AP exams begin Monday, May 6 at North Hills High School.
The 2024 AP exams will start with the U.S. Government on Monday, May 6, and end with Physics 2: Algebra-Based on Friday, May 17.
The Advanced Placement (AP) examinations are national exams by the College Board, and students can earn AP credits that nearly all colleges will accept from those tests. The exams will most be held in the library at North Hills High School, and the students will take the exams at different times according to the College Board’s testing guidelines.
Students and teachers were working hard for this national exam from the beginning of the school year. For the past few weeks, most AP classes have been reviewing the materials and trying to get a good score in AP exams. For most courses, a 70% – 75% score translates to a 5 in AP exams, but this number can vary depending on the difficulty of the course materials. Mr. Brandon Pfab, an AP American Government and Politics teacher at North Hills High School, said that the students’ performance “…ultimately depends on how much is being done outside of class.” He also said that he’s comfortable with preparing for the exam, but he “always wished we had two or three more days of review.”
All the materials for the AP courses should be completed at this point, and it’s the students’ job to prepare for the exam. The Princeton Review suggested that students should start reviewing old materials, particularly those from the beginning of the school year. The CollegeBoard official website also provides sample questions for the students to exercise. Practicing previous year AP exam questions is a great way to practice since they can help students understand the areas that they need to focus on. Finally, students should check the College Board website for the test information.
AP courses are usually more difficult than the required courses to graduate, but they can lead to great rewards. Colleges often look for AP classes on students’ transcripts, and a good mark on AP courses can boost the chances of getting admitted greatly. The AP credits can then transfer to many colleges, which can potentially save students a lot of money.
