Many students at Knoch and beyond are being hit with bills as big as $540 this year. Advanced Placement (AP) exams aren’t until May, but the registration date is October 25. Isn’t that a little infuriating?
The AP exam, or “National Exam,” as Mr. Zebrine says, is a great deal for students looking to further their education.
According to collegeboard.com, the cost of the exam is $99, collegevine.com says $98, but our counselors and administrators have said that the price (at least for Knoch students) is $90.
I don’t know about you, but I find that to be ridiculous. According to usnews.com, 24% of Knoch students are economically disadvantaged. Who in their right mind can justify spending $90 a pop (or $53 for qualifying individuals) on an exam that has no reason to be so expensive? It’s aggravating as someone who is on the line of qualifying for aid.
Junior Carter Worsley says, “…it’s ineffective that you have to decide so early in a course.” An Advanced Placement course is a big commitment on its own, let alone taking the exam.
He says, “…it doesn’t give you a chance to really make sure you want to take the test.”
There is such a large room for error when the deadline is barely a quarter of the way through the course.
To put things into perspective, imagine it’s your freshman year (unless you are a freshman, then don’t imagine). But, you have to decide if you’re going to college by the end of your first year of high school. You are making a large and expensive decision only a quarter of the way through your experience. Wouldn’t that be insane? Why do we treat this differently?
Let’s dive a little deeper into the statistics. According to totalregistration.net, College Board has over $1.5 BILLION in investments and cash. You’re going to sit here with a straight face and tell me that you need my family to give you $90 so that I can take one exam?
To be completely unbiased and fair, the Knoch Legacies Foundation reimburses students who earn a score of 3 out of 5 or better. However, by absolutely no means does that justify parents writing checks big enough to be a car payment.
College Board’s website features the slogan “Maximize Your Future.” It is disturbing that this company pushes their scheme as benefiting students, when above all else, it lines their already stuffed pockets.
Senior Lindsay Mack will have taken five AP exams by the end of her high school career. Her problem, though, is with another College Board exam. “My largest issue is the SAT as a whole,” she said.
Just when we thought the scheme would end! Mack said, “Based on how you do in the first module, determines what version of the second module you receive.”
Her and I agree that this is an incredibly defective way to grade a test, especially one with so much magnitude.
Most, if not all teachers at Knoch can attest to Lindsay Mack being an incredibly intelligent young woman. She is a high achiever and someone to look up to.
“…Their grading system for the SAT seems unfair and not stable with the online system,” she said. Now, because of some stupid test, colleges only will see the senior as a number. A number that would be higher had the grading been fair.
I would like to summarize my grievances. There is no reason within the walls of logic, ethics, and common sense for a student to pay $90 or more for one exam. Many students have been discouraged from making the commitment because it doesn’t make any sense!
I sympathize with my peers. It is a commitment entirely too large for us to make in October, especially when the exam is not until May. Most of us are already terrified of the future, and it is being rubbed in our faces.
You’ll find that Mack’s words may resonate with you, “I hate the College Board.”
