BY: CLAIRE KIM
AP: Advanced Placement… or Absolute Pain? I think the latter.
During this past week of May, I have completed two AP exams through the online format that has been provided by the college board. And let me tell you, it was very overwhelming.
Already pressured with the content of the exam itself, the complex process of submitting our work just made things harder for all students immersed in the exam. Given three options — copy and paste, text file, or image — to upload our exam responses was a favorable decision by the college board; however, it did not solve the issue of heavy online traffic that prevented thousands of students from submitting their work on time.
Though I was not a victim of this glitch-crash chaos, almost a quarter of my friends have experienced this submission lag during their exams. In fact, I know of a classmate who has failed to upload both times, even though she gave herself more time to upload than recommended.
The solution to this unwarranted error? A make-up test in June. Yes, students have to stress again for another three more weeks just to take an exam that could glitch again. And it probably will.
The uncertainty regarding the submission process, the lack of control students are experiencing with their online browsers, and, most importantly, the disregard for student’s mental health are problems that need to be addressed. It’s upsetting that the college board continues to adamantly state on their twitter that “only 1% of their students have had trouble with the submission process”.
That “1%” they’re talking about is not a small portion, it’s, let me reiterate, representative of over 5,000 students.
claire kim. 