just look at the ones from the sections we were studying so that it wasn't too long of a list. If you can remember the presidents and some of the major events and/or characteristics of their term of service, it's much easier to draw contexts for questions and put you in the right historical frame of mind.

Other than that, just reread the notes and keep an eye out for major names and dates; it sucks, but it's the only thing that's pretty much guaranteed to help.