AP exam season has kicked off with students stressing left and right. They spent the school year studying, practicing, and learning about the subject they are testing over, but they are stuck worrying about their score until summer.
“I don’t really care,” sophomore Juan Aguirre said. “I think it’s a good thing because it reduces your stress until you find out in the summer.”
High school students are welcome to take multiple AP courses and exams throughout their high school career. Most high schools offer AP courses in science, social studies, and English.
“It’s good that I have the option to take AP courses,” sophomore Allison Zha said.
The main AP course taken and allowed in freshman year is AP Human Geography, which focuses on the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human civilization, understanding, and use on the Earth. The course focuses on spatial relationships, population trends, cultural landscapes, and environmental interaction.
“It’s honestly pretty exciting and a little bit stressful,” freshman Tyler Rayner.
Sophomores are allowed to take AP courses in World History, European History, Seminar, and Computer Science Principles. Each course allows students to receive college credit while exclusively in high school.
“What made me want to choose AP World History was the fact that I got to have a more excelled learning experience in one of my favorite subjects,” sophomore Allison Summers.
Juniors are allowed to take AP courses from the same sophomore collection, excluding AP World History, in addition to AP U.S. History, AP English Language, AP Psychology, AP Chemistry, or Physics with AP Calculus or Statistics.
“Beyond college credit, it raises your weighted GPA and demonstrates academic rigor that college loves to see,” junior Davis Jenney.
Seniors have the same course selection as sophomores and juniors, except for social studies and English courses for that specific age group. Seniors take AP English Literature and AP U.S. Government & Politics.
“I regret taking an AP course because they exaggerate assignments,” senior Kalya Gonzalez.
The AP test is graded based on a five-point scale. Each number represents the recommendation of how qualified you are to receive college credit for the subject of the test. A score of one equals no recommendation. A score of two is possible, and a score of three is qualified. The score of four is very well qualified, and the score of five is extremely well qualified.
“I like it because it is a more broad scoring system since you can be less judgmental of your friends’ scores,” junior Hamilton Mederos.
Converting a score to a letter grade is simple. A score of five is considered an A+ or A. A score of four is an A-, B+, or B, and a score of three is B-, C+, or C. The average score for AP tests is 2.85 to 2.95, which is considered a high possibility of being qualified in the category of qualified.
“It was my first one,” sophomore Karen Yao. “It was easier than expected and it took longer than expected.”
