The deadline to sign up for Advanced Placement exams has been pushed back by the College Board for this school year. The ordering deadline for AP exams to avoid a late fee was previously set in March, but has been pushed forward to November 15. All students nationwide must have their exams ordered by November 15 to avoid a $40 late fee. The College Board claims that the new deadline will motivate more students to sign up for the AP exams and will encourage students to engage in more preparation, and thus achieve higher scores. 

Critics of the new dates claim that new fees introduced by the College Board with the new dates will only bring The College Board more money and put a burden on students.

Although the exam ordering deadline is on November 15, the deadline for MTHS students to register and pay for exams is October 31. This deadline has been set by the school to allow enough time for the school to order exams for all AP students requesting to take them.

USA Today reported that a pilot program that ran last year involving over 800 schools showed positive results. Many more students were reported to sign up for the test when compared to schools who had a May final sign-up date. Additionally, AP teachers have given positive feedback about the new resources provided to them, including the recently unveiled AP Classroom. These resources have been reported by both USA Today and the Washington Post as being used to strengthen the current curriculum.

Inversely, many involved in education are against the College Board’s new deadlines. The Washington Post reports a New Jersey school guidance director slamming the College Board, accusing them of usury and using their monopoly on testing to their advantage. 

Other staff members from schools across the country have suggested that the new dates and fees would negatively impact seniors the most, with them having to decide in which subjects they will get college credit before they even know which college they plan to attend.