Starting this year, students will purchase their May AP Exams in the fall instead of in the spring. The College Board has seen positive results where it has piloted this change, and are implementing it nationwide. In addition, the cancellation and late fee will increase to $40 and the College Board has created a new resource called AP Classroom where teachers can give practice AP questions and student feedback. 

According to Assistant Principal Natalie Smith, the purchase date change comes from the College Board’s theory that if more students commit to the test earlier they’ll take it more seriously and hopefully do better in the long run.

“I think for most students it probably won’t make that big of a difference,” Smith said. “Most students at Oak Park are committed from the beginning.”

Because there is a monetary investment, students might feel more committed according to biology teacher and science department chair Winnie Litten.

“If students [know] ‘I’m going to take this test in May’ and they [have] a dollar investment to it then they [are] more likely to take their studying and their approach to the class more seriously,” Litten said.

Some students, however, may buy the exam and not end up taking it.

“Some people might drop to honors second semester so [moving the purchase date earlier] is not very good for them,” sophomore Ashley Sanft wrote to the Talon. “They are going to have to make a decision on whether or not they think it’s worth it to stay in the class much sooner than those last year.”

Still, Sanft believes it is a good idea.

“It will be like a reality check that I have to study for the exam and that it’s not that far away,” Sanft wrote to the Talon.

AP Classroom is also a new addition from the College Board intended to provide resources to students to help them prepare for their AP exam and give them updates on their progress in preparing for the exam. It also outlines the percent of questions from a certain unit that will be on the exam and gives students a timeline on AP deadlines and assignments from their teacher.

“I think it’s pretty cool because [now] you know what [the College Board] is looking for when it comes to the AP exam so you can plan out your studying better,” Sanft wrote to the Talon.

According to Litten, she plans to maximize the benefits of AP classroom for her students.

“[AP classroom] gives [students] a way to measure how well they are meeting AP expectations, so when they get that constant feedback I think they’re going to do better on their AP exams,” Litten said. “I see this as a big paradigm shift and a wonderful opportunity for my students.”