By Miya Cao and Saktisri Gowrishankar, Staff Reporters

Students across the world took digital AP exams for the first time in College Board history in May 2020. Three years later, College Board is issuing optional digital exams for certain subjects, as part of its larger, ongoing plan to make all AP exams digital. 

College Board’s digital AP exams during the COVID-19 pandemic faced backlash for their adjusted format. A group of California lawyers filed a class-action lawsuit against the College Board on behalf of students who experienced technical difficulties while testing. 

Most tests in 2020 consisted of one or two 45-minute sections of free-response questions, as opposed to the traditional format of a two to three-hour-long test with various question types. Senior Joely Pothier found that the most detrimental factor of the 2020 tests was the at-home aspect. 

“I did take some AP exams in May of 2020. Luckily, I didn’t have any technical difficulties, but I found it super hard to focus since I was literally just in my room and had to test on my computer for hours straight,” Pothier said.

For junior Lily Jiang who chose to take the AP exams digitally instead of in person in 2021, the process was less smooth than paper testing. 

“I know a lot of people couldn’t submit their (tests), and they did retake the test later. Mine submitted, but it was one with an error,” Jiang said. “You had to pick two answer choices, but the system only allowed me to pick one, so then I knew there was something wrong with mine. I submitted it and told my teacher, and she contacted the College Board after.” 

This year, College Board is offering digital tests that schools can opt-in to for AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP European History, AP Seminar, AP U.S. History and AP World History: Modern. 

College Board is piloting a new software, Bluebook, which it claims will make test day “easier, quicker, and more secure.” One of the company’s goals is to make the digital test as similar to the paper test as possible. 

The format of a test may seem insignificant, but the differences can largely impact a student’s performance. AP English Language and Composition teacher Susan Gregory believes that paper tests provide an experience that cannot be replicated on a computer.

“I think that the process of writing something on paper, as opposed to typing something online, is more intimate. When you’re writing on paper, I feel like (the) process of your hand moving against the paper (and) using a pen provides an experience that is much more authentic because the student is able to slow down their brain in time for their hand to catch up, as opposed to when you’re using (an) electronic medium,” Gregory said. “Sometimes, our fingers get ahead of our brains.”

Conestoga administration decided to not opt-in to digital AP testing this May. Counselor and AP coordinator Megan Smyth acknowledges that, while Conestoga is likely to offer digital AP tests in the near future, the school will administer all of its tests through the traditional pencil-and-paper format this year.

“Per College Board, there is no immediate road map for AP exams to be administered digitally only, and there will be plenty of advanced notice when that time comes,” Smyth said. “It is possible that we will administer two or three AP exams digitally in (the) spring of 2024.”

Miya Cao can be reached at [email protected].

Saktisri Gowrishankar can be reached at [email protected].