The College Board’s annual Advanced Placement exams begin on Monday, but they'll look different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As students prepare to take the tests online from home, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh offered some words of encouragement.
“I know it feels like you’ve had to give up on a lot, and I also know that it feels like there’s a lot outside of your control," Walsh said in a video posted on social media. "But you know what? You can finish this year strong by taking your AP Exams at home in May.”
Admissions representatives from Boston College, Boston University and Suffolk University joined Walsh to encourage students to prepare for their exams.
In the 2018-2019 academic year, Boston Public Schools students took 5,504 AP exams, according to the agency.
Boston College has not changed its policy around AP exams and credits, despite the many changes to the 2020 exams, said Grant Gosselin, director of undergraduate admission.
This year, the College Board says it will allow students to use notes and previous assignments or assessments during exams. The College Board revised the content of exams to only include what should have been covered in AP classes by early March.
Students can take exams on laptops, tablets or smartphones, according to the College Board. Submitting photos of written responses will also be an option for students.
All AP exams will part with their usual multiple-choice questions and will only include free-response questions, according to the College Board. Students in each subject will take their exams at the same time from May 11 to May 22. Each exam will take 45 minutes instead of the typical three-hour allotment.
