AP tests strike fear in students

It’s that time of year again when students taking college-level classes in high school begin to experience panic and anxiety.  Advanced Placement (AP) testing is taking place from May 2 to May 13.

Although students are allowed to sign up for any of the 31 AP tests, even if they are not in the class, CVHS only offers 12 of those classes.  The AP tests available to students are Chemistry, Environmental Science, Spanish, Art History, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, English Literature and Composition, German, European History, United States History, French, and Statistics.

Each test costs $95 for students who register by April 8. Afterwards, students must also pay a $50 late fee. The tests are scored on a scale of one to five, with a three earning a pass and five being the best score.  Those who pass earn college-level course credits.

Students prepare for these tests in the classes and often buy AP study books such as Kaplan and Princeton Review.  AP U.S. History teacher Mark Mladinich is preparing his students for the upcoming exam “by giving them more information than any 16 year-old should be responsible for.  We’ll also be reviewing on weekends and after school.”

Junior Calvin Cheng is preparing for the AP tests with “schoolwork, sleepless nights, and reading AP books.  It’s going to be an intense study struggle.”

“The real reward is having rigorous, challenging courses, not the AP test,” said Mladinich. “Students should not stress about the AP test.”