The registration deadline for Advanced Placement (AP) testing moved to Nov. 15, or Oct. 30 for RBHS students, according to the College Board, the non-profit organization administering AP testing. RBHS coordinators have to submit exam orders by Nov. 15 and therefore made the deadline over two weeks earlier. In the past registration occurred in early March, Director of School Counseling and AP Coordinator for RBHS Rachel Reed said. 

“AP believes that by having students commit to taking the test earlier, they are then more likely to be engaged with and more likely to start preparing earlier,” Reed said. “[The College Board] has reported an increase in scores because of this. So, I suppose we will have to see. Rock Bridge hasn’t done an early registration or commitment process before.”

In the 2017-18 school year, the organization piloted fall exam registration with 40,000 high school students in the U.S. They “saw an increase in scores of three or higher across multiple groups,” according to the College Board. All AP exams are scored on a scale of one to five, three being a passing score and earning credit at some colleges. The organization said the change in registration time made a difference across the board but had the strongest effect for “students who are traditionally underrepresented” in AP, minorities and students of low income households.

Senior Memphis Cutchlow, who has taken five AP exams in the past, doesn’t support the changes to registration. She said it’s “too early in the year to decide” whether or not to take any given AP test. Her main concern on whether or not she should take AP tests is if the college she commits to will even accept the AP credit. 

“I don’t think that my scores will change at all with earlier registration because, in the past, I’ve already known that I’m going to take the test as soon as I sign up for the course,” Cutchlow said. “The only difference this year would be that I wouldn’t know if I’d actually register because now I’m actually in the application process for schools that may or may not take my AP credit.”

After surveying schools that already offer some form of fall registration, the College Board observed students more engaged throughout the school year and more likely to prioritize their AP classes, “meaning they are more likely to earn a score that will translate to a college credit.” The organization tested these changes with nearly 1,000 schools which saw higher participation and better scores, especially in schools where fewer AP students typically take exams.

The College Board also introduced new classroom tools. Through online AP accounts, students can access instructional support, progress checks and additional practice. These resources help students tackle the content and skills they need to earn credit with instructional strategies and pacing guides. Additionally, the College Board provided access to “a bank of more than 15,000 real AP questions to customize students’ exam practice,” according to the organization. Reed believes the new online format comes with challenges, however.

“I think there’s been some confusion and some clunkiness both on the teacher side and on the student side with the joining of the class through your online AP account,” Reed said. “I think that’s been clunky just because it’s brand new. Teachers who have taught AP for a long time didn’t really know that this impacted them. So, a lot of teachers were confused. They didn’t have stuff setup. There were a lot of questions there.”

Between Nov. 16 and March, any changes to a student’s registration will incur a $40 fee, Reed said. The College Board designed the late registration fee to encourage students to register by the Nov. 15 deadline, according to U.S. News & World Report, an American media company. Sophomore Akhil Elangovan, who took AP Physics freshman year, doesn’t mind the earlier registration.

“I think committing sooner will help my score,” Elangovan said, “because it gives me motivation to prepare and get myself ready for the exam since I made a payment.”

Senior Gigi Bouchard, though, has taken four AP tests throughout high school and said the earlier date won’t change her study habits; however, she thinks it does put the test in mind sooner.

“Many students don’t know by November if they plan to take the AP test, and I don’t think that AP should move up the registration and force students to make that decision early,” Bouchard said. “Regardless of when I’m supposed to register for the test, I am still going to focus on the homework and tests that are closer to today, rather than studying for the AP test which isn’t until May.”

The process is still the same Reed said, “You come in; get a form from Mrs. Geyer [counseling receptionist]; you pay your deposit, and you register for the test.” It’s just happening earlier, which Reed said could make the preregistration and ordering of tests a lot smoother. Other aspects of the AP program will not change this school year, according to the College Board. Exams are still administered in the first two full weeks of May, fees are unchanged and scores will be reported on the usual timeline.

“There won’t be AP preadministration sessions where students have to come in and bubble their answer sheets with their names and all of that stuff. There will be labels that will be printed. So, it should save some time on the backend,” Reed said. “It’s just a little bit confusing and a little stressful for students at this point, just because trying to get connected with the online account and trying to make a decision about whether or not they’re going to take the test. I think that’s probably a little more difficult. I think it will make the Spring a lot more smooth.”

Once the decision is made by Oct. 30,  Reed said it might be an alleviation to further stress as students then “just need to buckle down and study.”

“By sort of encouraging students to commit, you sort of support the idea of grit and perseverance and making a commitment and sticking through even when it gets hard,” Reed said. “Studies have shown students who show grit will be more successful later on in life, both career-wise and college-wise. So, I think that the idea is good. . . AP supposedly has given all of these resources to help prepare students throughout the year. So, we’ll see.”

How do you think the earlier deadline will affect AP scores? Let us know in the comments below.