Every May, students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) courses have the opportunity to take the College Board’s AP exams in order to qualify for college credit. Starting the week of May 2, Wakefield High School will begin AP exams for all students enrolled in AP courses who signed up to take the test.

“AP exams are good if you are passionate and skilled with a subject,” said Dr. Laura Inscoe, Dean of Students. “In addition, it is now free for all students to take the exam.  As long as you are prepared, it could benefit you for college.”

The incentive for taking the AP exam is the possibility of earning college credit. The ability to take the exams was made easier due to the federal grant passed by the U.S. Department of Education in North Carolina and 39 other states, making AP exams free for students.

“The  AP exams are free and if you choose to take them, you can kind of see what a college exam might be like,” said AP Human Geography teacher, Amber Horton.

Grades 10 through 12 are eligible to take the exams, however the approach to taking the exam differs between grade levels.

“For sophomores, the AP exam helps them figure out what they need to do for their junior and senior year when it really matters,” said Horton.

Sophomores are limited to taking only one specific AP course, AP Human Geography, for that year of high school.  

“For most sophomores, the AP exam is a little rough because this is their first experience,” said Horton. “It’s common to see a growth in kids from their sophomore AP exams to their junior AP exams. This is mostly because they learn better study skills and how to prepare, so it’s a good experience.”

The motive for most sophomores who take the AP exam is usually not the college credit; some universities do not accept any credit for AP Human Geography. Sophomores are predominantly inclined to take the exam due to the fact that it aids them in preparing for following years of high school.

“Most of the time I tell them at the beginning to check and see what college or universities they want to go to, and to see if they actually take the credit or not,” said Horton. “A lot of them found that 4 out of the 5 schools won’t take it, so they won’t take it. However most kids end up taking the exam. We have about 150 signed up this year.”

Receiving the college credit or not comes down to the particular university’s standard.

“Different colleges have different criteria,” said Inscoe. “For some, you have to have a 5 in order to get credit, while for others, you could have a 3 or above. It all depends on what they say is passing.”

In the past, students have performed strongly on AP exams in Calculus. Last year, Wakefield’s average score for Calculus AB was a 4.7 and for Calculus BC was a 4.6.

“Typically all of my calculus students take the AP exam,” said AP Calculus teacher, Kerry Regan. “Every year I have about one student that doesn’t take it, but usually pretty much all of them will take it.”

The AP Calculus exam is considered to be difficult, but Regan ensures that she fully prepares students before they take the exam.

“I do encourage that all of my students take the AP exam, mainly because I know they will be very prepared to take it,” said Regan. “Usually they’re worried around the time we sign up in February and early March, but I’ve told them that with the amount of review we do, and with how I’ve been presenting problems in class, they will be prepared and typically do well.”

Regan believes that AP calculus students should take the exam because of the huge amount of work that they have put in thus far.

“My students have spent a full year taking a college-level math course,” said Regan. “I teach the course as it would be taught in college, besides the fact that they have more time because they’re here everyday, versus the three days a week that they take it in college. For them to put in that amount of time and effort, I believe they should take the exam and get the college credit for the course.”

Each AP class varies, but most teachers offer exam preparation sessions in their classrooms during SMART lunch, after school, or on weekends.

“I think that AP exams are awesome, but they’re a lot of hard work,” said Horton. “I tell my kids all the time, ‘I can bring you to the water but I can’t make you drink it.’ Understand that as teachers we’re really trying, but there’s only but so far that we can take you.”

Teachers advise that students take advantage of the opportunities that are open to them, such as extra help or review, and taking the AP exams. For students enrolled in  AP classes, the AP exam is a beneficial tool.

“If you’re a student who has done really well in honors classes, it’s time to step it up and consider taking AP classes next year,” said Inscoe. “Especially in the subject areas that you’re passionate about, because you can potentially earn that college credit. You have to be prepared for the rigor, to work hard and to critically think, but in the end it pays off if you do well in the class and on the AP exam.”