Friday, March 20, the College Board announced its new plan for the May 2020 AP Testing.
The AP Exams for all courses are still happening; however, the College Board is significantly adjusting what to expect on exam day from previous years.
Here is what we know--
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For the 2019–20 exam administration only, students can take “secure 45-minute online free-response exams for each course” at home.
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Students will be able to take these streamlined exams on any device they have access to—computer, tablet, or smartphone. Taking a photo of handwritten work will also be an option.
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Students will only be tested on the AP topics and skills that should have been covered by early March, which means the test will cover less material than previous years.
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AP Exams will be open note exams.
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Two different test dates for each AP exam will be offered. Testing dates have yet to be announced.
More information will be released about the specific test formats and specific testing dates on Friday, April 3rd.
What does this mean for testers?
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Each question on the shortened AP exams will most likely try to test as many concepts as possible.
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Each question on the revised AP exams will most likely be much more heavily weighted.
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Multiple Choice sections will most likely be cut from the tests (to prevent cheating).
Should students still prep for this new AP exam?
Yes, even though the exact test format is still uncertain, students will have higher chances of success if they are confident in the content.
How can students best prepare for this new test?
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Focus your studying on the Free Response portions of each respective test.
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Spend time wisely, studying content from the initial 75% of the course.
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Practice timed writing.
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Utilize the Resources College Board is providing: Review Classes.
Check out the College Board updates for yourself here & here. We will continue to update you as we learn more.
And remember, Pivot Tutors is here to help. We offer ONLINE tutoring sessions for most AP Math, Sciences, and Humanities courses.