Ah, spring. It’s that time of year again. Days are getting longer and sweatshirts are being replaced with tank tops. Students are beginning to show a lighter, happier attitude in the halls. With this change in the environment comes the week all AP students have awaited: testing week. The tests this year took place during the first two weeks of May, leaving students with the whole year to prepare. The culmination of all the homework and practice tests has hopefully prepared the students more then enough to lead them to achieve a top score of a 5.
AP testing has become more prevalent in the past 5 years. Administration has began pushing the test onto students through incentives like dress downs and luncheons, attempting to encourage students to take these college level tests. In a survey conducted on 50 honors students at Prep about how many were taking AP tests this year, 21 students were taking 0 tests, 6 were taking 1 test, and 23 students were taking 2 or more. The recent policy change requiring all students to take the exams for all their AP classes has shown a bump in the amount of students testing.
With the onset of the exams students are forced to take multiple different techniques on how to attack the tests. AP practice books are becoming a popular way as a guide as to what students need to know. Online practice tests are also proving to be an effective way for students to prepare for the test. Even teachers have been been adjusting their schedules to focus more on what will be on the AP exam. The AP exams are becoming a major part of every AP teacher’s curriculum.
For students, coping with the stress and rigor of the exams is a major part of the AP process. For students who are taking two or more tests, it can be a challenge to find time to devout to each separate test. Josh Kurczewski, a junior who took two exams said, “Stress is a huge part of the exams because there is always something you didn’t study [for] as much as you should’ve on there. The key is to just do your best and move on to the next question.”
The AP exams, although worthwhile, are a rigorous challenge, especially for those taking upwards of three exams during the two week testing period. In the end, if the student is up for the challenge, the tests are well worth it and can lead to even further success in college.