With May finally here, the end of the school year is within reach. With that being said,  AP exam season is here.

Some of these exams already took place. One of them, being the AP Environmental Science exam, that took place on the week of May 6. Among the students partaking in the test was Bailee James, senior. Prior to the test, “I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said James. “However, Coach Kruger prepared us really well with open responses that we worked as a class.”

While some of the finals kicked off, others are still awaiting their time. Kim Shepard, AP literary teacher, is still anticipating the upcoming exam. “We practice writing three different timed essays, practicing thinking behind those essays, and reading works of literary merit so the students will be able to have something to reference,” said Shepard. Branching off of that, Maddie Bethel, 10, takes the AP World History exam this next week. “As long as what the exam is like what we have been covering in class, I feel prepared,” said Bethel. “I also prepared by taking the mock exam two weekends [previous].”

Now, the preparation may not always seem ideal given how busy this time of the year is. “I would change the amount of days we were allowed to review with our teacher. Right now, we are only looking at about five days to review our six time periods [of world history],” said Bethel. To some, however, these exams are not the main concern. “I don’t let AP drive my curriculum,” said Shepard. “I know how important ACT scores are, so I purposely move AP coursework in January and February to help with the ACT. I also have my kids write a college level paper.” In summary, Shepard said, “Although passing the AP exam is important, there are more goals for students than just that and I feel it’s right for us to prepare them for what they need.”