Advanced Placement (AP) tests will take place soon across the country
May marks the beginning of AP tests for students across the country, including VHS students. The first test is set to take place on May 5. AP tests were created by the organization College Board and began in 1952. The College Board is a non-profit organization aiming to offer students with higher education and to help students with college success.
Many of these courses are two semester classes, however some, such as AP Government and Politics and AP Economics are not. In this way, students take a semester of each course and take both AP tests if desired. However, the material is all taught within one semester. The AP courses offered at VHS are Government and Politics, Art History, Chemistry, Statistics, Computer Science A, Psychology, Macroeconomics, Spanish Literature and Culture, AP Studio Art, Calculus AB/BC, Italian Language and Culture, Precalculus, English Language and Culture, English Literature and Culture, French Language and Culture, Computer Science principles, Music Theory, Biology, Spanish Language and Culture and Physics 1: Algebra-Based.
In addition to getting high school credit from these courses, students are also able to submit their scores to different colleges and universities in order to get college credit or university units. However, different schools have different standards to receive credit for college courses. Each student must check their individual college AP score requirements to be able to see if their score qualifies for the unit in college they desire to bypass.
Alejandra Sanchez ‘24 said, “I think AP tests are good in the sense that I can get ahead and save money in college, but I do think it is an industry and it sucks that I have to pay for it and stuff. I know it is geared more towards kids that can afford it and everything or have the time for it. Overall, I think it is helpful, [but it] sucks that [the College Board wants to] take my money.”
Susan Adamich, VHS’ AP tests coordinator and librarian, has been administering AP tests for 14 years. Adamich said, “The AP coordinator job is not part of the librarian job. It’s an extra job and it’s voluntary. I volunteered for it and I love it.”
AP test sign ups started Sept. 1 and ended Nov. 8 for regular registration, however students were still able to sign up between Nov. 8 and March 8 with a $40 late fee added to the already $98 test, making each test a total of $138. Students must also get a join code from their AP teacher and sign up for their AP classroom on the College Board website (https://www.collegeboard.org). After both steps, students are able to turn in their completed registration form with their receipt to the VHS library.
Adamich said, “[AP season] gets very busy. I always say I sell my soul to the College Board during the month of May. [AP season] starts Sep. 1 when we start registration. We send everything in and we get the exams. Right now I’m in the storage closet where we keep all the exams and I’m opening all the boxes and counting to make sure we have all the exams we’ve ordered. Once and a while there’s one more or one less [test] and if we are missing an exam [the College Board] will overnight mail an exam so everyone always gets an exam if they’ve been ordered then one of the big things is finding rooms. We have 115 students taking the [AP] English Language and Composition, the 11th grade english exam. We can’t even fit 115 in the Mainstreet gym, so we are going to put 75 in the gym and 40 in the library. We are going to have two tests going on at the same time, exact same test. We did this last year [and] it worked beautifully. Most of the time the AP exams are under 40 [students] and we do them in the library.”
AP exams typically take between 3 and a half to 4 hours to complete. There is an allotted ten minute break for students to eat a snack or drink water but it is strictly prohibited to check one’s phone or any type of electronic device. Students must also stay in their seats until all exams are finished and may leave once they are dismissed. Requests for a make up or date change for an AP exam must be requested no later than four weeks prior to the regular exam date for any reason other than that of illness.
Sanchez said, “For the classes I’ve taken, yes, [teachers at VHS] have prepared me well, I’ve managed to get really good scores because they’ve helped me out or provided me or provided me with resources that have helped me.”
AP exams are not required and the exam scores will not be included on a student’s high school transcripts, but rather students must report/send their scores to the desired recipient if they choose to do so. Students take their exams in May and will get their scores in July.
Adamich said, “I think a big thank you goes to the AP teachers because they are the ones that prepare the students for their exams so yay to our AP teachers and our students who are brave enough to take the exam.”
