In recent weeks, Choate students could be spotted working on a high stack of Advanced Placement (AP) practice books in the library. These standardized subject exams, developed by the College Board, have ceased to be a part of Choate’s curriculum since the 2017-2018 school year; however, they are still popular among students.
According to the College Counseling office, 401 AP exams were administered in 2019, the year after the removal of AP courses, but it has since rebounded. 503 AP exams were administered on campus in the spring of 2021. AP exams were designed to give high school students the opportunity to gain college credit, but many now use high scores to enhance their profile for college admission.
Even though Choate has stopped offering AP courses to allow for more flexibility in the curriculum, many students still value the exams as a crucial assessment of their academic capability. “Getting a five on an AP definitely helps prove your ability as a student,” said Annika Lee ’23.
Most Choate students who choose to take AP exams find themselves having to spend a significant amount of time outside of class to prepare, whether through resources provided by the College Board or with tutors outside of school. The task of balancing AP preparation with schoolwork and extracurricular activities can be taxing, as students frequently find themselves underprepared for the exams that they are scheduled to take. Deven Huang ’23, a student in Physics 650, recalled how his teacher Mr. Jon Gadoua “had to upload notes that we wouldn’t go over in class to give us the necessary content for the AP [Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism] test.”
Although most courses require exam takers to review portions of the AP syllabus on their own, some Choate classes still refer to the College Board curriculum. Calculus BC teacher Mr. Andrew Murgio said, “Immediately following the dropping of the designation, [Calculus BC] courses did not really change much at all.” Shifts in the schedule and Covid-19 have limited the amount of time for AP review, but some sections of Calculus BC at Choate still do assign students AP practice problems and conduct an accumulative test that serves as a mock AP exam.
“Because our classes do still align pretty closely with the AP curriculum, it seems that most of our students, especially the BC ones, are in fact well-positioned for the test, so we recommend that most of them take it — and for their benefit, we squeeze in some review,” said Mr. Murgio.
Macroeconomics, in addition, covers nearly everything students need to know for the AP test. According to current student Bryant Figueroa ’23, “the free-response practice questions provided by the College Board felt very similar to the macro tests [at Choate].” Spanish 550 also includes content that prepares students for the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam. This class’s assessments mirror the tasks in the free-response section, similar to Macroeconomics.
Despite the institutional shift away from AP classes, the exams remain a popular option amongst students. There are cases when Choate courses assist students with preparation, but by and large, this time of year is packed full of independent preparation.
College admissions is the popular driving force behind the hundreds of AP exams still administered each spring. As Mr. Murgio put it, “typically, now, the students taking the AP are underformers who can use the score as an objective credential on their college apps, rather than seniors hoping to gain credit/placement in college.”
