Advanced Placement (AP) exams May 2-12 caused a lot of stress as students worry about their future, waiting for their grades, and wondering if money they invested will pay off.

AP exams are excellent for students’ future. It gives them advantages in University, although each exam costs students USD $126 and they have to wait 2 months for their final grade.

“AP exams are a great opportunity for high school student’s future, but all of the factors of stress that they get affects their grades heavily.” Norberto Villa, AP teacher, said.

Stress caused by all the studying makes the students lose focus when it comes to the exams and it’s reflected in their final grades. According to, The Univesity of Wisconsin, students in AP classes were found to have increased stress levels and lower grades due to pressure and rigor.

“Yes, the studying really worked for me, but it caused a lot of stress. Like I had a bunch of index cards and I was so stressed because at the beginning, I only knew half of them and I was sure that I was never going to know all the materials. So studying was really, really stressful,” Luciana Restrepo, Grade 10, said.

Students suffer a lot because of the prices of the exams which affects their final exam. According to, The Campanile, costs quickly pile up for students taking more than one AP course, adding extra stress to their already intense course load.

“Yes, but specifically for the money. I think that due to the AP exams being so expensive. I thought that maybe I failed or something. I will be losing lots of money. So that actually made me nervous at some point,” Pablo Arango, Grade 10, said.

Thinking about their future is a very common thing amongst the juveniles because these help a lot with scholarships. According to, Unigo, Taking AP classes shows the effort in hard coursework and consequently improves a student’s admission prospects, as the strength of the curriculum is one of the most important factors in a college’s admissions decision.

“I think students know what this exam means for their future and it makes them nervous when it comes to that day,” Norberto Villa, AP teacher, said.

Some students also have pressure from their parents to get easier admissions to their dream colleges. AP exams are designed to help students to get an easier way into great colleges and help with the tuition.

“Some kind of pressure also came from my parents because they always wanted me to go to my dream college, which will help a lot in that process,” Restrepo said.

This exam has been a very helpful program over the years worldwide, here at The Columbus School it has helped a lot of high school students to get their scholarships. According to, Unigo, The benefits associated with taking AP exams are that a satisfactory score can earn you credit at most colleges, save you tuition money, and shorten your time to degree.

According to the AP website, “College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity.”