As AP testing season comes to an end, students are finally getting a chance to breathe and wind down. After months of preparation and late night cramming, students can now reflect on whether the AP experience was truly worth it.
While students may feel proud and accomplished after completing their exams, they may also feel that the pressure and workload took a serious toll on their mental health and overall school life. Sophomore Ayana Lee said the hard work eventually pays off. “ I think it’s worth it to take an AP because at the end of the day, getting it over with is a good feeling,” Lee said.
She said that finishing the exams brought a huge sense of relief, especially since it was her first AP test. “It feels good to know that something that you worked hard on was worth it. After you take your important exam it feels like you’re on summer break and that’s honestly a feeling that everyone deserves,” Lee said.
Not every student feels the after effect was worth the overload of studying to prepare for the test. Freshman Grant Scofield described AP testing week as “stressful, tiring, and unpleasant.”
Scofield said the pressure of preparing for exams negatively affected other parts of his school life and took away attention from classes. Because of the intense stress, Scofield said he would not choose to take the exam again voluntarily. “Studying for the test takes up all of your time and makes it so that you do worse in other classes because you don’t have time to study for other tests,” Scofield said.
Sophomore Menna Neguisse, who took both AP Seminar and AP Government, had mixed feelings going into testing week. “I was a little stressed because I always want to do my best and I wasn’t as prepared as I should’ve been,” Neguisse said.
However, after completing her exams, she felt much more confident. Since these were her first AP exams, Neguisse also said she felt proud of herself for making it through the experience.“Walking out I felt relieved because it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,” she said.
Although students had different opinions on whether AP classes are worth the stress, they agree that the feeling of relief that comes after the final test is beneficial. For students, AP testing week is one of the most demanding parts of the school year. Still, it also gives students a chance to challenge themselves academically and potentially earn college credit in the process.
After the testing weeks, students are left with balancing the pride of accomplishment and the exhaustion that comes with their hard work. Whether they would do it all again may depend on the student, but the experience is one that leaves a lasting impression on everyone who takes part in it. With the increasing pressure of rigorous classes, many students look past the cramming and stress that comes with AP classes and continue to take them in hopes of passing the exam and keeping up with their peers.
