by Nisha Khatri ‘26

An increasing number of AP exams are being moved to the Bluebook digital testing application. College Board states that the new format is user-friendly, improving the focus of students and enabling them to write faster. AP exams at Sherwood that will be digital in May 2025 include AP Comparative Gov, AP Environmental, AP Human Geo, AP Lang, AP Lit, AP Psych, and AP Seminar.

Teachers at Sherwood are altering their teaching methods to better prepare students for their AP exams. AP Lang teacher Lynnette Evans-Williams, for example, states that the English department is making minor changes. “During the second semester and as AP Classroom rolls out their prep for the Lang exam, we will do more typing online and just getting familiar with the interface of Bluebook,” she explained.

This transition comes in part because of the covid pandemic, as AP exams quickly digitized. School systems struggled to maintain the educational system, especially for those who did not have reliable access to internet. Exams such as AP Gov were put online for the first time in 2020, with this trend only accelerating.

Online tests come with some disadvantages, however. According to a study by the American Institutes for Research, students who take tests online perform significantly worse than those who take tests on paper. Testing online also removes the option of physical annotations and handwritten responses. AP Lit teacher Patty Jasnow worries about “passive reading and annotating since it’s on the screen … [and] about tech issues that occur mid-test.”

However, the process to improve reading comprehension remains the same. “Regardless of what format test they take, students who perform well have practiced close reading strategies and process of elimination strategies extensively,” said Jasnow.

The new format also allows students to utilize the line-reading tool to enhance their focus when reading lengthier passages. Further, students tend to type faster than they write by hand, and remaining time is displayed directly on each students’ device, enabling them to manage time more effectively.

College Board is presently updating the layout of AP Classroom to aid students in preparation for their exams. According to the College Board website, AP Classroom has been renovated to include new videos, progress checks, topic questions, and question banks. A round of updates took place in July 2024, with more coming throughout the school year.

“I’m curious to see what AP Classroom and the College Board will push out to us as teachers as far as supports to have students transition to the digital exam,” said Evans-Williams. “I anticipate little hiccups will come along, but overall I hope that it’s a really smooth process.”