Final exam season is the dreaded culmination of a semester’s worth of hard work. So, should AP teachers really be piling on yet another round of tests when the AP exam itself covers the same material?
AP students are no strangers to assessments. From quizzes to tests and projects to midterms to the AP exam itself, they have been preparing for their exams all year. So, when teachers squeeze in one final exam after all that, it feels like a cruel joke. Students should not be subject to yet another round of testing when they’ve already completed mock exams and rigorous coursework.
Some teachers believe that it’s important to have a final exam at the end of the year despite AP exams. “Conducting a final exam, regardless, helps combat absenteeism that commonly occurs during second semester,” AP Literature and Composition teacher Mr. Jared Lemole said.
Although including final exams at the end of the year may help students come to class more during the second semester, students spend months preparing for the AP exam, studying to achieve a 5. All students are required to take their exams as a part of taking the course. After taking what is arguably the AP version of a “final,” why should students be required to take another final two weeks later? It adds unnecessary stress to an already overstretched student body.
“For most students, myself included, AP exams are something we spend our entire year working towards. It almost feels like a discredit to our hard work creating another exam on the exact same concepts,” said senior and AP Physics C: Mechanics student, Natasha Cruzado. (Photo/Irene John)
