As we reported a few weeks ago, in spite of the pandemic that has shut down schools across the land, AP exams are on for this May. Hey, did you really think College Board — ever cognizant of its bottom line — wouldn’t figure out a way to keep their prized AP exams in place? You guys! Don’t ever bet against College Board. In any case, we figured we’d share some more details that have come out on the AP exams to be administered this spring.

As Teresa Watanabe reports for The Los Angeles Times in a piece entitled “Coronavirus changes the AP test, big time. Here’s what it will look like,”
“Normally, there are dozens of multiple-choice questions. Those will be gone. The free-response questions will be winnowed down from a typical four or so to one or two, which will be timed separately and submitted. The exams will be taken at home with open books and notes and will last only about 45 minutes, significantly shorter than the standard three- to four-hour duration. The exams can be taken on any device available — a computer, tablet or smartphone. Or students can write responses by hand and submit a photo via their cellphones…To avoid leaks, the same tests will be given at the same time throughout the nation, from May 11 to May 22…Points will not be earned from content that can be found in textbooks or online. Rather than multiple-choice questions, there will be short-response and document-based questions that require synthesis of material, application of concepts and critical thinking.”

Have a question about this May’s AP exams? Let us know your question by posting it below. We look forward to hearing from you!