Many students in CKHS had AP (Advanced Placement) testing last month, testing puts a great strain on students, but also prepares them for college and the rest of their lives.

“I’ve been kind of behind recently because of studying and also preparing for the AP test,” said Charlize Tran, a freshman at CK who took AP human geography. She also says that in regards to sleep during AP testing she gets, “maybe like one or two hours less” due to staying up studying.

According to cdc.gov, sleep is necessary for performing your best, and due to stressful testing preparation, some students may be losing that.

“I can definitely see an uptake in anxiety. You know, they’re worried about the tests… some of them are tired because they stay up late Studying,” said Chris Kassler, an AP human geography teacher at CKHS.

It is clear that testing is stressful for students, and can hurt their energy levels, but there is a good reason for why experience in AP testing is so important.

“It pushes them to achieve more, because there’s something more to go for beyond the class, and I have a lot of kids asking me what’s the best way to study so I think they do a lot of learning new study habits and things, new tricks as to how to study faster,” said Kassler.

AP testing teaches students how to prepare for important and stressful tests, and as students go on to the real world and in college, that information will be incredibly valuable.

“It gets really intense and that it is a time period where they can get stressed and worn out,” said Russell Schuchart, a former AP US history teacher. “But we also know that it’s only for a finite amount of time. What they also get out of it, though, is a sense of long term commitment, a sense of I’m going to do this and even when they decide in the fall to take the test in May. They’re making a decision many months ahead of time about this is a journey I’m going on and it may not always be easy, but I’m going to see it through to the end.”

He explains that although it’s very stressful at the moment, the long term benefits of the experience of AP testing outweigh it. The student makes a commitment when they sign up for the class and they have to follow through with it, and commit time and effort into studying.

This long term commitment and effort benefits students throughout the rest of their life, and can make college less daunting to approach.

“It’s kind of like getting ready for final exams in college, but I would argue that for some students who take many AP classes, it’s probably even harder because in college, you’re only taking usually three or four classes at a time,” said Schuchart. “Students might be taking three or four APS at a time and then they still have their other classes beyond that.”

Some students may be taking more AP classes than they would regular classes in college, meaning that this experience of preparing for and taking AP classes may be more difficult than an actual college year, meaning students who have this AP experience are very ready to take on college.

AP testing is stressful and difficult in the short term, but what students can take away from it will benefit them for the rest of their life. Letting them confidently approach college, and take on finals with ease.