On Monday, April 6, AP testing begins. Students in AP classes had the option to take the AP exam for that class to possibly earn college credit. 

     The first AP test starts May 6 and ends May 23. Tests are in many subjects including Social Studies, Math, English, Arts, Science and Language. 

     Taking the AP exam allows college and advanced placement (with a certain score) credit to be earned, provide an idea of what college level coursework is like and to stand out to colleges, universities and scholarship programs. And, most colleges grant credit for that course if a student receives a certain qualifying score. 

     Throughout the school year, assignments on AP Classroom give an idea of the types of questions that will be on the exam to better prepare students. Usually, the test consists of multiple choice questions and free response questions. The AP Classroom (College Board) is where students can sign up to take the exam.  

     This year the base cost of an AP Exam is $103 and the reduced cost for students with FARMS is $40. After registered students receive further instructions in an email. 

     Recently, most tests started to have the option to be taken online on Bluebook or on paper. However, late-testing exams are given on paper only. The Bluebook website provides an idea of what the test is going to look like and similar practice questions to better prepare students. Bluebook also allows students to try out the testing tools. All digital exams are proctored and administered during school and are on the same schedule as those taking the paper exam. 

     AP coordinators work alongside school or district technology staff on schools technical readiness for digital testing. Including practice tests throughout the year taken in AP Classroom. 

     Last May, during the last round of AP tests, Bluebook provided over 3,600 schools and 320,000 digital AP Exams. Each exam is to be taken between a certain time to guarantee the correct amount of time given to take the exam. Students who are taking the exam late are given an alternate exam to ensure the security of the test. 

     Mrs. Emily Johnstone is in charge of the AP exams at North Harford as the Assessment Data Specialist. Johnstone adds that “AP classroom is a huge resource with tons of practice questions and tests” to help students prepare for the exam. 

      In the beginning of the school year, Johnstone visited all AP classes to provide students information regarding the AP test, the process of signing up for them and the benefits of taking the exam. She adds that the hard part of being in charge of testing is “making sure all the puzzle fits together as there are a lot of pieces that have to go together perfectly” to ensure the success of testing.