My first AP exam started on Monday, May 2 and my last AP exam ended on Friday, May 13, 11 days apart. My 2-week AP exam period left me constantly tired and burdened with both studying for my next AP exam and staying on top of school work.
An AP exam lasts roughly three to four hours for those without extra time accommodations, and as a result, for every test I took, I missed two class periods. Having four AP exams total, two in each week, meant that I went to my third period class only once the first week, and my fifth period class once the second week.
I missed the Monday and Wednesday of my English class, and that same week, we started a new book, and began discussing the book in class. After a stressful first half of the week, I found myself needing to study for the following week’s AP exams and catching up on all the reading I had missed, as well as preparing for an English discussion scheduled for the upcoming Friday.
Many AP classes are not intended to prepare us for AP exams, meaning that I had to put in extra work outside of the classroom to fully cover the material and be fully prepared. Putting in extra time outside of class to study for exams is quite standard, but putting in extra hours for every exam on top of the homework and projects I needed to finish was overwhelming.
Our current system does not support students during AP exams. I was forced to choose between getting a full eight hours of sleep the night before an AP exam or doing homework for my classes. Studying and doing homework simultaneously makes both more unproductive and decreases the quality of both.
The establishment of a designated AP exam week would alleviate students’ stress levels. This exam period would allow for both classes and exams to proceed efficiently. Studying for AP exams diminishes the quality of schoolwork. The compounding stress of schoolwork and AP exams on students makes it harder for them to perform at their usual high standard.
The entire school year’s work culminates in the AP exams, in an effort to show what we have learned. It would be beneficial to finish the year strong by ensuring that all the material is properly learned, both to ensure that this knowledge lasts not only for the duration of the AP exams, but also in the long-term. Having to cram for multiple subjects confuses your brain and forces you to choose what knowledge and subjects to prioritize. An exam period would make both class time and exam time more productive and successful.