From staying up all night memorizing all of the acts that the British imposed on the American Colonies to ending your social life to learn the relationship between torque, tension, and rotational inertia, Advanced Placement classes offer a rigorous learning process that prepares a student for the College Board AP Tests at the end of the school year. But paying for those tests is no longer a challenge for AP students.
AP classes, mainly starting junior year, teach subjects at a college level. The AP tests are offered by the National College Board, and cost $92 per exam. Students who qualify, depending on income, can receive a $30 discount. Every year, Alief provides a further price reduction based on the student’s lunch status. The test would usually be free students who don’t pay for lunch, reduced for students that have reduced lunch and full priced for students who do not have reduced lunch.
This year, Alief is paying for of the all tests that the students plan to take. AP tests for students in Alief will be free regardless of the student’s financial lunch plan.
College Counselor Sara Tones said that, without any financial limitation, the students will be able to have an opportunity to obtain college credit for free.
“The test isn’t given for free. The district pays for it. It is free to students,” Tones said. “But I hope that when students see that the test is free this year, they’ll be encouraged to prepare for it and study for it.”
AP Language teacher Ayn Nys also sees the free test as an opportunity for students, but she has some concerns.
“It is really nice that students will be able to take the test for free,” Nys said. “Kerr has been known to be scoring well over the national average on AP tests. If students plan to take an AP test for a class that haven’t took just because it’s free, it might run a risk of bringing down the reputation of the school.”
Nys encourages students who want to take an AP test for a class they haven’t taken to seek help.
“Without preparation, it is very difficult for a student to earn a passing grade. Those four hours they spend taking a test will be a waste of time,” Nys said. “If they still plan to take the test without taking the class, they can still pass but they will need to prepare. Students should come prepare a month or two before the test at a center. The teachers will be more than happy to provide the student with practice. I’ve had students earn a 4 or a 5 before that didn’t take a class.”
Nonetheless, with these complications that the free test might bring, the test remains fairly the same.
“The test is going to be very similar to the previous years. Nothing has really changed The,” Nys said. “It is still a challenging exam that tests the student’s AP ability.”
