By Parker Conley

Often considered daunting to high school students, AP (or Advanced Placement) Tests were created to assess a student’s knowledge of the test’s respective AP Class. TPA rejects the philosophy of teaching to a test, which has become a common practice in AP Classes. TPA, therefore, does not offer AP Classes but encourages students seeking the benefits of a high score on AP Test to take to them.

AP Tests are scored on a curved scale of 1-5. Scoring a 4 or higher on AP Tests (a 3 or higher in some cases) allows students to save money and time spent in college classes they don’t need. For example, scoring well on the AP English Test, which is the easiest for TPA students because of our advanced curriculum, allows students to skip Freshman English at ASU.

A record 49 students at TPA are taking 65 AP Tests this year. TPA senior Nile Vanood, awarded National AP Scholar by the College Board, suggests that students start studying a whole semester in advance due to the difficulty of taking an AP Test without its respective AP Class.

However, as daunting as they might be, with enough preparation AP Tests are a great addition to any student’s preparation for college. If you are interested or are looking for more information, contact Mrs. Moffitt!