COVID-19 has now left its mark on how to administer AP exams. 

Due to social distancing restrictions, instead of the normal three-and-a-half hour exam in a proctored room, students will take 45-minute exams at home. 

“This year, due to the Coronavirus, we will be offering AP students a way to take their exams online to still be able to earn college credit,” according to the College Board, which administers AP exams.

Shorter exams will not be able to cover as much content, which could benefit ultimate scores. 

“Since the AP’s were open-note, I focused on understanding concepts rather than memorizing information, because there is no point in memorizing things like math formulas when you have them on a paper in front of you,” Alphonse Houndegla ‘21 said.

With fewer restrictions on the test, students will have more readily available resources during the exam. 

Betty Wang ’21 is taking multiple AP exams, and she \ worries about the effect the updated exam will have on scores.

“I think there will definitely be people who decide to cheat, but I’ll just try my best and hope that [the College Board] won’t tighten the curve because of a higher average,” Wang said.