College Board announces new testing plan
As the end of the school year draws closer and closer, the window of time for students to prepare for their AP exams becomes increasingly minimal. The COVID-19 pandemic caused this window to close even more, by changing testing guidelines and creating new test locations for students. Students will learn more information about AP exams on April 3. “Though school has been affected by the Coronavirus, I’m just happy that we can still test and get college credit,” Magnet sophomore Reagan Schooler said.
March 23, 2020
The College Board released its new testing plan in response to the spread of COVID-19 on Friday, March 20. Students across the nation that originally planned to take their Advanced Placement (AP) exams on school testing grounds will now take them in their own homes.
“Through our members across the country, we understand the new time constraints on everyone in the education community. These solutions are meant to be as simple and lightweight as possible for both students and teachers—without creating additional burdens for school leaders during this time,” College Board said.
The College Board hopes to make all students, regardless of income or location, receive a chance at earning college credit through AP courses. Students can even take these exams on their phones.
Students can choose from two different testing dates, which will be released on April 3; the College Board also plans to reveal the type of material tested on each individual AP course exam. Originally all exams were scheduled for at least an hour, but they were eventually shortened down to 45 minutes each. Multiple exams, such as the AP Language exam, will no longer require a multiple-choice section, and will only feature one free-response question.
“I have a lot of questions for exactly how they are going to conduct the AP exams, but I think it will work out. It’s going to be really different and interesting to experience,” Magnet sophomore Eric Lu said.
Lu plans to take the AP Language, AP Seminar, and AP World History exams this coming May.
Along with revisions to test structure comes the shortening of units and subjects that will appear on the dozens of AP exams. As tough conditions continue to evolve with COVID-19, organizations, agencies and businesses across the world must make adjustments to accommodate CDC guidelines. Hopefully, when the summer season rolls around, students will still see high scores on their AP exams, despite these irregular conditions.
