Advanced Placement testing is underway, students are rushing to study and the early panic is settling in. Preparing for the dreaded tests is an entire schedule added onto the school rush. AP teachers attempt to fit it in their schedules and students have to head home, not only doing piles of homework, but slap a pile of Barron’s books on top of that already high stack.

The anxiety that comes with the heavy weight is extreme, the want to get at least a passing is what each student hopes for, knowing that their scores are sent off to their potential future colleges. Teachers also feel the sudden pressure of the intimidating tests, rushing to attempt to get their students prepared.

“There is an incentive now that teachers can get some money from how well their kids do. We do look at the data,” Principal Dan Serrano continues, “If there’s a trend of teachers that scores are low then we have to discuss with them what’s going on.”

The pressure to make sure your students not only compare properly to the rest of the state, but to show that all the work that was placed throughout the entire year, all of the lessons and tests, built up properly to that moment.

The other side of the coin includes the students perspectives, the need to succeed can be overbearing, and the sudden nausea that can come from stress seems to grow a little bit stronger.

Senior Amanda Federico explains, “I have all the Barron’s books and practice AP books and I would practice tests the whole week before and I would go over every single section,” Federico continues, “I’d make study guides for the entire curriculum that we learned and I would separate it by sections.”

Physically preparing for the AP exam is one thing, but mentally preparing is an entirely different stories. Many could see the end of the year being the most difficult half.

Senior Kasey Smith says, “It definitely stresses me out [AP testing] but it’s less the test itself and more the prospect of failing a test I spent a year studying for.”

AP testing is extremely expensive, each test is worth a total of $95. This can be extremely difficult to pay for students that take multiple AP tests a year. If you do well it is all worth it, but if you do badly, then that is money down the drain.

With the oncoming storm of testing, there are a variety of factors that come to play, but in the end, a factor that cannot be controlled is bubbling yes to take the test can lead to a good result or a bad result.