Counseling Corner: Willowbrook Counseling Department shares important information regarding Advanced Placement (AP)/college-level exams

At District 88, our mission is to work for the continuous improvement of student achievement.

As part of that mission, the district strives to provide all students with access to the most rigorous curriculum to prepare them for success in college and careers. 

Those courses include Advanced Placement (AP)/college-level classes. Each AP course has an optional corresponding AP exam, and those assessments will be administered from May 1 to 12. Students are encouraged to attend review sessions teachers offer to prepare for the tests.

The Willowbrook Counseling Department shares the following important test-day instructions:

  • Students should arrive by 7:35 a.m. to their testing room for morning exams and by 11:45 a.m. for afternoon exams.

  • Exams typically last three hours and contain a multiple choice and a free-response component.

  • Students will be excused from classes they miss for testing.

  • Students will eat lunch before or after their exam.

Below is the AP exam schedule:

May 1: United States Government and Politics, Chemistry, Spanish Literature and Culture

May 2: Environmental Science, Psychology

May 3: English Literature and Composition, Comparative Government and Politics, Computer Science A

May 4: Human Geography, Macroeconomics, Statistics

May 5: United States History, Microeconomics, Studio Art

May 8: Calculus AB, Calculus BC: Computer Science Principles

May 9: English Language Composition, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

May 10: Spanish Language Culture, Biology

May 11: Physics 1: Algebra-Based

May 12: German Language and Culture

One of the benefits of taking AP exams is they offer students the opportunity to earn college credit. Students must receive a certain score on the exam to obtain college credit, and that score varies depending on the college/university. However, all public colleges in Illinois must give students credit if they score a 3 or higher on the exam. For more information about AP credit, go to www.collegeboard.org/apcreditpolicy.

Gaining college credit while in high school can save students money by not having to take those courses in college. Exposure to AP exams also familiarizes students with high-stakes, college-level tests. The more comfortable and confident students become with those types of assessments, the better they typically perform.

For more information about AP exams, contact Willowbrook School Counselor Nadia Malik at nmalik@dupage88.net or 630-530-3435. General information about the AP program can be found at https://apstudent.collegeboard.org.

Below are tips for students taking AP exams.

What students should bring to the exam room:

  1. Two sharpened No. 2 pencils (with erasers) for completing multiple-choice answer sheets

  2. Two pens, with black or dark blue ink only, for completing areas on the exam booklet covers and for free-response questions in most exams

  3. Up to two calculators with the necessary capabilities (if they are taking an AP Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, or Statistics exam) – students should visit www.apstudents.org/courses and click on the link for their course for the specific calculator policy

  4. A ruler or straightedge (if they are taking an AP Physics exam)

  5. A school-issued photo ID

What students should NOT bring to the exam room:

  1. Electronic equipment (phones, smartwatches, or wearable technology of any kind, laptops, tablet computers, Bluetooth devices, portable listening or recording devices – MP3 player, iPod, etc. – cameras or other photographic equipment, devices that can access the Internet, separate timers of any type and any other electronic or communication devices)

  2. Books, compasses, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or notes

  3. Mechanical pencils, No. 3 pencils, or colored pencils

  4. Rulers or straightedges (these are allowed for AP Physics exams only)

  5. Protractors

  6. Clothing or shoes with subject-related information

  7. Food or drink (water is permitted in a closed bottle)

We wish everyone luck on their upcoming exams!

  • This is a semimonthly column that features news from the Guidance Department. The column will alternate between Addison Trail and Willowbrook.