By: Eric de Guzman
Firstly, I would like to point out that the official CollegeBoard website states, “If you paid for an AP Exam but then decided not to take it, you may ask your AP coordinator for a refund. Local school policy determines the amount of the refund. You will probably be required to pay the $15 fee the school is charged for each unused exam.” However, the email sent by AP Coordinator Jennifer Hutchison in regards to AP test sales states that the test is nonrefundable. I would like a rationale as to why this is, as this further pressures students, especially those in less-than-favorable financial conditions.
Now, most students at MHS know that the regular price to take one of the prestigious AP tests is 95 dollars. Ninety-five dollars is more than you would spend on an application for most colleges; Stanford, one of the most acclaimed in the country, requires a 90 dollar fee to submit your application. And 95 dollars is about 50 percent more than you would spend on an SAT or ACT test, which for many colleges is the baseline of academic success.
To most students, 95 dollars seems like a lot of money, and rightly so. And again, this is just for one exam: my family spent 285 dollars on this sorry senior to take my three AP tests.
With the recent scandals in which test proctors have accepted bribes to give rich kids good scores, one may wonder if CollegeBoard really is a “nonprofit” institution. But that’s an issue for another issue.
The question that all responsible (and some irresponsible) AP students have asked is, “Is this AP test worth 95 dollars?” The answer? It depends.
As it turns out, most educational institutions, from Mission to Stanford, accept AP scores for some credit towards comparable courses. Getting at least a 3 on the Calculus AB exam is enough to skip the first Math 1A course at UC Berkeley, and at least a 4 offers about the same benefit at Stanford.
A college class at these high-profile schools costs thousands of dollars, as well as weeks of your precious time; if you are an aspiring student for one of these institutions, 95 dollars per course should seem like a pretty sweet deal. Also, taking any AP test and doing well is bound to look good to a lot of colleges.
However, not all schools look at AP tests the same way, which is why you must do a little research yourself as to how and if your dream college accepts AP credits. And if you are planning to major in something like Gender Studies, you might want to consider foregoing the Calculus AB or Physics test if your family is pressed for money, and look at more pertaining courses, like AP Psychology.
It seems like the best way to deal with this financial burden is the same way that we deal with most others, to use money wisely. Many students seem to ride the AP train wherever their peers go, with no real concern for which AP courses will actually benefit them; I am one of those students, although admittedly I believe most of my AP tests will count for some benefits in the future.
It is important to view these educational choices in a financial light as well; let us take the 95 dollar cost of AP tests as yet another preparation for the economic troubles that face many students in college, however painful it may be.
