AP testing moves online
Testing change causes confusion, provides more questions than answers
Photo illustration by Molly Schochet. The College Board released the online Advanced Placement testing schedule and format April 2. Advanced Placement testing will take place from May 11 to May 22.
April 10, 2020
As I left school March 16, not knowing when I would be back, one of my main concerns was how I would keep up in my Advanced Placement class and if and how the exam would happen. After reading the email sent out by the College Board addressing this, I feel they made the correct decision in continuing Advanced Placement testing. However, they ended up leaving me with more questions and concerns than I had answers.
On March 23, the College Board sent out an email stating that for this year all Advanced Placement (AP) testing would be moved online and exams will only test on the chapters students have covered by early March, cutting out much of the content from the second half of the year.
In my AP class, our upcoming test has been cancelled until further notice as we are not in school. The recent adjustments have made it so we have already covered everything in our class that will be on the final exam, yet there is still more to the course we haven’t covered. While it is important to learn the material, the end goal for an AP class is being able to get a four or five on the AP exam, which is why I hope teachers choose to focus on reviewing the knowledge that will be on the test instead of continuing through the curriculum.
The email sent out by the College Board said the reason AP tests will continue is because of the overwhelming 91% of students surveyed who wanted the opportunity to take the test. Because the amount of students who still want to take the exam is so high, I believe the College Board made the right decision in making it an online test.
I believe it’s beneficial the College Board decided to continue testing, but they need to find a way to make sure all students have access to study materials.
Although the email said they are working on a way to make sure all students will have access to devices to test on, this does not mean all students will have access to study materials or a device to find study materials on. Because of this, I believe it’s beneficial the College Board decided to continue testing, but they need to find a way to make sure all students have access to study materials.
As the AP exam approaches, the nerves I have come to know before any big test have started to come again, but this time they feel slightly different. Instead of feeling anxious about the exam, I just have many questions that the College Board has yet to answer. I hope the College Board and AP teachers can find a way to make studying for the upcoming exams fair for everyone and clarify what needs to be studied.
