Advanced Placement (AP) students work all year in their classes to prepare for the AP Exam in May; some even buy books and study for hours outside of class in order to be ready for the test.  If a student takes the AP Exam then they should not also have to take a teacher-made exam in June.

            AP Exams are made by College Board and are the same across the country.  Due to this, students can get college credit by passing an exam.  Each exam is graded on a scale from 1 to 5, with a passing score of 3 or higher.  Receiving college credit depends on the school; some give credit for a 3 while others require at least a 4.

            Since students can receive college credit for passing this exam, the exams are much harder and require hours of studying to make the desired grade.  AP students also work extra hard in their AP classes to learn the material on the exam.  The exams are in May, so the AP classes also have to move at a faster pace, especially if it is a second semester class.  My AP Psychology class has a test about once a week, and we take almost everyday notes from bell to bell.

            After the AP exam is over, the class can either learn material that is not on the exam or work on a year end project.  Since the AP students have already taken an exam, they should not be required to take the teacher made exam in June; the end of the year project should count as the final exam grade for AP class.

            The teachers can make the project either a group project or an individual project that requires work both inside and outside of class.  On exam day, the class can then present their projects to be graded on content as well as presentation skills.  This seems like a fair way for AP students to have an exam grade without actually having to take another test.  Giving AP students another exam would just be punishment to their year of hard work.