It’s that time of year again for students: testing. The bountiful amount of tests that appear throughout the end of april and may make students realize whether they have mastered a course’s material. Though the AP tests, End of Course exams, finals, and ACT may help students reflect their gained knowledge over the year, are the amount of tests too much for students to bear?
With college applications sent out soon, many juniors believe that studying has recently occupied their whole schedule.
“Studying for these tests have consumed my life this quarter,” junior Ali Rangwala said. “I study for hours for each test only to have another one thrust upon me.”
Though studying may occupy most of their time, some juniors do not mind and enjoy the incredible amount of learning from difficult courses. Despite junior Bianca Vannucci’s strong desire to learn, she believes that classes should not be centered around tests.
“I’m taking a lot of challenging classes because I like to learn,” Vannucci said. “But I find it really frustrating that so many classes are structured around tests. In AP classes, you are not studying the subject, you are studying for the test, and I feel like it’s a waste of time.”
One factor of the numerous amount of tests is definitely stress. To reduce the amount of stress from the consistent testing, juniors believe that a well-planned schedule is the best way to reduce stress levels.
“I have had a busy schedule that’s pretty stressful,” Vannucci said. “However, I try to plan out my week in advance, and throughout the year it has been a successful way to manage my stress.”
Though many juniors feel a lot of pressure to do well in rigorous courses, some seniors have also taken classes seriously, despite their soon departure to college. However, seniors do agree that the second semester of their senior year has not been as productive as their previous semesters.
“I had more classes and took work much more seriously in first semester since I wasn’t into college yet,” Senior Monica Gierada said. “In second semester, I haven’t been working nearly as hard and my schedule is a lot easier.”
Senior Sarah Graeber also agrees that second semester has been less productive, despite the amount of tests.
“I have definitely been less motivated to do homework every night,” Graeber said. “I have found it hard to study for tests and APs knowing that my grades are not as important this semester.”
Though college may not be too far away, seniors still feel stress from school work and the amount of tests.
“I had an AP Psychology exam the same day as my math final,” Graeber said. “It was overwhelming studying for both exams that weekend. I also had to come in earlier to make up a final the next day and then study that night for the AP Calc exam the next day.”
Though students miss several days of school for testing, teachers are still on track with their course and are able to prepare students for their own tests. In the case of AP Biology, students missed some time to review for the AP test because students had to take an End of Course exam and the ACT.
“Honors students can be the most active and the most involved in activities outside of the classroom, and hence, miss quite a bit of school in addition to the EOC, SAT, ACT, and AP testing requirements,” AP biology teacher Sally Lazaroff said. “Experienced teachers know this, and prepare throughout the year to complete the curriculum despite the multiple student absences.”
Though the required testing may be overwhelming for many students, teachers are still able to prepare their students well for the many different tests.
“Students in AP biology were given several resources for review,” Lazaroff said. “They took three practice exams, a lab exam, and then practiced several free response questions in class.”
With the overwhelming amount of tests, students and teachers have felt stressed out, but they believe that there is no way to avoid it and it is essentially part of the school life style.
“I think stress is a necessary evil,” Rangwala said. “The stress can be overwhelming at times, but there really is no way to schedule it in a better fashion.”