Even though it may seem like the 2012-2013 school year just started yesterday and has gone by in the blink of an eye, everything is coming to an end over the next month for school to end on June 6th. For most students, final exams week begins on Monday, June 3rd; when it comes to students who are in Advanced Placement classes though, their AP exams are hitting them early the week of May 6th through 10th.
AP courses challenge students with college-level course work and expectations, making them the most rigorous classes that Padua has to offer. Making it through an AP course and scoring successfully on the related AP Exam can save on college expenses, or give a student the possibility of moving directly into upper-level classes that interest them most in college. “My son is a Freshman and University of Richmond, and he didn’t have to take a Calculus class because of his scoring on an AP exam,” said Mrs. Fundakowski, the part-time Honors Chemistry and Academic Dean and Padua. A few of the AP courses Padua offers that have upcoming exams include Environmental Science, Chemistry, Psychology, Calculus, English Literature and Composition, and Statistics.
“For average exam vs. an AP exam, preparation is similar because you are taking and studying previous content from the year,” said Mrs. Fundakowski. “The difference is that for AP exams, you can study from exams from previous years, with an exception of the multiple choice questions that are only changed every 5 years.” Another similarity between preparation for an average exam as to an AP exam is that a student should eat a good breakfast the day of, and make sure they have lunch and snacks to keep them going throughout the day if they are taking more than one exam.
When it comes to the actual AP exam, it is a bit more lenient than other exams. AP teachers take on the responsibility of being required to provide a curriculum that meets college standards, no matter what they’re teaching. AP teachers tend to emphasize different things when teaching a subject though, and they also don’t make the exam for their students, meaning it wouldn’t be unlikely for an AP student to not know the answer to every single last question on the exam. “AP exams can also be longer and more comprehensive than a regular exam, along with having more at stake,” shared Mrs. Fundakowski.
Looking on the bright side though, one bonus of an AP exam vs. an average exam is that it doesn’t affect the students in class grade; it can’t hurt them, only help them. AP exam scores are reported on a 5-point scale of 5 being extremely well qualified to receive college credit or advanced placement, 4 being well qualified, 3 well qualified, 2 possibly qualified, and 1 no recommendation. Scores of three, four, and five, depending on a student’s major and college, will most likely be accepted.
Say a prayer for the AP students as they already are starting to study for their final exams while the rest of the school still has a few weeks!
