Last year, there was a fee of $90 to take an AP test, and the average score on any of the tests was a 2. Last year, Lakewood spent only the last quarter of school in-person full-time, and many other public schools found themselves in a similar situation; yet, the college board decided that we would take a full test despite our lack of time to properly learn the material. In 2020, we took modified versions of the test because we weren’t able to finish our school year, but we were still in school for 3 quarters of the year. So it is no surprise that the average test score was a 2. Essentially, the college board charged every AP student $90 to take a test over material we didn’t even have the opportunity to learn.
The purpose of AP tests in general is questioned because the price is pretty high with very little purpose. Most public state schools will accept AP test scores as credit; but private schools and out-of-state schools sometimes require certain classes to be taken on campus regardless of AP credits.
The SAT is another test that you can take through the college board; the test alone is $55 and for those who aren’t great test takers the price to get extra test prep is anywhere from $50 per book or $1,800 for in person classes. The cost of the test combined with the necessary resource to pass is costly and considering the fact that most public Ohio colleges are test-optional now, these prices don’t even seem worth it. The College Board also charges you if you want to send your test scores to more than four schools.
The College Board was once considered a reliable college prep resource, but with the changes we are facing as we go through the pandemic, many find themselves questioning the true purpose of an organization that requires huge amounts of money with very little pay-off.
