As we arrive into the months of April, May and June, springing swiftly into end of the year exams, tensions rise and palms sweat. This buildup of emotions equates to the dreaded AP exam: a wasteful series of procedures that may not even ensure passing to begin with.
Consider the uncomfortable situation: glued to a wooden chair for three hours hypnotized by the vivid white of the paper and the complexity of the question, a miserable expenditure. In order to prove one’s wits in an AP class, one must put in the strenuous hours days before the exam. While some students take weeks to prepare and others take a single weekend, passing an AP exam ensures your knowledge and understanding of the material taught throughout the school year. Your efficiency on that topic will resurface, when one applies during their senior year to expecting colleges.
To name a few, GPA, extracurricular activity, community service and AP scores determine the acceptance in a particular school. Working sleeplessly and persistently throughout an Advanced Placement class and excelling at it subsequently, demonstrates one’s efficiency in the criteria come exam day.
Only the system presents an unfair advantage to individuals who pass the class with flying colors and naturally perform poorly on standardized tests. Subsequently, they are convicted of cheating and judgement when scores and class grades do not match up. Considering the multitude of emotional stresses placed on each individual, who could blame them for abhorring the test taking process?
Unbelievably, the final grade proves inferior to the AP exam score. The fate of their AP credit depends on passing of one exam on one particular date and time as only one shot at proving that they learned a thing or two at the duration of the college class.
From a long-term perspective taking an AP exam and taking the class do not determine one’s overall attainment for information. In other words, passing an AP exam with a five does not mean that come the first year in college, you will be fluent in Japanese language and culture. AP Exam or not, understanding the material takes place during the four semesters of the school year not in the last week before the exam; it’s a gradual process. Therefore, a month of cramming and last minute studying prove insufficient and unhealthy.
Obliteration of the AP final exam remove weeks and weak of stress and turmoil in the final days of the school year. Proving one’s worth through the school year demonstrates their comprehension of a particular subject. A second form of verification is uncalled for.