As students adjust to the academic feel of the new school year, Old Saybrook High is seeing a variety of nationwide policies beginning to trickle in as well, like SATs, textbooks, and, for today’s feature, AP exams turning digital. Since the kickoff of the AP program in 1952, exams remained strictly on paper. However, in recent years, CollegeBoard has been seeking to better protect the security of the program, gradually converting more and more AP curriculums to require their students to take the final exam either fully or partially online. In this feature, four juniors and seniors at Old Saybrook High School– Colin Soto, Michele Sapozhnikov, Drew Demers, and Brooke Garvey offer their perspective on this new development.
Q: Have you ever taken an AP test online? Briefly explain your experience and what to expect.
A: “I took AP Lang online, and you have to comprehend a lot to fully get through the questions because there’s a lot to unpack.”
A: “I have never taken an AP test online, the only one I have taken was on paper due to the choice made by the teacher.”
A: “No, I have not taken an AP exam online. I think that it will take some time getting used to, but since PSATs and SATs are now online, I think we are already used to standardized testing online.”
A: “Yes, I’ve taken AP Lang online. The experience was relatively simple– the best way to describe it was that it was similar to the new online SAT or PSAT.”
Q: The Old Saybrook District is rolling towards making all AP tests online for our schools in cohesion with the AP Program’s decisions. What do you think about that?
A: “I think that AP tests being only online is fine, as long as our school prepares us for it.”
A: “I personally don’t like it; I find taking tests on paper so much better and easier for me since I am able to flip back and forth easier, and because I have a hard time staring at a screen for so long.”
A: “I think that tests that don’t involve essay questions should be handwritten, maybe a hybrid system could be good. However, that is unrealistic.”
A: “I think that it’s going to be annoying, however I think if one AP test is online, then all of them have to be made online.”
Q: Do you like being able to choose either to complete an AP exam online or on paper based on the class?
A: “Being able to choose would be nice, but it’s not the end of the world if I can’t choose in this case.”
A: “I do like to have a choice to decide whether or not the test is online due to the course type. For example, I would rather have the test be online for something like AP Lang due to all of the writing, but for a test like AP Calc, it would be better on paper so you can solve the problems right there.”
A: “I like having the option to take an AP test either on paper or online depending on the class, however I don’t think that they will ever do this since it’s not logistical and I guess not fair.”
Q: Which format of AP testing do you think you’d prefer in general, if having to pick one: online or on paper? Why?
A: “I mean, I think I preferred paper, especially with a class like AP Stats because it would be much easier to look on paper than on a screen that hurts your vision after a while.”
A: “I would pick paper since I have always liked the idea of paper tests and I don’t like staring at a screen for so long. I like the ability to write on paper if needed.”
A: “It really depends on which test. Stuff like AP Calculus would obviously be better on paper but things like AP Psych with large essay questions are much easier to take online.”
A: “I think right now I like having it on paper, however once you get used to it being online, I personally don’t think that it will really matter. I like that at least for the FRQs, the questions will be online and then you write your answer on paper, especially for math/science classes where you have to show your work and write equations or graphs. I think the FRQ section almost has to be on paper for you to be able to answer the question effectively.”