Over the course of my high school career, I’ve taken 8 AP classes and exams. For three of my four years at Calvert High, all of these tests have been done on paper, with packets, pencils, and more stickers than you would think. Nevertheless, this year was a different change of pace, especially in terms of writing. Here are some of the biggest differences I noticed between online and paper AP testing.
The first (and most obvious thing) to get out of the way is the fact that we used computers. In all other AP testing environments, all electronics are strictly forbidden, and even the chime of a phone notification could get all of our tests disqualified. While the phone rule still applies, it was weird only bringing in a laptop and charger instead of a few pens and pencils.
The next difference that was difficult to adjust to was the writing portion of the exam. Usually, for every exam I’ve ever taken, all the writing has been done painstakingly by hand. All passages, excerpts and prompts have been on a test booklet, but now I’m typing my essays and writing the prompt on a scrap piece of paper. It was a weird adjustment, but at the end of my AP testing week, I think I got the hang of it.
Other than those large differences, it wasn’t too different from paper testing. It was still stressful, still time-consuming, and there was still the feeling of relief when it was over. This year’s freshman class should have a much easier time with the online testing, as it will be all they’ve ever known.