By The Chariot Staff
In May, students enrolled in AP classes at NHP took exams to potentially earn college credit. Several students shared their experiences taking the tests, as well as their opportunity to take the respective class.
English
AP Seminar
“AP Seminar was a great class for writing,” sophomore Tanisha Patel said. “If you enjoy writing, this is a beneficial class. Ms. Caruso is a wonderful teacher who taught us so many skills that can be used not only in this class but outside of it.”
AP Language and Composition
“The AP Lang test was a very fair test, and I thought the essays were pretty good. Mr. Stencel prepared us well, and he also made the class very enjoyable,” junior Alexandra Stec said. “When I saw that I had English as my last class of the day, I thought I wasn’t going to enjoy it, but Mr. Stencel made such a positive and funny classroom environment that it made everyday worthwhile.”
AP Literature and Composition
“In the beginning, I thought I wouldn’t like it but Ms. Kaspar is a really good teacher, and it turned out to be one of my favorite classes this year. My favorite book that we read this year was ‘Kite Runner,’ and I used it on the test,” senior Aman Sinha said.
Mathematics
AP Calculus AB
“When I opened the test, I didn’t know what I got myself into, but after I finished I was so relieved. I’m hoping for a passing score,” senior Anjali Patel said.
Source by Suha Tasfia
Students manage the stress and rigor of AP courses as they prepare for their exams in May.
“I think the exam went okay since I was able to focus a lot of my time studying for the test,” senior Sam Tsui said. “With any AP test though, it was still mentally draining going through the test because of how many questions there were and the amount of topics the test covers.”
AP Calculus BC
“I went in with no expectations, but it surprisingly went better than I thought,” senior David Ren said. “The FRQs were not too horrible compared to some that I've seen; however, there were definitely some unexpected topics.”
AP Statistics
“The stats exam was difficult but also fair. I feel that Mr. Brusca prepared us very well, but the test was definitely a reminder that, even as a senior, APs should be taken seriously throughout the year,” senior Brenda Bolouvi said. “I do wish we could have drank water during the exam.”
Science
AP Biology
“The exam went pretty well,” senior Paul Wang said. “I think Ms. Gelber prepared us really well. We went through a lot of practice tests and questions in class, so the format of the test was very familiar. In addition, the questions were, for the most part, things that we had talked about in class, so I didn’t really encounter much that was complexly unfamiliar.”
AP Environmental
“After preparing for the test, I found the AP test to be fair,” senior Morgan Oberwiler said. “I think we reviewed adequately in class, and it was definitely something I expected.”
AP Chemistry
“I thought that the AP Chemistry Exam was fair. It definitely was challenging, and I worked the entire time, but Ms. Bansal prepared us well by giving us lots of practice tests and extra help sessions for the exam,” junior Sania Daniyal said. “I am remaining hopeful about my score, and I am proud of what I accomplished thus far in my chemical journey.”
AP Physics 1
“The AP Physics 1 exam was challenging, but I was prepared,” junior John Cutter said. “Having interactive and lively lessons everyday with Mr. Testa truly kept me and the class intrigued throughout the year and created a great classroom environment that will hopefully lead to even greater results on the exam.”
“For me, the AP physics exam was definitely not full of any surprises. It was mostly things we had practice doing, and I didn’t feel it was too much to handle,” senior Madison Reilly said. “The only thing for me was that it was my last AP test, so most of it was a blur as I was just looking forward to leaving.”
AP Physics C
"After taking the AP Physics C Exam, I reflected on this quote from Henry Ford. 'Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently,’” senior Dev Pradeep said.
Social Studies
AP World History
“Personally I wasn’t a fan. I think the content on the MCQ was fair and easier than I expected, but the essays might’ve killed me,” sophomore Deborah Aderibigbe said. “The test wasn’t too bad, but I don’t like the College Board's new system of giving multiple versions of the test. I’m not completely sure how I did, but I’m really hoping for a 5.”
AP US History and Government
“The test wasn't as bad as I expected,” junior Kaitlyn Pergola said. “My teacher and classroom environment helped me prepare, and I am excited to see if my hard work paid off.”
AP Government and Politics
“Mr. Galvin is a really good teacher. I didn’t study for the test, but I thought it was fine regardless,” senior Aidan Donohue said. “I thought the class was very interesting, and Mr. Galvin made the class interesting. I liked learning about the Supreme Court cases because it explored the laws of the United States and the intricacies of The Constitution.”
AP Human Geography
“I was really nervous, but after the exam I was so relieved. I would say having a great teacher like Mr. Novak and just studying whenever I could were the main reasons I felt confident while taking my exam,” freshman Sanjna Nischal said.
AP European History
“AP Euro is such a rewarding class. We got to learn a lot about Europe’s interesting history. Dr. D is an amazing teacher who is engaging and incredibly understanding. The AP exam was incredibly fair and many people in the class agreed,” sophomore Marco Valle said.
AP Psychology
“AP psych was a fun class,” senior Melinda Mathew said. “I liked learning about memories because it was interesting to see how your brain works. I thought the test was difficult just because it included a lot of content about the scientists.”
World Language
AP Italian
“The AP Italian exam went well as Signora prepared us even though it was our first time using the IPads to record our speaking scenarios,” senior Caley Caleca said. “The class as a whole was small, but it allowed the students to get close and created a safe and joyful environment.”
AP Spanish
“AP Spanish was a very interesting class, but very informative at the same time. We learned a lot about not only Spain but other Hispanic countries, such as countries in central and South America. It was fascinating to learn about other cultures, and go into depth about them,” senior Xiana Mayo said. “The tests in this class helped a lot, as they made us better understand the curriculum we were learning, and they were very fair for an AP. This class was extremely fun, and Mrs. Pincay is an amazing teacher.”
Art
AP Drawing and Painting
“There isn't a written test, but the knowledge that the exam is based on something so subjective caused me a lot of stress. We were basically taking the test all throughout the year, and when it got to May it really hit me that we needed a complete portfolio we were satisfied with,” junior Isabella Chu said. “However, being in an AP drawing class makes you feel like you're family with your classmates in an environment where you're safe to create whatever you desire.”
AP Art History
“Personally, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be, however still pretty hard,” junior Mia Cho said. “Before the test, I kept seeing and hearing things about the exam being one of the hardest AP tests. But to be honest, any trouble I had with the questions on the exam resulted because of my lack of memory of the 250 different art pieces. I think the most challenging part for me was just having the endurance to complete it (since I had to take it on the same day and immediately after the AP US History exam) while remembering a crazy amount of facts about 250 different prices for 80 multiple choice and six short/long essays.”
Music
AP Music Theory
“I thought the AP Music Theory exam was honestly relatively fun,” senior Ishita Bansal said. “Though it was hard to self-study while juggling a lot of other things, the aural MCQs (where they play music and ask you to analyze) were really fun and had stuff that kept me going. The FRQs where we had to compose given established lines of music with following chords was a little challenging for me, but the sight singing portion wasn’t bad to get through. Overall, I’m just happy I got to have an excuse to learn more about what I’m passionate about, and I’m happy that now more NHP students have the opportunity to take the district-wide AP Music Theory class, even if I couldn’t.”
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