The morning of Friday May 5, thousands of juniors from across the nation made their way to testing locations to take the Advanced Placement (AP) United States History Exam.

AP is a nationwide curriculum set by the College Board. The US History exam consists of 55 multiple choice questions, four short answer written responses, and two essay writing questions.

This year, 28 Hays High students took the exam, which is an increase from previous years.

The test is scored from one through five, with a score of three and higher being a passing grade. Students and instructors will be able to view their scores in July.

One major advantage to passing any AP exam is that the possibility of earning college credit or being placed in higher-level college courses without paying tuition for the hours becomes available.

Junior Ethan Tschanz took AP US History for concurrent credit this year and had already earned college credit hours, but decided to take the AP exam anyway. He felt mostly confident about his work.

“It wouldn’t have been that bad if I had eaten breakfast,” Tschanz said. “But I really think I did decent except for maybe the questions we hadn’t covered in class yet.”

The exam covers United States history from pre-Columbus era to the present. At Hays High, the AP US History class was able to cover from pre-Columbus times to roughly the Cold War era at the time the national exam took place.

AP US History instructor Abby Maska felt that not being able to review the curriculum in its entirety did not necessarily put this year’s group of students at a disadvantage.

“I think it is not uncommon for the full curriculum to not get covered,” Maska said. “Traditionally, our students score well because out their writing, reading, and critical thinking skills. I feel confident that this group of juniors will score just as well as past students have.”

18lgregory@usd489.com