Students across the country have emerged from an environment oppugnant to their learning, branded with the impact of unfavorable educational circumstances. The 2020-2021 school year had called for adoptions and adaptations of regime, but how has standardized testing conformed to a not-so-standard intervention? The results have been… inadequate. Score distributions for the 2021 AP exams show an increase in fail rates as high as 16% compared to the previous school year, a statistic that, for the most part, has only fluctuated slightly in the past decade. 

The issue is, last year’s exams were designed for a regular, run-of-the-mill school year, while it had been anything but. Virtual content is difficult to digest and calls for an overwhelming reliance on students’ ability to self-advise. Curriculum is characterized by lack of feasible material as many teachers prepare for “opt-outs” instead of tests taken. Who is to blame? Collegeboard surely could not have foreshadowed a pandemic, not to mention a massive disruption in testing accommodations. But, exam format had not compensated for such difficulties. One might go so far as to say the leash had been shortened. While digital versions of the exams are meant to simulate their paper counterparts, key differences have made for what many might call a harder test. A few changes include no leeway between multiple-choice questions, no uploading photos of work (meaning all math and science equations must be typed), and a greater number of required SAQs for all history exams. 

Has this experience left a bitter taste in our mouths? Some students may feel unprepared for further AP enrollment. It is likely that many may still feel the effects of last year’s difficult circumstances, as lack of academic preparation in light of virtual learning has lessened students’ confidence in their ability to perform sufficiently in the classroom.