As the end of the school year approaches and AP tests are in the past, all our AP classes are enjoying their time leading up to summer unstressed after a year of hard work.  As a reward for all the time spent working in and outside the classroom this year teachers are making the last month exciting for their students.

In AP Chemistry Mr. Koerber is creating content for his AP students for his first year after the exam. “This year we covered everything that we needed leading up to the AP test,” Koerber said.  I focused only on the material covered by the college board, so we did not go over nuclear or organic chemistry.  This year we are doing fun labs like tie-dying shirts and making bath bombs.  We’re also doing a final project that involves the students reading a book that is science-related, and they’re creating a report about it.”

Students in AP classes are also enjoying class time more without the added stress of the big exam.  In AP biology students including Hanami Siso Higa can take more time to relax without the pressure of early morning labs.  “We’re kind of continuing to learn about biology but we’re doing more experiments with our groups.  We’re not necessarily as productive because there is no incentive to work as hard anymore without the AP test,” Higa said.

All AP tests are difficult to pass and in the year 2021 47.9% of students who took AP World history failed the test meaning they got a 1 or 2 as their final score.  To pass the exam a 3 or above is needed, and most high-level colleges require a 4 or 5 for it to be counted as college credit.  As your test day approaches it is important to study and work hard to do well. “The best way to prepare for an AP exam is to participate in your classes and become familiar with the exam by practicing exam questions created by the AP Program,” according to apstudents.collegebaord.org.

With all of this in mind taking the test is high stress and puts pressure on a lot of students.  Sophomore Nate Staudinger is currently taking AP World History and has recently finished the 2022 AP exam.  “I like learning about world history and the pressure of the AP test didn’t really get to me until the day of,” Staudinger said. The pressure of taking the test is nerve-racking because it is the real thing and you could get college credit for all the hard work you put in, or you could not.  The class you’re taking matters a lot because I like history, but if I took AP Chemistry there would be a lot more pressure to get everything down so I would do well on the test.”

With summer just around the corner, all hard-working AP classes are taking more time to relax and finish up the school year without the immense weight of an AP test on their back.