Junior year is already stressful enough as it is: you have hours of homework to do after school, your classes demand more thought and effort, you either have a test, paper, project, or lab due each week, you have to play sports and contribute to clubs, and it seems as if it’ll never end!
As the end of the year approaches, you would think that students, specifically upperclassman, would feel more relaxed because this demanding time is slowly coming to an end, but many think of it as even more stressful when compared to the rest of the year because of AP exams. Each May, students that are enrolled in AP classes are required to take their courses’ culminated exam which are offered by the College Board.
While the scores that students receive on their AP exams don’t affect what said student’s grade is in the class, if one does well (meaning they receive a 4 or 5), then they can not only submit the score to colleges for credit, but also show how they perform on an exam that is rigorous because of the high expectations. Each exam typically takes more than three hours— longer for students with extended time accommodations— and includes about fifty multiple choice questions plus several free response questions.
KO’s administration tailors very well to the amount of stress that students may be dealing with during this month by allowing them to dress down, leave campus after their exam, and not need to attend the classes that they have that day. Regular and honors class teachers, however, don’t always recognize how much pressure students may be under during this time and often pile even more work on their plates. It is especially hard when other teachers give assessments during this time, since AP students are already rigorously studying.
The KO News believes that teachers should understand that students have an unhealthy amount of stress in general, but especially at this time. While students must keep up with their workload, teachers should meet them halfway as well and try to help.
