The sudden and complete shift to online school has presented concerns and fears for many students, especially those who are now taking AP exams. Most students are accustomed to the yearly testing at the end of the year for the state or an organization; however, the Advanced Placement (AP) exams have increased testing apprehensions as they are being administered remotely with strict accompanying guidelines.

Heights junior Charlotte Gensman summed up her feelings as the day of her AP Language exam approaches in one word: “Unprepared.” Gensman’s fear, as she explained, is both the lack of preparation that many students are experiencing, along with the fear of a technical issue during a exam where there is little room for error. 

While many students feel online distance learning has made acing their classes easier, some AP students do not feel this same relief. “[My] grades are better,  but my mental health has heavily deteriorated,” Gensman explains. Many other AP are feeling the same as the work stays nearly equally as demanding online in order to prepare for the exams, but completing assignments in the comfort of their own homes creates procrastination which is followed by anxiety.

Students such as OH junior Marcelo Arrendondo, are enrolled in an impressive amount of AP classes. Arrendondo is taking AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP U.S. History, AP Spanish, and AP Language. Preparing for multiple AP exams, much less five of them, can be daunting. However, Arrendondo feels prepared for his exams. His only fear, as he admits, is “running out of time submitting, as I almost ran out of time for calc.” With the AP exams administrations having begun on Monday of this week, those students with multiple AP exams to take at least now have gained some insight as to how the remotely administered exams work.

 Junior Jessica Winograd, who has also dedicated herself to many APs, is taking AP U.S. History, AP Psychology, and AP Language. She is known to be a very dedicated student by her teachers and peers, which explains why she feels prepared. However, Winograd echoes the fear “that I’m not going to be able to finish on time.” The fast pace of these challenging exams clearly presents a common fear for many of the students. 

For many students, it’s the face-to-face, in person teaching that makes all the difference in comprehending the curriculum. Winograd explains, “Overall, I feel like online school has had a negative effect because I’m not able to have in-person prep which is best for me.” The transition from the classroom to the living room or the bedroom for school is already challenging enough, especially for those who learn best when there is a teacher in front of them.

While there is a very scarce amount of time left to prepare for the remaining AP exams, teachers have been putting in a great amount of effort to ensure all students are as prepared as they can be under the current confusing situation that is new to us all. Good luck to all students taking AP exams!