At a time when AP classes
have begun to become highly
rigorous over the last couple
of years, students have
become more prepared for
these end-of-the-year tests.
AP tests can be taken in over
34 courses ranging from U.S.
History, to Calculus, to English
language and composition,
not only by Flour Bluff
students, but by millions of
other students all over the
United States in the course of
two months.
A test grade of three out of
five points is said to exhibit
college-level mastery, and
students are finding that acquiring
this high score takes
pure dedication.
AP World History teacher,
Billie Lashua, has witnessed
full-throttle efforts from her
students throughout the
years. Knowing exactly what
it takes to prepare for an AP
test is key.
“[The students that scored
a three, four, or five on the
exam] have found the study
guide and study groups to
be helpful. These students
kept up with the assigned
reading, they studied the vocabulary,
and they studied
old test questions,” Lashua
said. “These students were
dedicated and committed to
working very hard.”
Online sites such as AP Central
and College Board have
been said to be an essential
for preparing for AP tests.
Self tests, study tips, and college
search options are only a
few in which these sites offer.
“[AP Central and College
Board sites are helpful] because
they use the same format
as the AP exam [and] the
questions are similar to questions
on the exam,” Lashua
said. “You will not find the exact
questions that will be on
the exam, but you need the
same background information
to answer them.”
Sophomore, Lorraine Urbis,
has found both of these sites
especially helpful when preparing
for the AP World History
test for the first time.
“These sites help me to have
a better understanding of
what these tests will be like,
since this will be my first one,”
Urbis said. “The study guide
we were offered at the beginning
of the year has come in
handy as well.”
At this time, many high
schools around the nation do
not require students to take
an AP class in order to take
an AP exam. However, it is
known that a school’s strong
AP program elevates the academic
climate. The College
Board has demonstrated statistics
that students who get
a three or above on an exam
are more likely to succeed
in college. Small, rural, and
some inner-city
high schools
are least likely
to offer AP
courses, and today,
around 61
percent of United
States high
schools offer
these courses.
Still, today, the
College Board
is attempting
to significantly expand the
AP Testing Program.
AP courses were originally
developed to place students
in advanced-level college
courses. However, ironically,
AP tests today are being reviewed
for mainly admission
purposes. Grade point averages
are inflated and colleges
see AP tests as valuable information
for any applicants’
scholastic potential.
Sophomore, Laura Stumhofer,
is taking three AP
courses: AP Government, AP
World history, and AP Physics.
She feels prepared for her
exams, and relies on chapter
tests from her AP courses for
studying because of their
similar format to the exam.
“I’m really looking forward
to the end of the year when I
can take these tests, because
I’ve been preparing for them
[all year],” Stumhofer said. “I’ll
be glad when they’re all over
and when I get good scores.”