The AP Exam Scam

I’m broke.

 

 

After being coerced by an administrator to take the AP Precalculus exam in my sophomore year, my annual September through October activities have included complaining about my exams but signing up anyway. So, I’ve had to budget a ridiculous amount of money for, essentially, potential college credits. As I hand over the envelope in guidance, I’ve already started saying, “There has to be something better to do with this money.”

The school tries to help. I stare blankly for 30 seconds at the AP exam scholarship form, then close it, and think, ‘I’ll do this later.’ This has happened several times this year. On the day it was due, I finally wrote two measly paragraphs. I should not have to do this.

In the end, it’s $50 per exam. That might soften the blow, but I’m still out hundreds of dollars. It’s even more offensive that, were it not for one or two thousand in household income, I would be paying a fifth as much.

That’s because students with free and reduced lunch get their exams for only $58, with the scholarship pushing it down to $8 per exam.

I decided against one of my four exams, partly to save $50. Some people with an income not meaningfully different from mine can take literally 20 exams for how much I’m paying. This binary qualification gives neither fair nor proportionate assistance to those just above the threshold.

As it is currently set up, testing requirements can make it impossible for some qualifying students to get the assistance. I asked one student, Robyn Wood, if she knew if she qualified for free or reduced lunch. “I don’t know, I don’t eat the lunch.”

Several more students replied the same way. But she did agree that the price dissuades her and others from taking exams, as “I do not have expendable currencies due to having no consistent income services.”

Among the few students who reported that they got their exams for $10 (i.e., that they were enrolled in free and reduced lunch), none said that they could not afford their exams.

Jackson Harker, a junior, said, “I’m rich, which is why I can afford my exams.” He said he’s taking US History, Physics, Psychology, Statistics (no scholarship), Calculus AB, and English Language & Composition. That sums up to $350 after the scholarship.

“Personally, the AP exam prices are not an obstacle to me, but the cost certainly makes me feel guilty,” Billy Breining said. “I also know that many students are not so fortunate and that the exam costs serve as a huge obstacle for many, standing in the way of them pursuing their academics.”

Currently, the pricing system for AP exams is “broke or not.” But some people, like Mr. Kennedy, advocate that AP exams should be free.

“The College Board has enough money, especially with how much they charge in program fees to schools,” he said.

Similarly, Billy opined, “It’s outrageous that students need to pay for a test. I understand that the people at the College Board need to pay their employees somehow, but there has to be a better way. Especially since even if you pay and get a 5, there’s no guarantee it’ll be worth anything.”

In 2023, the College Board reported revenues of $540 million and expenses of $418 million for the Advanced Placement program. They also reported that, from their overall expenses of $973 million, they paid Educational Testing Services, a test development and processing company, $305 million.

This November, I’ll be paying $200 towards that.