Advanced Placement (AP) testing is stressful for students with the hours and hours of non stop working, and preparation before then. Students already get burnt out during these weeks and have a lot less time at home for homework for other classes because they are preoccupied with studying.

Statistics from Collegeboard.org show that more than 34% of high school students took an AP test in the class of 2021. With more than a third of students taking these tests, lightening the workload during these weeks would greatly benefit a large portion of the school.

Teachers should either change some assignments to extra credit for test takers, or assign lighter work for all students during this time. This will cause students to score better on tests and pay attention better in regular classes due to less stress and more sleep that they would be able to have with less homework.

Students have to manage sports, clubs, social activities, and schoolwork on a daily basis, and during AP testing they have to also find time to study and prepare for the tests. Managing the amount of homework that is regularly assigned is already very difficult for students to stay on top of, and many students have to make the choice between making time to study for the AP tests or to do homework.

If teachers gave less or optional work for AP testers this would eliminate the need for this difficult decision and allow students to fully focus on doing the best they can on the tests. It would also allow students to better work in those same teachers’ classes, as they would not be as overworked and or sleep deprived from trying to complete both homework and studying. Lightening the workload for AP testers will benefit students’ scores in the AP tests and in regular class, and teachers should start working to make this change as soon as they can.