AP tests go digital due to virus




High school students will be faced with a new set of challenges this spring as they try to earn college credit for their Advanced Placement courses.

In response to ongoing school closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the College Board— the New York-based nonprofit that oversees AP testing—will hold all of its annual exams online.

Although the organization has in the past offered at-home test options for smaller groups of students that experienced a “crisis,” it has never before offered online, at-home exams on this scale.

“We considered canceling AP testing this year, but 91% of AP students surveyed asked that we not,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s senior vice president for Advanced Placement and instruction. “Colleges support this AP exam solution for this emergency year and we want students to have the opportunity to earn their college credit.”

Students who take AP classes often learn rigorous material that is equivalent of a college-level course. Those who take and pass the AP exam with a score of 3, 4 or 5 out of 5 can earn college credit at many colleges nationwide. By passing AP courses in high school, students can reduce the number of classes they are required to take in college, which in turn minimizes their cost of attendance.

Typically, AP tests are closed-book exams where students are given two to three hours to answer myriad multiple-choice and free-response questions, as well as longer essay questions.

This year, though, each online exam will be limited to 45 minutes and will only test material that is typically covered by early March, according to the College Board. Students will be able to take the exams on a computer, tablet or smartphone, or by hand if they submit a photo of them completing the test.

“The at-home exams will not include any multiple-choice questions, only free-response questions adapted for secure testing at home,” Packer said. “They will measure skills that can’t be learned from Google or chats with friends.”

The College Board also hopes to curb cheating by using plagiarism detection software.

Students who do not have access to the internet, computers or tablets will be provided resources by the organization, according to the College Board’s website.

To prepare students for the May exams, the College Board is partnering with teachers throughout the country to offer free, daily review lessons. The daily livestreams are designed to help students review their skills and complete their coursework.

By April 3, the College Board also plans to share free-response practice questions for students to prepare for their upcoming exams.

“Some students may want to take the exam sooner rather than later, while the content is still fresh,” Packer said. “Other students may want more time to practice. For each AP subject, there will be two different testing dates.”

Those in classes like AP Seminar or AP Art and Design will have until May 26 to submit their final projects and exams.

Students who opt not to take their AP exams will receive a full refund and will not be required to pay the College Board’s $40 cancellation fee.