Post Traumatic Test Disorder

by Annie Massa

AP exams are over. For me, at least. I have bubbled in my last College Board bubble with a No. 2 pencil, I have used up the labels in my last student pack, I have opened my last shrink-wrapped Section Two packet, I have torn out my last green insert and written my last notes in its margins, I have placed my last seal on the last indicated areas of my last Section One multiple choice question booklet. The College Board has inspired my mind with a scandalously early three-hour exam for the last time, and it feels good knowing that it’s all done.

Of course, I’m not the only student whose exams have ended by now. With the exception of the victims of the inconveniently scheduled AP Latin test, the hard work of the past two weeks is finally winding down for most Bronxville kids. As a result, you may have noticed a certain change in the overall attitude and behavior of the student body. It’s almost eerie. For example, in the past few days perhaps you have observed high schoolers outdoors, breathing fresh air. Their complexions may seem rosier and their eyes less bloodshot, possibly the result of time spent sleeping. On occasion you may even catch one of them without an XXXL coffee in hand, substituting a balanced meal or a glass of lemonade for the once-necessary jolt of caffeine. Do not be alarmed. Experts have diagnosed this new outlook and lifestyle change as Post-Traumatic Test Disorder, a phenomenon that is, in fact, perfectly normal.

Let’s back up for a moment. Where did the traumatic tests for which the disorder is named come from, and is there any point to them? Like communications satellites, supercomputers, global positioning systems, and curly fries, AP exams emerged as a way for America to compete with the Soviet Union in the heat of the Cold War. The College Board also notes, in a retelling of the story uploaded to their website, that APs came about as a way to repair the enormous disconnect that once existed between course material at secondary and post-secondary school levels. The way they describe it, the AP program rode in valiantly to save the day, revamping teachers’ curricula and rescuing all the American students distressed by the content overlap of their high school and college courses. Skip ahead to the present day, however, and some educators are toying with the notion of eliminating these mammoth exams altogether. For instance, the Independent Curriculum Group (ICG) is an alliance of parents, teachers, students, and schools that rejects the rigidity and narrow-minded definition of education that goes along with traditional AP-style courses. Fieldston is one of thirteen ICG schools, and though Scarsdale High School is not a part of the official ICG group, their AP offerings were recently eliminated as well. The ICG’s basic belief is that “students retain more knowledge, probe more deeply, and have more motivation when learning is not subordinated to test preparation.” If that reasoning doesn’t speak to you, consider this: any exam that prevents The Echo from getting published is probably unspeakably wicked and vile beyond belief.

So now you have the back-story on the tests themselves and the schools that have done away with them. As far as Bronxville students are concerned, the general attitude seems to be that we’re stuck with these exams, and that it is our duty as students to cope not only with the stresses of AP week but also with the jarring readjustment to real, normal life that follows it. For some, that means relearning how to use the TV remote, or experiencing the odd sensation of opening a book that’s not related to school or published by Barron’s. For others, it means giving fingernails a chance to grow back after being bitten down to the quick on both hands. And for fans of The Echo, it means getting to settle in to read a brand-new edition of our school’s online newspaper. Phew.