By Joshua Zhuang | May 12, 2024
For two weeks every May, hundreds of thousands of students shuffle nervously into testing halls and classrooms. There, hunched over booklets and bubble sheets, they wade through Advanced Placement exams – standardized tests designed to challenge high schoolers with college-level content. They emerge from their rooms 90 minutes to 3.25 hours later, exhausted yet triumphant (or not).
Around 50 students at The Woodlands this year were among them.
Although AP classes are not offered here, those interested can still select from a wide list of subjects to study on their own. While some reflect and complement existing courses at our school, others – like Art History, Italian Language, and Comparative Government, to name a few – allow students to broaden their horizons and reach further than those eight slots a year on MyBlueprint. The exams are scored out of 5, and most scores of 4 and above can count towards credits at universities like U of T, Waterloo, and McGill.
The Woodstock caught up with a few AP students at The Woodlands about their exam experience.
“Bad decision taking three of them at once,” said Rishi Sheoran, who took Biology, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics. “But I got through it. The tests themselves are pretty much just like any other test at school. Grade 11 Biology didn’t really help, but I’m sure it’s more similar to it in Grade 12.”
Chemistry, Microeconomics, Statistics, and Physics C student Pritika Lahari said, “They were very stressful but I learned a lot. The majority of the content is preparing me for the coursework in Grade 12 and the first year of university, so I’d say, yes, they were worth taking.”
“Don’t be fooled by the low percentage threshold,” said one anonymous English Language student (most AP exams require just above 70% to get a “perfect” 5). “These tests are hard. I thought all the essays I wrote in the classes at school would be enough, but reality hit like a garbage truck. See, that’s a metaphor, by the way – I’m putting the stuff I learned to good use. I don’t think I’ve ever written a rhetorical analysis essay before this in my life. God help me.”
Students are reminded that AP exams reflect college-level content. Those interested in more information or taking them next year may consult the College Board website and register with Mr. Miller beginning in the fall.
As for those who took any this year, wipe those tears away and smile. You did it.
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