For $100, you can be the proud new owner of an Apple TV! Or a FitBit! Or an Amazon Kindle! For just shy of that price, you can also buy registration for a rewarding AP Test!
The cost of AP Test registration has been steadily increasing from a ticket price of $84 in 2009 to an all-time high of $91 this year. While it may be true that an increasing number of students are undergoing the process of learning rigorous, “college-level” material, thus requiring a subsequent increase in administrative work and printing to allow all AP students to take the test, there has been concern over whether or not the price of AP testing is worth the supposed benefits.
On the other hand, the increase in AP exam prices also reflects the inherent disadvantage that low-income families have in education, especially during the college application process.
For many, the rationale behind taking an AP course (and the subsequent test) is to (hopefully) do well on it and bypass the same course in college, saving money and time in the future. A lot of the logic behind this kind of thinking depends on an assumed return on investment. However, more and more universities are denying college credit on the grounds of completed AP courses to freshmen. There have been trials conducted by social science professors and students refuting the notion that AP high school courses are actually made to teach students course material at the college level.
For example, the University of Pennsylvania, and more recently, Dartmouth, have decided to deny college credit to AP students. Many schools also plan on following suit on the grounds that the creation of AP courses was meant to open up more options for students with a desire to learn more in depth material for their own enlightenment and to cater to their own interests, not purely in the pursuit of college credit. According to dean at the University of Pennsylvania, Dennis DeTurck, “It gets AP back to what it literally is—advanced placement, rather than advanced credit.”
Another concerning aspect of the AP program is that it intrinsically favors those who can afford to not only pay for the test, but to do well on it. Preparing for AP exams often entails outside tutoring, study workbooks, and practice materials. While it is not absolutely necessary for those who embark on the AP path to invest in these outside expenses, the extra resources definitely help the testing process. In education, students from low-income families and low-resource areas often don’t do as well on standardized testing simply due to their relative lack of preparation.
The College Board traditionally offers financial aid for exceptional students from low-income families, but has even decreased the amount of monetary support they give with the recent price hike. Those who apply and are approved for financial assistance receive a meager $29 waiver, leaving them to foot a $62 bill.
On the issue of classism in the AP Program, Kritika Sekar ’17 comments, “I feel that wealthier kids have an added advantage in the college admissions process. It’s unfair. They need the money to make the tests.”
These controversial, and sometimes unfair, new policies lead many to ask the question: is taking the AP test still worth it? For those who invest in the Advanced Placement path, many buy into an idea of college credit and using the exposure to different subjects so as to weed out future career options.
Rana Shahani ’16, who is currently enrolled in four APs, attests to this fact: “I took [the APs] because of the potential for college credits, but also because I wanted to get a sense of what potential career paths I might want to pursue.”
When asked about the rising cost of AP test registration despite more and more universities denying college credit, he remarks, “I think it’s still worth it because you can potentially save yourself a semester or so at certain universities and you can show your scores to colleges if you choose.”
Although these are valid reasons to take AP courses and tests, the increasing prices of exam registration, coupled with the decreasing number of schools that offer college credit for accelerated classes may cause students and families of all backgrounds to question whether the ordeal is truly worth it.