Coronavirus has affected almost everything about our lives: going to school, playing sports, hanging out with friends, even sleep schedules. AP and Standardized testing, too, have been affected. In fact, it’s hard to think of a part of life that the Pandemic hasn’t touched. But, life must go on, and people have learned to adapt to these changes. Stores and schools are closing and going online, friends facetime, and College admissions, AP testing, and standardized testing are adapting as well as they can to accommodate students in the months ahead.

Juniors and Seniors who are currently taking AP Courses have doubtless heard that testing has been altered to be better fit for quarantine. Since students can no longer leave their homes and gather to take these tests, the College Board has announced that each AP test will be converted into a 45 minute, take-home test. Compared to the three-hour-long, multi-section tests of the past, this is a huge change, inciting varied reactions from teachers and students.

“I was, believe it or not, looking forward to the challenge of a full ap exam in many of my ap classes,” said senior Wanjiku Hopps.

Hopps believes that “the new format feels as though it lacks the ability to test students’ true grasp of the class’ curriculum.”

Ms. Healy, one of Prep’s two AP Government and Politics teachers this year, comments as well: “I feel like Prep students will continue to be successful on this newly formatted exam.”

She also noted, however, that preparation may look different.

“In terms of how students will study, there will be similarities to the past, although students can narrow their focus to the three units that will be on the exam as well as practicing the writing types that will be on the exam.”

It seems there are both negatives and positives to the new testing format.

Students will have two testing dates to better suit their circumstances. The exact format of each test is still to be announced, but most are in the FRQ style. Updates can be found on the College Board website.

In addition to changing the test format and dates, the College Board is also providing AP students with online AP lessons and review sessions in the form of YouTube video lectures to better prepare them for the test. As most public-school students do not have Digital Learning (because they cannot ensure that each and every student has access to WIFI and a computer at their homes), they are missing out on learning the information they need for the upcoming AP test. This free service of lessons that the College Board offers is an attempt to continue the learning of those students who do have WIFI and a computer at home. It is not a perfect system, but a helpful adaption that will hopefully benefit many AP students nationwide.

Similar to AP testing, all standardized tests in March, April, and May have been canceled. The ACT’s first upcoming test is scheduled for June 13, and the SAT’s is scheduled for June 6.

In response to these canceled standardized tests, many colleges have changed their admissions requirements, no longer asking for standardized tests. All of the Universities of California, for example, no longer requires their students to send in their test scores.

Another upsetting result of the COVID-19 quarantine is the closing of college campuses. Both Juniors and Seniors now lack the benefit of visiting the colleges they’re interested in to aid in the decision making. This is especially upsetting for seniors, who have heard back from most of their colleges by now and need one last visit to a school in order to truly decide to commit there.

“Many people describe how they get a sense of the vibe or community of a college from being on campus that no amount of online research or virtual tours will give you,” said Hopps, 20’.

“Because I am not able to experience that for a few of my top choices I find myself way more indecisive and questioning. Personally, whether due to the chaos corona has made or not, I have found deciding which college as stressful if not more stressful then applying just because it feels a lot more real. Not having the ability to visit puts a barrier of uncertainty between you and your potential life for the next four years.”

Molly Bevan, 21’, is looking to play lacrosse in college, which makes this time of quarantine difficult as well: “I am not able to meet with coaches in person, which is really important. I also do not get to spend time with the team, which makes it harder to make a decision about whether I would want to play there or not.”

Not only is it difficult to miss out on visiting campuses, but seniors lack the communication and support that physically being at Prep would typically bring them.

Senior Matthew Shields said that what he is missing now is his conversations with friends.

“It’s just a stress reliever being able to talk to fellow seniors at school about college decisions, but I haven’t been able to do that.”

Colleges are creating multiple resources for students to help fill this gap, including virtual tours and online Q&A sessions. These methods will never perfectly replace the benefits of visiting a college campus in real life, but in times like these, they’re better than nothing.

With school, AP testing, standardized testing, and college campuses being closed and canceled, it’s easy to panic and stress about the uncertain future involving college. However, each of these organizations, including Prep, has created many resources in order to help students prepare for their future.

Stay strong, Prep!