PEA Community Discusses the AP Exam Experience

In response to the recent AP exams, many students have discussed the value of AP exams as well as the level of Exeter’s preparation for them over the past three weeks.

The exams, lasting three hours each, are in 14 academic disciplines and are administered at Exeter on campus in May. For many, these tests offer the advantages of earning college credit, exemption from college distribution requirements or exemption from introductory-level requirements in certain disciplines in college.

In the past, AP exams have been taken primarily by seniors who have already been accepted by colleges, but an increasing number of qualified uppers and lowers have chosen to take the tests in recent years. However, Exeter encourages only students with consistently high academic performance in a specific subject to take AP exams prior to senior year or to take multiple exams during a single testing period. Furthermore, most departments wish not to confine their teaching by structuring it around preparing students for standardized tests, as such an approach might compromise the Harkness method of student-centered discussion.

“I think that the importance or value of taking certain APs varies with every person, according to their interests in subject areas and colleges.”

This commitment to Harkness learning guides the history department’s choice to dissociate itself from AP exams altogether. According to history instructor Amy Schwartz, the “history department does not do anything related to the AP.” Rather than focusing on the AP curricula, the department believes that teaching should be centered around discussion, close reading of primary and secondary sources and independent research and writing. Students who wish to take AP exams in history are strongly advised to undertake a thorough independent review of the topics as the details tested in the exam are often not emphasized in the regular Exeter course offering. Most students do not decide to take AP exams in history subjects.

Within the science department, advanced courses are offered in biology, physics, chemistry and computer science, as well as three term electives which together constitute the environmental science sequence. Science instructor Scott Saltman explained that “we don’t title any of the courses ‘AP,’ as we don’t consider ourselves bound by the College Board’s curricula.” He also noted that the courses go well beyond the AP level. As a result, students who have taken these courses generally find themselves sufficiently prepared for the AP exams and the majority receive 5’s, the highest possible score.

Each year, around 20 to 30 students who are enrolled in advanced physics and biology choose to take the physics and biology AP exams, while the chemistry test attracts students from both the advanced and the accelerated chemistry courses. In addition to the regular coursework, students who signed up for the AP exams sometimes do their own supplementary preparation. “While the courses teach the material at the expected breadth and depth, some students put in extra time to review for the exams,” Saltman said. He added that “we do occasionally have a few students who aren’t in our Advanced courses who prepare for the exams independently.”

Chair of the Science Department Alison Hobbie believes that taking AP exams is “purely a personal decision for each student.” She recognized the benefits of taking them, listing one reason as “simply having a culminating assessment of their work in the class.”

Saltman agreed that taking AP exams often proved beneficial for students and said that “for lowers and uppers, having a good AP score as part of their college application can be helpful.”

Many students in the accelerated chemistry 319/329/339 sequence chose to take the AP exam. Upper Emma Norton said she felt prepared for the exam because of the rigor of the class. In addition to the free response questions assigned as hand-ins throughout the year, her teacher also administered practice tests leading up to the day of the exam.

“We were pretty used to the types of questions we were asked,” Norton explained. “I didn’t really take the test in order to get college credits, I just took it because I had worked really hard in 319 and wanted to test my knowledge of everything I had crammed for in the last 8 months.”

Upper Jiwon Sung also took the Chemistry AP exam. She noted that out of the three APs she took, it was the one she felt most prepared for. “We didn’t have tests starting three weeks before the AP, and our teachers gave us a lot of practice tests and extra teaching sessions, which was really helpful,” Sung said.

Upper Charis Edwards, who took several AP tests, thinks that taking an AP can be “a satisfying confirmation” of one’s knowledge of a specific subject. “I was definitely surprised at just how much calculus I’ve learned in the last 5 terms without really taking stock of what topics I’d covered,” she said.

Upper Bonnie LaBonté decided to take the French AP not as a means for earning college credit but for assessing how much she has learned during her three years of studying French at Exeter. “My spring term class was focused on preparing for the AP, and Madame Faire prepared us really well.” LaBonté added.

Some students choose to independently study topics in preparation for the AP exam. Upper Eliza Khokhar took six AP exams, three of which required independent study. Although the 330 history sequence does not cover most topics on the AP U.S. History exam, she still took the test. “History is fun, and I’m taking a year long course in it anyway, so why not study a little extra?” Khokhar said.

She also took the AP Biology test without taking the formal AP Biology course because she wanted to take science electives her senior year. “No one really encouraged me to or discouraged me from taking any APs. It was pretty much up to me,” Khokhar said.

Upper Tyler Hou, despite feeling that his Latin course did not fully prepare him for the AP, nevertheless chose to take the test. “I had to study a lot on my own for that one,” he said. Some students believe that taking AP exams can be too strenuous or unnecessary. Upper Khanh Nguyen felt that AP exams would add stress to courses that are difficult enough on their own. “I don’t really think taking APs are necessary just because it’s Exeter, and our curriculum is rigorous enough,” Nguyen pointed out.

Lower Stuart Rucker drew attention to the fact that many students take APs not for the purpose of college credit but to get into college. Edwards agreed with Rucker. “I think at this point most people at Exeter see APs as a fancy thing for their college apps not as a way to get credit realistically,” Edwards said.

Upper Kelly Lew felt that it is “ill-advised” to sign up for several AP’s without considering their value and mentioned that several of her friends who plan on attending a college focused in STEM do not take AP Calculus or Chemistry because they will likely take the course in college. For others, however, taking the tests allows them to skip the introductory STEM courses and direct their focus on courses related to the major of their choice. “I think that the importance or value of taking certain APs varies with every person, according to their interests in subject areas and colleges,” Lew said.

Khokhar believes that although some colleges do not accept the AP credit, studying for the test is still worth the exposure to the subject matter. “I think taking APs and learning that kind of material can also help narrow your options for a college major if you can figure out what you like and don’t like.”