AP Lang NOT Swag

With the school year coming to a close and AP exams rearing their ugly heads at the student body, I thought that I would reflect on what these exams are truly worth.

The major flaw I see with AP exams is that you only get one shot. This is literally the ONLY test that you can take only one time (without of course repeating the entire course). The SAT, MCAT, ACT along with other major test are all offered at different times for a reason. What if that test day is simply a bad day? What if you wake up late, scramble to the exam and fill out your answers with the blunt pencil you found in your backpack on the way to the testing area? These aren't exactly prime testing conditions. If you mess up on the SAT you can take it again in a few months, but the AP test only comes around once a year. In order to take it again you have to take it next year without instruction for 12 months, or repeat the class. Why can't the college board just have another exam a few months after. Everybody would still be fresh off the school year and it probably bring in more revenue (which is all they care about but I'll get to that in a moment).

$$$$$$ is essentially what the college board sees as students. Students study year round for a one shot exam and then have to pay to take the exam (the school technically pays but hey its our taxpayer money). Who sells the preparation materials? The college board. Who solicits the materials to teachers? The college board. All they care about is the revenue. This is why the college board encourages kids to take AP classes. My mother's school (which will rename nameless sorry folks) is a prime example. The college board encourages the administration to enrol kids in AP classes regardless of their capabilities. My mother was being handed AP Bio wavers from students that couldn't pass her own Biology class! This is not to say that AP courses are not enriching and beneficial as they do teach complex analysis skills, stronger writing and heightened  focus, however, the teaching of these skills is not the main intent of the college board who only wants to reap a profit.

The final reason AP exams stink is the standardization of knowledge. The college board blatantly stamps students as a "5" or a "3" which is supposed to somehow reflect their intellectual capability. It is simply impossible to sum up how much a student has grown and the knowledge he/she posses with  a single digit number. Does a 5 mean that the student can accurately compare and contrast the successes and failures of the Polk and Pierce administrations? Does a 4 mean that the student can create an argument with a strong voice and tone? There is so much grey area that these numbers leave untouched and as a result, it is assumed that the highest scorers are the most knowledgeable when in many cases they are simply the best test takers.

Well we could overthrow the system and revolt against the hierarchical monster that is the college board... nah I'm just gonna suck it up and take my exams. Happy studying!!