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COVID-19: What’s Happening with the AP Exams?

AP Exams may not have been cancelled, but they have been changed.

AP exams are right around the corner for over one million students across the world and, during this COVID-19 pandemic, many are wondering if their exams are even going to take place.

In a statement, the College Board said “[s]tudents remain eager to take AP Exams and to have a chance to earn credit and placement. We surveyed 18,000 AP students and 91% indicated they want to complete this important step, urging us not to cancel this opportunity they have been working toward.” As stated, this year’s AP exams have NOT BEEN CANCELLED but instead replaced by a 45-minute long free-response exam that will be administered at home.

The tests will only cover content that should have been taught by March and will be available on any device. As for plagiarism and cheating, the College Board said “[t]he exam questions are designed and administered in ways that prevent cheating; we use a range of digital security tools and techniques, including plagiarism detection software, to protect the integrity of the exams.”

For students that are concerned about how well they will perform on the exam, there are now two test dates available for each exam. One in early May as usual and one later in May. If they feel that they aren’t prepared for either exam, the College Board is allowing students to cancel any exam at no charge they will not recieve a refund for fees already paid.

For students to prepare for the exams, College Board is providing “free, live AP review courses that will be delivered by AP teachers from across the country,” that will focus on reviewing the skills needed for the exams.

To get detailed information about your specific exam, click here.

Want more information? Visit coronavirus.gov or Erie County’s webpage. The Panther Eye will continue to deliver rapid updates by Twitter and Instagram on this crisis and the district will update the school community on its webpage.

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