The AP tests have been on paper since the fifties, and since the beginning, thick booklets have come with each test. However, on July 25th, the College Board announced that it is discontinuing standard paper testing for 28 exams starting in 2025. 12 of those exams will be hybrid, and they plan to change eight other exams in the future.
This controversial change is due to a crackdown on cheating and efforts to save paper. “Digital exams are much more secure than shipping paper exams in boxes to thousands of locations weeks in advance,” the College Board said on their website. When Senior Angel Pinon-Guerrero was asked about his opinion on the change, he said, “[students] probably [won’t] be able to cheat.” In addition, Junior Lily Mason said, “they should have always been online; I think that paper makes the student think more about it.” While students at La Jolla High have mixed opinions about the College Board’s switch to online tests, only once the new formatted tests begin in May, the repercussions—or lack thereof—will become clear.