Due to differences in formatting and test preference, Advanced Placement (AP) students and teachers alike, shared divided opinions on the AP exam transitioning online this school year, marking the transition into official online testing.
With AP students having finished testing with the new format, though testers are mostly satisfied with the exams, some hold frustration with the Blue Book program used to administer the tests.
Junior Riya Mehta said that technical difficulties really made testing frustrating.
She references constant updates, despite having updated Blue Book the night prior, students unable to join the testing room and Chromebooks running out of charge quickly.
According to AP U.S. History teacher Denise Meehl, the format, content and structure of the test has not changed since the test has shifted online.
However, in regards to testing, many feel it boils down to personal preference when deciding whether AP going online was beneficial or not.
“I think it a lot of it comes down to personal preference,” Meehl said. “Growing up [and] having done everything on paper, I’m much more comfortable writing stuff out. Pencil, paper and having it [be] in front of me. I think with a lot of [students] having tended to grow up more having a combination [of in-person and online], it’s less of an abrupt transition.”
Many note the possible advantages that accompany the test going online, especially for subjects centered around writing.
According to AP Language and Composition teacher Micah Rampulla, he’s seen students perform better when typing as opposed to when, a few years ago, students were required to hand-write for practice.
“I have seen [online testing] be beneficial, because students are just so used to everything being online,” Rampulla said. “For the AP Composition exam specifically, it requires them to write three essays, and students are a lot more used to writing, or typing, their essays online.”
Some students referenced struggles deriving from the SAT to further explain certain issues that may arise from testing online.
“When it comes to reading, [especially] if it looks like a bunch of words bunched up on a screen, you’re going to have to sit and stare at a screen for so long,” senior Kaitlin Faulkner said. “I remember when I took the SATs, that [became] the easiest way to tire out your eyes.”
Some hoped for the exam to still encompass some written elements.
AP Statistics teacher Jackie Lavely said that students may find the online format, in regards to math, more difficult considering the fact that writing out problems helps students process questions better.
According to AP Biology teacher Patrick Murphy, he thinks that AP testing will not return to hand-written tests.