By Isabelle Lounsberry
The AP mock exams are an opportunity for students to take a full-length advanced placement exam in the course that they are currently registered in. Students have the opportunity to experience a testing environment of similar quality to that of the real exam, while also having the chance to undergo the time limit associated with each section. Many students say this is the hardest part of the exam to overcome, which makes the practice all the more worthwhile.
The teachers are responsible for finding and using a previously released exam. In other words, the mock exams are exams from several years prior. Once the teacher administers the mock exam, they grade and return it to the students, which in turn informs the teacher on the strengths and weaknesses of each student, while also helping the teacher focus the last few weeks of instruction on key areas.
The exams will be administered on Saturdays, starting in mid-February through the end of April. The school will issue approximately thirty different types of exams, so it would be difficult to try to give them all on one day at one time. There are many students who take multiple exams because they take multiple AP courses, making it impossible for them to take all of them in one day. Instead, they will be broken up so that students have a similar experience to what they would have on a normal test day, where they would take either one or two exams depending on which AP course they are in and what day CollegeBoard schedules those exams.
However, many students do not agree with the scheduling of the tests. Saturday mornings tend to be very busy, whether it be jobs, volunteering, or other possible scheduling difficulties. Senior Emma Treadwell stated, “[I would rather it be on a] different day. I think it’s fine if you’re a freshman or a sophomore and you only have one or two classes, but I’m taking nine AP classes this year, so pretty much all of my Saturdays from February to April are devoted to AP exams. Also, with them being on Saturday, you have to schedule them so early in the year. I would definitely rather stay after school any day of the week than stay on a Saturday.” Melanie Halem, also a senior, gave her opinion on the exams being so early in the year, “It’s kind of hard having to learn all the material because you still haven’t learned all the material that will be on the actual exam. It’s stressful to have to learn it before you’ve been taught it, and then relearn it much later.”
Nonetheless, the exams have immeasurable benefits for both students and teachers. Students learn what they need to improve on and review, while teachers learn what concepts the students need to be better prepared for. Some teachers make the exams mandatory, which forces students to learn the content as well as practice— which in the end leads the student to success. Dr. Hammons, the assistant principal here at Apopka High School noted, “I feel like the benefits far outway the negatives that may be involved. It will give the student a true reflection of where they are.”
One of the things that students can do for review is to go back and look at the information that has been previously covered. Assuming that you received— and kept— a syllabus at the beginning of the year, you can go back and review the topics that are covered within the course. Also, take a look back in which areas of the content you did well in, and dedicate more time going over the areas you struggled with.
To conclude, the AP mock exams are an option to prepare yourself for the real exams. Most, if not all, teachers recommend seizing the opportunity, as it may be your only chance. Although you may have to forfeit a Saturday, the results are most certainly worth it. So, students, work hard, study, and pass.