AP Testing Tests Students

Advanced Placement (AP) testing, which takes place the first two weeks of May, is moving forward at full speed for high school students all over America. 

AP tests are for students of AP classes. These students spend all year taking an advanced, college-level class preparing for these large official tests in hopes to earn college credits.

But these classes are no cakewalk. Large amounts of reading are assigned daily and just like in a college class the teacher will not hold your hand. The student really is forced to be a self-advocate and show strong initiative to want to succeed.

But it does have its perks, being a grade-weighted class. If a student is able to maintain a C grade or higher that C would become a B, and a B would be an A. And if the student manages to get an A in an AP class it’s a surefire way to be a GPA booster.

But the testing itself can be a lot of pressure on the student in addition to the difficult classes. Whitnall senior Dylan Piontek, an AP Psychology student, said, “The test is a bit intimidating, but a good idea for most students. But it costs money, and if you fail, then it really feels like a big waste."

The fee is $89 per exam, so it is understandable why students wouldn’t want to sink the exam with such a steep fee. 

Whitnall senior Vincent Moua said, “There are so much more concepts that a student has to sink into their brain to even have a chance at doing even remotely well on the AP test.

"I definitely think that the difficulty varies immensely depending on the teacher, the students, and AP tests that they vary from year to year.”

AP classes are a challenge no matter what, and the testing is no joke either.  Students must spend lots of time and effort preparing for the big exam date. But if they can pull off a high score on the test and in the class, the rewards outweigh the price.