AP classes create chasm between sophomore and junior year

Prior to become a junior, I had never encountered the wonderful (by wonderful, I really mean pretty terrible) world of “Document Based Questions” (DBQ’s) and “Free Response Questions” (FRQ’s). The transition from sophomore year to junior year, from no AP classes to multiple AP classes, has been quite an adjustment, to say the least.

In terms of course load, the increase has been significant, but the jump from freshman to sophomore year helped ease the process of becoming a junior. True, few of us juniors taking these challenging classes sleep much, but it’s become a lifestyle at this point.

The real change lies within our tests and quizzes: Rather than factual questions based on pure memorization, questions from AP classes are formatted in a different style and go the extra mile, by focusing on cause-and-effect, such as in the case of AP U.S. History, and application to real-life scenarios, such as in the case of AP Biology.

For example, a typical question from World History would be something such as, “Under which king did the French Revolution begin?”, whereas APUSH test questions go along the lines of something like this: “How did the closing of the frontier affect future financial panics?”

Tests also include FRQ’s and DBQ’s, which are essentially timed essays that seek answers to a specific prompt.

This method assures that students must thoroughly understand each and every topic in the curriculum in order to perform well. However, transitioning to AP style testing can be tough, especially since all AP classes are geared to prepare and train students for AP exams in May, resulting in a targeted focus on the required objectives.

One possible solution to mitigate the transition from sophomore year to junior year would be to integrate more AP classes into the curriculum to offer to underclassmen.

This way, we can slowly get used to the style of AP classes and ease the adjustment of becoming a junior. By doing so, the school will follow the example of many nearby high schools and can provide underclassmen, especially sophomores, with a few opportunities of AP courses, such as AP World History, for example. Students can either choose to spread out their AP classes over the course of high school rather than taking them all in the last two years, or they can load up on AP classes earlier on.

Junior year is already infamously tough, so why not reduce the stress by lessening the transition period of becoming a junior? Besides, having more class options and the possibility of raising GPAs isn’t too bad, either.