Some upperclassmen have been taking one or more Advanced Placement courses this school year. The enrolled students are strongly encouraged to take the corresponding AP tests in the Spring. These tests are college level exams that can count towards college credit if a student receives a high enough score. Many of these exams were held last week and the remaining are scheduled for this week. Last week’s exams included: AP Chemistry, Spanish, Art History, Calculus, Literature, United States History, and European History.

Senior Cassie Roeslein has taken two of the exams within the last week.

” I took the AP Lit. and U.S. History ones, and I felt pretty good about it, I did all I could to prepare,” Roeslein said.

Numerous stores sell review books and flash cards in order to prepare students for each of the exams.

” I read and studied the AP crash course guides, and attended after-school study sessions,” Roeslein said.

AP exams are known for their complexity, and it is expected that on average, a student will miss about 40% of the actual questions. Missing this amount of questions, though, does not necessarily guarantee students won’t receive credit. AP exams are graded on a scale of 1 to 5 based on a bell curve, meaning the majority of students will receive a 3 on their exam regardless of the number of incorrect responses.

” My advice for someone planning on taking the test is to attend study sessions, read review books, and actually take the class seriously,” Roeslein said.

By Christy Maupin