As AP exams come to a close, the stress, anxiety, and late-night studying finally subside. Students are relieved to enjoy the rest of the school year without the looming pressure of college-level tests. As someone who took two AP exams myself, and experienced a technical issue during one of them, I can personally say I’m thrilled they’re over.
When speaking with fellow students, the general sentiment was one of confidence. Despite the challenges each exam presented, many felt well-prepared thanks to the immense preparation from their teachers. Senior Taylor Gay, who took four demanding exams, AP Physics (two separate exams), Calculus BC, and AP Environmental Science, shared, “I felt like the exams went really well. I think our AP teachers are really diligent with the prep they provide us and I felt really well prepared.” Junior Amira Shurbaji echoed this view, stating, “Overall, I felt well prepared for my exam and I think my teacher prepared me very accordingly, which eased my experience for the exams.”
Preparation seemed to be the key factor in handling the added pressures of exam day. Audrey Smith explained, “I think I was well prepared for all of my exams even though technical difficulties impacted both my AP Chemistry and AP Spanish Language exams. Overall, I feel relieved they are over with and glad I went into them prepared.”
From personal experience, I know how stressful technical issues can be, but like Audrey, staying prepared can make all the difference. Similarly, Audrey Jones shared, “I felt like I was really prepared for my exams, even for the class that I had to take online through the school. I was pretty confident that I did well, but I felt like the day of stress made me struggle a bit.”
The pressure of test day takes its toll, even on the best-prepared students. James Dubois added, “I feel that my English Lang exam went pretty well! Ms. Jope made me feel prepared for it and the review materials that she gave us were very helpful. I felt pretty stressed going into the exam, but it ended up going a lot smoother than I thought it would. The timed essays were the most stressful part, but I knew that going into the exam. Overall, I feel pretty optimistic and am excited to see my score!”
Some students even described their exam experience as nearly sound. Junior Chase Beighley noted, “I felt the exams went off without a hitch. From the proctors being organized to the Wi-Fi, all went well. Personally, I felt my AP Statistics exam went great. In class, we spent a few weeks preparing and doing practice tests. With this preparation, Mr. Burke certainly prepared us well, and there were no surprises on the real exam. As for a grade, I am definitely hoping for the prestigious 5, and after the exam, I see it being a possibility.” With the confidence and prep time Chase is sure to have a successful experience.
However, some students felt the emotional toll leading up to the exams was unnecessarily intense, especially given how well they believed they performed. Junior Rebecca Adams shared, “I felt that the buildup to take the exams caused more anxiety than necessary. It is easy to get in your head on the drive to school and feel like you forget everything that you have learned. Especially for my Spanish exam, I thought that I was going to forget everything I learned this year and even how to say hello. But, once I took a deep breath and talked with peers, I felt more comfortable and prepared.”
Ani Alessi shares similar feelings, exclaiming, “I felt that they were at the perfect level because of how the teachers at Hingham High School prepared us. During class tests, I felt like questions were harder than what I was expecting, which was good because the exam felt easier, but also caused some stress”.
In the end, regardless of individual experiences, one thing is clear: Hingham students are well-prepared and resilient in the face of AP exams. Hopefully, their scores reflect the effort and confidence they’ve shown.
