AP Testing Challenges ALJ Scholars

By: Brittany Doerflein
AP testing took place the first two weeks of May. As students crack open the books to get cramming the night before the exam, Fosco has cracked open on his experiences with AP exams. Mr. Fosco has been kind enough to answer the burning questions that all have about AP courses. Mr. Fosco teaches the AP European History course here at Arthur L. Johnson and has for many years. He feels that this class is 100% worth the pain that comes with AP. He himself took AP World and AP US when he was in high school. “The courses were much different then,” he states, but his position on AP remains the same. He completely recommends taking these courses in high school as a good challenge and a ‘dress rehearsal’ for college.
Some students don’t take the courses out of fear, but Mr. Fosco offers the wisdom that “if it were impossible, we wouldn’t have it.” He believes that all that is necessary to take an AP course is a willingness to work.
            AP testing does not just revolve around the memorization of information. The point of the exams is to be able to synthesize original ideas from previously learned information, and for the college credit. A senior source has often complained about the burdens of these classes asking, “Why did I do this to myself?” However, the end result is very well worth the initial struggles. There is nothing more satisfying than having walked out of the AP exam to feel freedom for the first time and one of the greatest senses of accomplishment. 

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