SLOHS students wrap up AP testing for the 2026 school year and no longer have to look at testing materials bearing the College Board logo. Photo courtesy of HS Insider.

  San Luis Obispo High School AP testing has been going on for the past four weeks, and AP students have been studying hard in preparation for their tests.

Now that it’s finally over, what are students feeling about the post AP testing mind set?

  AP, or Advanced Placement, classes are college-level courses offered at the high school level, with a test offered at the end of the year covering the entire course.  Scores on this test determines if students will receive college credit for taking the class.

  “I’ve been having back-to-back AP tests for the last two weeks, and it’s been really annoying to juggle with teachers still giving out work and projects during this period, but I’m glad it’s over,” said sophomore Amir Rastad, who took five AP tests this year.

  AP testing can be a lot of pressure on students, having to recall an entire year’s worth of content in just a few hours, especially with so much riding on their performance in such a short time. Other students share their thoughts on AP testing.

  “A lot of the tests for many students, including me, had to take multiple AP tests in one day because of the schedule, and that in general led to a lot of stress. It’s just a humiliation ritual with how much we’re cramming at the last second just to take a three to four hour test,” said sophomore Sophia Kuang.

  Many students are unhappy with the system, complaining that it is unfair and puts too much pressure on students. However, others see how things have improved from recent years.

  “I actually am really happy that they switched to an all-online system. It makes everything run really smoothly and makes writing a lot easier and faster. I only wish that on the DBQ (Document Based Question) we could get physical copies of it, but it’s not really possible, so I don’t mind the online documents,” said an anonymous sophomore.

  While students are unhappy with the AP testing system as a whole, this year seems to have gone smoothly all things considered. The all-online system allows things to happen more precisely, and overall can make the process simpler for students.

  While AP testing can be a lot for students, getting through it is an important part of the year, and now that it’s over, many students may feel some relief from the huge stresses these programs put on them.