Advanced placement (AP) are college level classes that high school students can take. Unlike college prep classes, at the end of the AP course there is an AP exam rather than finals. While the results of the AP exam do not impact the grade or GPA of students, based on the results of the exam, students may be eligible to get credit for college. The AP exams are scored from 1-5, and typically, colleges accept a score of 3 or higher. The more prestigious the college is, the higher the score they require for credit. Some colleges do not accept credit even if the student scores a 5.
At Cresskill High School (CHS), students who take AP classes are required to take the exam, each one costing $100. Taking into consideration that some colleges don’t even accept any college credit from APs and the pricey cost of the exam, should CHS require students to take the exam?
While I understand that after studying a course for a whole year, students should be inclined to get the potential benefit of receiving college credit, but I don’t think that the exams should be required. Since some colleges don’t accept credit, and others are highly selective of the scores, students should not be forced to take the exam. AP classes are rigorous and if a student feels that they have no chance of getting a credible score on a specific exam, I believe they should have the choice to not take it. Senior Julia Hasenstab said, “I take AP physics and I know that I am not capable of getting a score that my college will accept. However, I take other APs that I feel confident that I will be able to score well. I think it is unfair that I’m forced to pay for an exam with my own money even though I know that I will get no benefit.”
Similarly, Senior Sydney Migarods mentioned that “the college I committed to doesn’t accept any credit for AP Psychology, which is an AP I am taking. I don’t understand why I have to take an exam and pay $100 for it knowing that 100% it will have no use.” With that being said, I believe that students should be able to choose which exams they want to spend their money on and take.
Additionally, $100 is enough money by itself, but oftentimes, the students that take an AP class take more than one. Therefore, students end up spending hundreds and even thousands of dollars on APs. For example, I have taken 7 AP classes in high school, meaning I spent a hefty $700 just on the exams.
Some may wonder, what’s the point of taking AP classes if the student will not even attempt to take the exam? However, APs have a great benefit. Students who take AP classes demonstrate that they take on a challenge and choose to be in more rigorous classes, which colleges see on their transcript. Even if a student doesn’t submit or take the exam, if they have a good average in the class, it can be assumed that they are capable of taking a college level course.
Regardless of the reason one may not want to take the AP exam, I think that when students are forced to pay for an exam from their own pocket, it is unfair to require it.
