For 65 years, the Advanced Placement test has been a hallmark of a rigorous high school education, allowing bright students to demonstrate mastery of a subject through a passing score that can lead to college credits.
Students typically gird for the grueling exam in long study sessions with friends or outside class hours with teachers. It's not unusual for parents to hire specialized tutors. For some students, it becomes a point of pride to report how many AP courses they are taking.
But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's test will be like no other, according to new details released Friday by the College Board, the New York-based nonprofit that owns the test.
Normally, there are dozens of multiple-choice questions. Those will be gone. The free-response questions will be winnowed down from a typical four or so to one or two, which will be timed separately and submitted.
Students taking world language and culture exams will no longer need to submit written responses but will instead complete two spoken tasks.
The exams will be taken at home with open books and notes and last only 45 minutes, significantly shorter than the normal two- to three-hour duration. They can be taken on any device available _ a computer, tablet or smartphone. Or students can write responses by hand and submit a photo via their cellphones.
To make sure that all students have access to the test, the College Board said it is working with partners to provide devices and broadband internet access to all who need it.
The College Board also announced heightened measures to ensure fairness and security, a key concern of many AP teachers and students about a take-home test. The tests will be given at the same time around the world from May 11 to 22. Makeup test dates will be available for each subject from June 1 to 5.
Points will not be earned from content that can be found in textbooks or online. However, students taking the exams may not consult with any other individuals during the testing period, the board said.
"We're confident that the vast majority of AP students will follow the rules for taking the exams," the College Board said in a statement. "For the small number of students who may try to gain an unfair advantage, we have a comprehensive and strict set of protocols in place to prevent and detect cheating."
If students get caught cheating, they will be blocked from testing or their AP scores will be canceled. Their high school will be notified, as will colleges or other organizations to which the student has already sent College Board scores, including the SAT. And they may be prohibited from taking a future Advanced Placement Exam as well as the SAT, SAT subject tests or other assessments, the College Board said.
Despite the truncated format, the University of California announced this week it would accept the results of this year's exam. Many other institutions have given similar assurances, the College Board said.
The new format drew relief from some students.
"I feel like this is a great option for AP exams pertaining to how it would eliminate the need to cheat since that was a main concern with taking the exams online," said Jade Hollingsworth, an Upland High School student who is taking AP courses in literature, art history and studio art.
"An open-book exam would be the best option to give all students a chance to score well in order to receive college credit due to the pandemic that is preventing us from taking it the standard way," said Jade, who is bound for UCLA.
