With April coming to a close, it’s time to face the realities of May: finals, prom, and yes, AP tests. Advanced Placement testing is a fantastic way for students across the country to demonstrate mastery of a subject, and possibly get college credit. However, at Edina High School, many seniors are starting to question if AP tests are really worth the effort. With the majority already having committed to a college, some are realizing too late that colleges accept very little to sometimes no AP test scores. These test scores are meant as a way to knock off some credit requirements for graduation, but unfortunately, many colleges seem to be making AP credits harder and harder to earn every year. In some extreme cases, students who want to join the pre- med track in college will not be allowed to redeem any AP credits, even if the school accepts them.

Olivia Chen, a senior at Edina High School, is not taking any AP tests this year, even though she has taken the classes. “Unless the school you’re going to takes AP credits, then taking AP tests after you’ve been accepted is kind of pointless because it wastes money,” said Chen. “You have to study for them and that can get stressful, especially if you’re kind of done with the whole school thing and finally want to relax a bit.”

Chen sees eye-to-eye with many other seniors at EHS who are choosing to opt out of the testing drama this year. However, there are still students who believe in the AP curriculum and the ability to demonstrate mastery on a test. Sarah Stefanik, also a senior at EHS, says taking the AP tests is letting her get rid of her math credit in college. “I don’t have to take another math class in college,” said Stefanik. “It’s so nice, because I want to major in Animal Science and AP tests have given me the option to get rid of credits for classes that wouldn’t be relevant to my major.” Chen adds that while she isn’t thrilled with the lack of credit accepted at schools, “AP tests [can] be worth it in the way that before senior year, you can use them as a more universal way to show your mastery of a subject compared to people from different schools and stats.”

For those students who are going to be booking down studying over the next few weeks, Zephyrus wishes you the best of luck.