By Sarah Burnett
As the 2019-2020 school year comes to an end, many students have been taking AP exams online, which started May 10th. Due to the global pandemic, College Board opted to make exams online this year, rather than the traditional in-person testing. When students were asked whether or not they liked the new online testing, an overwhelming majority expressed their disapproval.
The typical length for in-person AP tests can range from 2-3 hours long with one break in between, and may consist of several FRQ’s, DBQ’s, and/or multiple choice questions- depending on which exam a student is taking. Because the tests were online this year, College Board had to revise the structure of the exam to only 1 or 2 FRQ’s, with a maximum time limit of 45 minutes to complete them. Before the exam starts, you are required to sign-on 30 minutes early, and you must be prepared with your personal information and your testing identification. After you finish writing or typing your exam, you must submit it within 5 minutes.
Unfortunately, there were many students who were unable to submit their exams. Whether it was a file upload error, an image that was not properly formatted, or even the AP website not loading, many exams were not uploaded. The staff at River Hill High School tried to address the situation as quickly as possible by offering support and resources, but many students are still having to call College Board to retake their exam in June. The most major complication occurred on May 12th, when students were trying to upload their Calc AB exams; Students were required to submit scratch paper with their exam, but over half of the students were unable to submit their work. College Board responded to the situation by refusing to issue refunds to those who took the exam and were unable to submit it, and reinforced the fact that there are make-up sessions in June.
Even though this AP testing situation may seem grim, students must try to make the best out of this situation. Hopefully this will be the only year that the AP tests are online, and it is just a minor inconvenience that students must deal with. As Dale Carnegie says, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”