The Synergy Project Magazine - August 2020

S DURING QUARANTINE
Students who experienced technical
difficulties were allowed to take makeup
exams.
The biggest concern from students
was whether colleges would accept any
AP credits from 2020 tests. Thankfully,
the College Board had reassured students
that most colleges will accept AP test
credits despite the significant changes to
the testing format. Along with concerns
regarding AP credits, students also
questioned the College Board’s ability to
hold close to a million students in their
testing systems at the same time, which
proved to be an issue on test days.
After months of preparation,
students began preparing themselves
mentally for the online AP exams, and,
as expected, technical difficulties quickly
arose. As students submitted photos of
handwritten work, some submissions
were not accepted because they were
not in acceptable file formats. Others
experienced problems with the submit
button that caused students to not submit
their responses on time due to possible
outdated browsers (Ginos). In response
to the issue, the College Board released
a statement that would grant students a
second submission timeframe to email
their responses, but this would only go
into effect for students taking tests in
the second week. Regardless of these
responses, many were disappointed in how
the College Board managed this year’s
exams because students, who failed to
submit their responses in the first week,
would have to retake the exam. However,
the College Board felt that their online
testing format was a major success.
While the College Board boasts that
only one percent of test-takers experienced
difficulties during the exam, many believe
that the statistic underestimates the true
amount of students affected (Jaschik).
Additionally, parents, teachers, and
students are unsatisfied that students
had to retake exams even when finishing
within the 45-minute timeframe. As a
result, students have filed a $500 million
(USD) lawsuit against the College Board
in response to the glitches that occurred
during exams. The lawsuit brought
attention to the many flaws of online
exams that also cause significant stress
and anxiety for students. Regardless of
the lawsuit, students still had to face their
makeup exams in hopes of a successful
submission this time. With at least one
percent of AP test-takers who had to make
up the exam, students were even more
stressed, as they worried about another
failed attempt at submission.
Overall, testing out online AP exams
for the first time has been somewhat of
a success in knowing that online exams
are feasible, but it has also revealed many
technical issues and downsides that have
caused distress for many students. Perhaps
next time, if there ever is one, students
will be able to tackle these exams with
confidence, knowing that everything
leading up to exam day was properly
managed with minimal technical issues.
Works Cited
“Students Take More Than 4 Million
Advanced Placement Exams Online for
the First Time, Working to Claim College
Credit .” The College Board, 22 May 2020,
www.collegeboard.org/releases/2020/
students-take-more-than-4-million-advancedplacement-exams-online-for-the-first-time.
Accessed 22 June 2020.
Jaschik, Scott. “Frustrations with AP Testing.”
Inside Higher Ed, 18 May 2020, www.
insidehighered.com/admissions /
article/2020/05/18/students-complain-theycannot-submit-ap-tests.
Accessed 23 June
2020.
Ginos, Becky. “Students Across the Nation Take AP
Exams Online.” The Davis Clipper, 28 May
2020, davisclipper.com/students-across-thenation-take-ap-exams-online
-p6942-172.
htm. Accessed 23 June 2020.
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