By: Ginnie Lo
The College Board changed its new Advanced Placement (AP) exam ordering deadline to October, according to the College Board’s website. Exams will continue to cost $95 with a $40 late fee for missing the deadline, and a $40 cancellation fee for those who register but decide to not take the exam.
One of the issues with the College Board’s new change is that it requires more commitment from students. Some students tend to drop out at the beginning of second semester, either because they did not enjoy the course or were struggling. Other students find that first semester’s curriculum was entirely different from second semester’s. After all, in many classes, first semester consists of going over the basics or reviewing. Second semester is an entirely new animal in terms of rigor.
We are paying $95 for an exam. Let me repeat that, $95! The College Board is using this change to get money quickly. People are more likely to feel pressured to pay for their exams and evaluate how they feel about their AP classes early on. How will people be able to ensure that they can earn a passing score so early on in the curriculum? I have heard many peers ask each other if they were going to take the AP exam back in late February. The uncertainty of taking or not taking the exam occurs when students get more of a feel for their class in the second semester.
The College Board should be more considerate of students. Paying $95 is no joke, especially if students feel as if they might fail the exam once the course becomes more vigorous.However, people may say that students taking AP classes should know what to expect and be prepared for exams. No. All People are different. The purpose of AP classes is to let students have a feel for what college courses are like, allowing them to build their critical thinking skills.
What happened to serving the school and students? There are more disadvantages to this change made by the College Board. The only advantage is making students more “engaged,”which may have the opposite effect. It is just a simple, quick, and easy way for the CollegeBoard to earn money. It is clear that the College Board does not care about the financial burden they are placing on families and students.
The effect on students can be detrimental. Students will be harder on themselves and risk their health to ensure that they can pass the exam. Paying $95 so early in the school year will cause students to feel a sense of pressure that they cannot let the money go to waste. With the old option of paying in second semester, students can decide confidently if they want to take the exam or not.
In addition, seniors are already overwhelmed with college applications. Feeling conflicted about whether they should take an exam adds on to the stress. This change will cause most people to make rash, regrettable decisions to avoid paying the extra $40 late fee. AP coordinators who have to organize the exam, along with writing college recommendation letters in November will also feel the stress placed by this change.
It is normal for students to follow the trend of their peers. Most people will end up paying for their exams in October and go along with the College Board’s ploy for money. There is nothing wrong with this. The College Board says that they are “non-profit,” but they really are all about money. I highly encourage that you think carefully about whether or not you want to take the AP exam. If you are against this change, let College Board know by signing a petition found at https://tinyurl.com/CollegeBoardFallAPExams.
