AP tests are subject specific tests that are taken in high school and are administered by the College Board, the same organization that is responsible for the SATs, and can give students advanced standing or even college credit if they score high enough. The AP program began in 1955 and has given nearly 10.7 million examinations to more than 7.3 million students since its debut. In 1999 alone about 635,000 students took exams over topics ranging from economics to english and chemistry to computer science. The program was started in an attempt to give students challenging, college level courses while still in high school and to give students a chance to free themselves from taking basic, beginner level courses in college. The program was intended to be a cooperative educational endeavor between secondary schools and colleges and universities in order to expose students to college level material through involvement in an AP course, according to the Guide to the Advanced Placement Program.
Students are then able to their understanding of the material by taking a test over the subject.
However, every student that is enrolled in an AP course is not required to take the exam. This is an important point because a student must pay seventy-six dollars for each test that they take. This could save a student hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars in tuition costs. Counselor Mrs. Carver said, Students should check with the college that they are planning to attend before spending seventy-six dollars on a test. In some instances a student may not receive either credit or standing, but can still have the results put on their transcript, for a small fee of course.