A month into the current school year, and The College Board is already calling for students to determine if they’ll take Advanced Placement (AP) tests in May 2022. Thus, high school site-based AP Coordinators and teachers are asking students their intentions as well as sending parent emails asking for registration fees.
Potential AP exam takers have also recently returned to classrooms, adjusting from having to learn from home since March 2020, many still remediating their gaps in understanding the subject matter thus possibly lacking confidence in their ability to perform well on an AP exam eight months from now.
While seeking the counsel of an objective, experienced advisor is strongly recommended, students and their families can take a few steps on their own to make a more informed decision.
First, remember that AP exam scores are generally not included in a student’s evaluation for college admissions. Thus, the score itself isn’t a plus or detraction from a student’s college application.
Second, after reviewing the AP course curriculum and concepts tested on the exams, students can seek to understand teachers’ plans and timeframes for presenting the AP course material. Then, students can determine what degree they’ll need to augment their effort by working with a tutor, studying with peers or their teacher before the May 2022 exam date.
Finally, students taking multiple AP classes can forecast the approximate total effort needed to prepare, and the potential stress associated with preparing for multiple tests concurrently before deciding more confidently which, if any, AP exams they will take next Spring.
Educators who first taught and learned from the young in the modern high school classroom, now with 20 years of consulting experience, bring an understanding of the complexity of the modern teenager and the travails of parenting soon-to-be adults regarding their education to bear, when advising families throughout the United States and around the globe. See us at Creative Marbles Consultancy
