Advanced Placement courses with an end-of-year exam start May 6 and will continue for two weeks until May 16. The majority of AP classes in West Shore require at least a 3 or above on a paper exam to pass, with the exception of AP Art and Design, which requires a digitally-submitted portfolio instead.

“I had to take two exams on a Friday, and by the time I was done taking the second exam, I was completely drained out,” junior Mariam Hassan said. “Two exams in one day is definitely not for the weak.”

There are usually one to two AP exams administered each day for the two weeks, with the majority being taken in the gymnasium. Students who are taking two exams in one day have a lunch break before the beginning of their second exam.

“I would recommend studying a lot and revising every single section, but at the same time make sure you sleep before the exam and eat food,” sophomore Hlla Waregh said.

History teacher Kirk Murphy previously taught AP European History and AP World History. He taught AP World History this year and said he received positive feedback from students who took the exam May 15.

“That exam is the exact same set up as AP World and AP [United States History],” he said. “It took students forever to get the three AP histories all synchronized. I teach them one style of writing in ninth grade, so if they go with [Athena] Pietrzak for AP [United States History], it’s the same style, if they move onto AP [European History] with [Sarah] Scott, it’s the same style.”

AP Literature teacher Tamara Reis said she received a similar response from her students who took their exam May 8.

“We have access on AP Classroom to all of the previous prompts, so we do them together, we do them on our own, we peer evaluate and we use the rubric,” she said.

The last AP exams are AP Spanish and AP Biology, which will be administered May 16. Students typically receive their scores two months after taking their exam. They can expect to receive their results around the start of July.

“Putting in more effort studying would’ve made the difference between a score of four and a score of five on an AP exam,” Hassan said. “A study method that I always fall back on every year is making an aesthetic paper of all the units on the AP exam.”

By Amanda Madjid