Yes- Dennis Child, Opinion Editor
At the end of every AP class comes an AP test that students can take in order to earn credits toward college. Students may decide not to take the AP test because they don’t think they will do well or they just don’t want to take it. Some students believe that the stress caused by AP exams is not worth it so they skip the exam. It is silly for students to not take AP exams for their AP classes because that is what the entire class is for.
Advanced Placement classes are designed around the AP test at the end of the year. There is even a bit over a month after the end of the last unit where the class is completely dedicated to studying for the AP test. “The AP test sums up everything you’ve done for the year and you have already done all the work,” AP Psychology teacher Jennifer Bauer said.
An AP test is graded on a scale of one to five, with one being the worst and five being the best. A score above a three on the AP test can be used toward college credits so one does not have to take that class in college. This can be extremely beneficial when it comes to reducing the amount of work in college. If you do the test well, “hopefully it gives you college credit,” Bauer said.
Some AP classes give students an exam on the day of the AP test if they are not taking it. When this is the case, it is completely pointless to not take the AP exam because one is taking a test anyway. Also, by taking the AP exam, students can save themselves from having to spend the day at school because you can go home after it. “The AP exams can help with college, and sometimes they can even get you out of a final exam in that class,” junior Zack Cassidy said.
Another reason why students should take their AP tests is because it is an accurate measure of how much that student learned in the class. If a student takes the test and gets a one on it, it is obvious that they did not put enough work into the class and should not have taken it. On the other hand, if the student takes it and gets a four or a five it means that they really tried and knew a lot about that subject. “If you have put the time in during the school year to get all your work done and get good grades, then you can easily do well on the AP test,” senior Jacob Rosenblatt said.
If students who wish to attend college take the AP test and do well enough to earn college credits, they are saving a huge amount of money by not paying for that class in college. That money that is saved can be used to go toward elective classes that that student is interested in or towards their future. “It is a college credit for $90 instead of like $3,000,” Bauer said.
No- Justin Fishman, Opinion Editor
Preparing for AP exams can be a stressful time for students, especially when they have other stresses on their mind. However, students tend to take the exams for their AP classes anyways because they think that it will help them down the line. Students often receive no college credit for AP exams because high scores are needed to get credit.
Not taking AP exams is essential for students and their stress levels and can contribute to students doing better on other important activities in their life.
The goal of AP level classes is to prepare students for the difficult level of classes in college and also students can receive credit for the AP classes they take here. People take AP classes because they like the idea of getting ahead and they believe AP classes are a way to get ahead. However, not all colleges accept AP credit from certain classes and also they sometimes only accept the credit if the score on the AP exam is high enough.
Trying to get high enough scores for college credit in more than one class can be difficult and stress students out, which sets them up for failure. Students tend to do the best when they aren’t under extraneous pressure to succeed but they do their best everyday.
Students like junior Chris Vondas still take the AP exams to try to get credit for the class for college. “Studying for AP exams is brutal because the exams cover material from the whole year and I don’t remember everything I did first quarter that well,” Vondas said.
As well as stressing students out, AP exams stress teachers of AP classes. Teachers have to worry about all of their students signing up by the deadline, which is just another thing added to their agenda. Also, teachers have to ensure all of their students are prepared enough for the test, even if that mean covering a wide range of material in a limited amount of time.
This is not the best way for students to learn because they are rushed through much material. If students didn’t take the AP exams they could take their time actually learning the material instead of trying to cram as much information as possible in their brains before the AP tests.
Students like senior Michael Pisarra don’t take the AP exam for AP classes that they take because they don’t want to have an even more stressful senior year before going off to college. “I’d rather focus on other things than AP exams because AP exams are unnecessary to take because they require way too much review,” Pisarra said.
