How AP courses and exams will adapt amidst school closures

The AP College Board is constantly updating their website, offering information about what future tests will look like, what materials to use to prepare and testing schedules for all courses. 

For most students taking advanced placement tests, their main goal is to score well on the exam and earn college credit. Amidst the stay-at-home orders, the exam will now be taken virtually. 

College Board has released the updated structure for this year’s testing, which includes one to two free response questions, depending on the test. A multiple choice section will not be present on any exam.

For classes like AP Language and Composition, the multiple choice section is notoriously difficult, according to AP English teacher Mallory Gaunce. 

“It tests some really great critical thinking and analysis skills, but timed multiple choice exams are very stressful for a lot of students, and I don’t think they’re always the best indicator of learning,” Gaunce said. 

With the removal of the multiple choice section, some students may have an easier time with the exam, which could allow them to score higher.

Test-takers will be allotted 45 to finish the exam and have an additional five minutes to upload the completed exam online. To avoid the leaking of test information, the exam for each class will be taken at the same time and date across the country (with the exception of a later makeup date).

The exam will also be held open-note, but as the College Board states, “Answering AP exam questions takes more than copying information from notes.” The open-note aspect attempts to compensate with the off-route switch to online exams — but even so, there are still restrictions.

Participating in an open-note exam may not include “consult[ing] with any other individuals during the testing period.” The College Board has constructed the online exam with security and integrity in mind by implementing devices to detect any sort of plagiarism or mirrored responses in different students’ submissions. 

“We will take the necessary steps to protect the integrity of each exam administration, as we do every year,” the AP Exam Security Statement read.

But an open-note exam isn’t an easy pass. 

“They usually choose obscure passages that you’re unable to find an analysis of online,” Gaunce said. “Additionally, you don’t have a lot of time, so trying to cheat by spending time looking up information wouldn’t be the smartest move.”

To cope with the online transition, review materials can be found on AP College Board’s website. In addition, everything that was going to be covered in the fourth quarter will be removed from the exam. To review what has already been covered, teachers across the country are being chosen by the AP College Board to do live reviews and lessons that can be found on the AP website.

With the new virtual learning requirements, AP teachers worry students may struggle in staying motivated to complete school work in preparation for the exams. 

“It’s hard to stay on track with work when you don’t have a set schedule that requires you to be completing something by certain times, or someone there to remind you to complete things that will help you improve,” Gaunce said. 

The exam score will remain on the same 1-5 scale, and the scores should be released in July — as stated on AP College Board’s website. These scores will still count for college credit, giving AP students a fair opportunity to close out their AP course.