This May, several AP exams will transition to a fully digital or hybrid format, driven by the College Board’s push for increased test security. “We did know this change was coming, but they sped up the timeline,” AP Psychology and AP World History teacher Madelynne Steenwyk said.
Edina’s most popular AP tests this year, Human Geography, Psychology, and U.S. History, will be fully digital and administered through the College Board’s Bluebook app. Most science exams and all math and economics exams will be hybrid, requiring students to handwrite their free-response answers in paper exam booklets while viewing the prompts and completing the multiple-choice questions digitally.
As the content and timing of the exams will remain the same, most concerns revolve around the physical booklets and students’ inability to lay essay documents out in front of them. “On paper, you can annotate the questions easier; there’s a tactileness to it, and you tend to read more critically than you do on a screen,” AP Human Geography teacher Claude Sigmund said. “I’m happy about being able to type because you can type significantly faster than you can handwrite.”
The largest concern comes from technological challenges. When senior Claire Watz took the AP African American Studies exam online last year, the test began 20 minutes late and some students’ computers turned off during the break, leaving them unable to re-enter the exam. “It was a total disaster,” she said.
The consensus among teachers is to download Bluebook and ensure your device is ready on test day. “Make sure you familiarize yourself with the online test and with what tools you have,” AP US History teacher Theresa Kingsbury said.
“It’s a benefit to be at a place like Edina that gives so many AP tests, so use the resources you have and be confident in the support network that Edina has to help AP students do well,” she continued.
Testing tips
- Download and log into Bluebook in advance
- Know your College Board login
- Charge your device and complete a system check
- Restart your device periodically before test day
- Practice digital tests on Learning Express Library
- Consider blue light glasses for eye strain
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on May 8, 2025
