Many in the Flint Hill community know, AP exams just recently finished, and many were nervous because they come earlier than regular final exams. In addition to the earlier exam period, they are naturally more difficult as a result of it being an AP class. When it comes to AP classes, there is a lot of hesitation when choosing to take them as a result of concerns regarding the difficulty of the course. Fortunately, AP classes can give students college credit, which is why a lot of students’ parents want them to take these classes. I interviewed a few students that take AP classes, to get their take on how they feel about AP classes and exams during this year with COVID-19. 

My first interviewee is sophomore Leyla Ustun who takes AP French, which is a course known to be rather challenging. Leyla mentions how she expected the exam to be easier as a result of some students not being able to learn in person for the full year, but after she took the exam she was shocked at how complex it was. She appreciates that the AP exams are before the other exams because it helps relieve some stress she has and assists her in planning out her studying routine for the other exams she will be taking in a few weeks. Overall she likes to have a class that can challenge and push her to be better, and that class for her is AP French class. 

My next interviewee is Wacuka Ngata, who is another sophomore. She takes BC Calculus and Human Geography which are two AP courses. She felt pretty nervous about the exams, but like Leyla, she was happy to get it over with earlier. For most AP students, that is one of the biggest benefits of the classes. It makes the other regular exams seem less stressful and challenging once they have already gone through an exam that is at an elevated difficulty. Wacuka mentions how studying for the AP exams was a little tiring because of all the material they had to cover, but she is proud of what she turned in for the exams. She was also very happy once the AP exams were over because she got a free period to fill in for BC Calculus and Human Geography. That gave her even more time to prepare for other exams and a load of final projects and assignments that are assigned to students towards the end of the year. 

My final interviewee who would like to remain anonymous takes AP English Literature and Composition. Unlike my other interviewees, they believe that having the AP exams earlier adds more stress to their plate. They would rather just have more time to prepare for it and knock them all out at once. The workload is a lot, and my interviewee feels that by doing the AP exams with the regular exams they and many other students will have the proper amount of time to prepare for the final exams this year. 

Overall, most students appreciate the AP exams being earlier than the other exams, and that is how it is every year. Now that the AP exams are finished, the AP students have started to use the extra time to their advantage, and be as prepared for the final exam as they can be!