My Experience Taking the First-Ever Online AP Exam
On the day of the AP Physics C Exam, I woke up early with my stomach already twisting into knots. I was especially nervous because this was not only my first experience with an online AP Exam, but also the first online AP Exam ever administered. Because of that, there was no one to give me advice on the best method of submission and no one to warn me about any flaws regarding the testing platform itself. I was among the first students to undergo an unprecedented academic experience- the College Board’s first globally-administered online AP Exam.
While I did not know exactly how my testing experience would be like, there were a few things I did know beforehand. The College Board had advised us to log on to the system 30 minutes before the exam began. This was to ensure that we had sufficient time to fill out a short questionnaire regarding personal identification and honor code. Additionally, the College Board had provided a list of possible methods for test submission. The options included attaching a text file, attaching a photo, or using the “copy and paste” function. For the AP Physics C Exam in particular, my teachers had told me that unlike previous years, the questions would not be calculation-heavy in order to simplify the submission process. With this in mind, I planned to type up my answers in Microsoft Word and copy and paste them into the submission box.
I was determined to have a smooth testing experience, so on the day of the physics exam, I asked my family members to refrain from playing loud music and from extensively streaming videos during the 45-minute testing duration. When the AP Physics C Exam finally began, the first question immediately popped up on my screen. I was weary of the time limit and tried to work quickly. Students had been cautioned that there would probably be more questions on the exam than one would likely be able to complete within the time limit. With this in mind, I decided to treat the exam as a buffet rather than a full-course dinner. In other words, instead of sitting down and answering all of the questions as they came, I was selective about which questions to answer first. Rather than losing time lingering on the challenging questions and stewing in confusion, I tried to scope out the easier questions and focus on earning points there.
In an additional effort to save time, I opened up two windows during the exam. One was for the exam questions themselves and another was for the Word document where I typed up my answers. With this method, I did not have to keep shifting between windows as I worked on the exam questions. When the timer turned red, signaling that I had five minutes remaining, I immediately began the process to submit my work. I did not want to risk losing the chance to turn in my exam. Luckily, the copy and paste option worked well for this particular exam, and I was able to submit my answers without a problem. Unfortunately, for a number of students, the College Board’s testing platform did not work as well as it had for me. For the people who were not able to turn in their test due to technological problems, the College Board has designated a couple days in June for them to make-up their exam.
The current generation of high school students will never forget this unique academic experience. We will always remember the time when amidst a global pandemic, thousands of teenagers from around the world rerouted their normal routines and navigated the uncharted waters of online AP Exams.