Should Seniors be Required to Take AP Exams?
Should seniors be required to take AP exams at the end of their course? To receive college credit for the completion of an AP course, students must take a cumulative exam at the end of the year and receive a score of 4 or 5, and occasionally, a 3 will grant credit.
College Counselor Casey Zimmer explained that a huge part of AP classes and exams is the credits and preparation for college as many seniors enroll in AP classes for the “value of the AP courses being on their transcripts for the college process.”, said Zimmer. Sometimes, they take classes because “it looks good” rather than personal interest.
Some students think the exams should be a choice for them to decide. Senior Andrew Bebbington says “Seniors should be given the option of taking the exam or another cumulative project or assessment at the end of the year.” since the school they will be attending next year may not allow AP credits. However, Bebbington states that “Sophomores and Juniors should be required to take the AP exams.”
Sanford’s only year not requiring the AP exams was the 2020 COVID year when the college board created a shorter modified version of the AP exams that would be taken online. At Sanford, it was decided that students wouldn’t be required to log in and take the exam.
Other than during COVID, AP exams have been required every year as students who sign up for an AP class “inherently agree to take the AP exam.” said Zimmer. However, students have the option to take a less popular road to not show up to their exam after paying the test fee of $97. Students were first given the option to do so in 2021 after the COVID year according to Zimmer.
At the college level, many admissions offices and academic departments are in a heated debate since admissions offices “over prioritize AP classes and AP scores” whereas academic departments don’t want them to use their credits because they’re “worried about the gap” between their curriculum and the high school the student attended, said Zimmer.
The AP exams are an important part of taking AP classes, and without taking them, there is no evident proof that the student completed the course for colleges to evaluate claims Zimmer.
