Slaying the Dragon

By Yun Kil

The chatter of nervous students filled the air on the second floor of the CASTLE. Some were talking to their friends in anticipation, others for relief. Most however, were frantically trying to get in some last minute studying to ensure they were well versed on every single piece of information on the study guide. I was one of these many, scrolling through my phone to make sure there wasn’t a section I was unfamiliar with. It was AP week, and I was getting ready to take my AP Psychology exam.

As I stepped into the test room, I was asked to turn over my phone to the proctor and to leave my water bottle outside. Once doing so, I sat down and the proctor handed me my test packets. After a series of instructions and essentials, the MCQ exam finally began. As I read over the questions and filled in the circles however, my mind became increasingly blank. The test seemed to be significantly harder than the mock! I was at the 70th question when the proctor announced there was only 10 minutes left to complete the test. Panicking, I rushed through the remaining 30 questions, and just as the timer hit zero, I filled in the last remaining circle before hurriedly putting down my pencil.

After the hour-long FRQ section was over, I and the rest of the students hurried out of the exam room to return home. Most students found themselves taking the entire day off after an AP exam to destress and prepare for the next. AP Psychology was my final one, and it was 3 in the afternoon so I decided to go home early and take a nap.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of finishing your final AP. As soon as you put down the pen, a mix of relief, adrenaline, and exhaustion fills your body and it seems like the weight of the world was carried off your shoulders. Upon finishing his final AP, a relieved Samuel Jung stated, “AP week was very stressful and anxiety filled. I feel relieved that I got it over with!”

AP exams were a right of passage as we carried on with the rest of the year. What was a stressful two weeks of studying and preparations all paid off as the students of high school completed the milestone that is AP exams and the end of the year cleared into sight.