TAMPA, Fla. — With the Tampa Bay area being almost a month into Summer Break, students are focused on hanging out with friends, lounging on the beach or even taking a family trip. But, one big school-related thing is hanging over some high schoolers' heads — Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores.
Students took their AP exams back in May and may be eager to see how their hours of studying and hard work paid off. However, they'll have to wait just a bit longer.
AP exam scores will be released on Monday, July 8, 2024.
College Transitions says the scores will begin dropping around 8 a.m., with scores from East Coast testing locations being uploaded before those on the West Coast.
What's the reason students have to wait so long? It's all about the scoring process.
Even though AP exams are mostly comprised of multiple-choice questions graded by a computer, the free-response questions have to be graded by humans.
According to College Transitions, the College Board hires around 18,000 teachers to gather at one of four U.S. locations to spend seven days reading and grading AP essays. One of those locations is right here in Tampa.
The other three locations are Kansas City, MO; Cincinnati, OH; and Salt Lake City, UT.
So, what can you do in the meantime?
It's a good idea to make sure that you can sign in to your College Board account so you're ready when July 8 rolls around.
This is the same account that you use to access My AP or other College Board resources.
From there, you can make sure the College Board has your updated email address. If you already have an account, don't create a new one. The College Board says this may cause a delay in receiving your scores.
Scoring a 3, 4 or 5 on the exam can not only help out with college admissions, it can also earn you some college credit — knocking out some class requirements and reducing your tuition along the way.
