It is no secret that every AP student dreads the ominous day in May when they must sit for hours in a bare room racking their brains for anything useful they’ve learned throughout the whole year. For many high school students, it is a rite of passage. A torture to bond over as well as inspire a decent amount of speculation. Are those ticking timers and empty text boxes really worth anything? There’s no doubt that they have become standard and widely participated in across the entire nation, even in other parts of the globe. But why do we do it? Should we continue to shovel as many dates, chemical formulas, calculations, and rhetorical devices as we can into our brains for one singular test?
The answer to this question depends on each and every student and what their plans are after high school. Essentially, AP tests are used to determine if a student could possibly be exempt from a particular class at a particular university. However, the criteria for this exemption varies extremely across colleges. Even if students do decide to take the exam for credit, sometimes they are required to score at the very top to skip even one class in a subject. “I would love to get out of as much math as I can in college, so I’m taking the AP Calc exam,” said Elizabeth Bewick. Evidently, this is the goal for most students and the primary motivator for signing up every year.
So, why shouldn’t you take them? Theoretically, there are no specific benefits or rewards that you would receive if you are not planning on going to college, but a trade school or something similar. If you are still in doubt, however, it could be helpful to have a good score or two in your back pocket just in case. A really enthusiastic teacher would tell you taking the exams could provide useful skills you will use throughout whatever career you decide to pursue. Mr. Morgan, an AP Gov teacher, believes that every student should be required to take the exam for his class. “There’s really just no harm if you take it, even if you get a bad score, you don’t have to send them. You should take it, and if you can’t afford it, the school needs to pay.”
This brings us to perhaps the most important yet simultaneously overlooked factor in this entire decision: cost. This year, each exam requires a whopping 104 dollars just to sign up. Each AP student usually takes anywhere between 1 to 6 AP classes per year. And that does not include the additional cost of sending those scores to colleges in hopes of credit that is not even guaranteed. For seniors, who also have to register and send scores for the SAT multiple times and pay college application fees up to 80 dollars, the hefty check that piles up is daunting. “The total cost is outrageous, and then I’ll have to pay for them to go to college on top of it all,” said parent of senior Mirra Bowman. Personally, I believe a serious discussion about destructive monopoly needs to occur regarding College Board. They have a policy where if you wish to send your AP scores to colleges, you must purchase a full report. Have a few that you’re not proud of? It actually is quite a problem, considering every student must additionally pay for every score they DON’T want to send. Consequently, cost inspires a very reasonable hesitancy many students have.
Essentially, no advice could be applied to every single student. To take or not to take? It should be carefully decided for each class with parents and counselors. There are many delegations and plans you could decide are best for you. You could only take the exams you feel most confident with, the ones that are most relevant to your planned major, etc. AP classes themselves are important for almost every college, especially the grade you receive on your transcript. They show intense coursework rigor and academic ability. So, it is not a bad idea to focus most of your energy and time on improving this grade, rather than scoring a perfect 5 on the exam. Additionally, however, there is no harm a bad score can do, but it will cost you 104 dollars. As the sign-up deadline looms closer, be sure to take the time to think and discuss with anyone who can help you make this decision.
Written by Audra Kowalik
Photography by Daxson Clay
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