The time is finally here; all of the work and dedication from students throughout the school year is finally about to be tested within a matter of hours. A total of 59% of students at Rocklin High School are currently taking an AP class.

Testing will extend from May 2 through May 13, with multiple tests scheduled each day. The tests are scheduled at various locations, including the Rocklin Event Center, the RHS gym and William Jessup University. Students are excused from their classes on test day to take their exam.

Most AP tests, if passed with at least a 3, can be redeemed for college class credits, but this isn’t the only reason that students are loading on the APs.

“I thought that some of the classes that were offered would be better taken as an AP, such as AP Literature over regular language arts,” senior Gerald Cayapan said. “It was also nice to have more advanced classes that will help with my engineering career in the future.”

Senior Brian Bugna is enrolled in four AP classes this year.

“Some classes that I wanted to take weren’t offered in any other way than AP, like AP Computer Science and AP Microeconomics,” Brain said. “Having these AP classes under my belt going into college is extremely helpful because I will have most of my general education out of the way.”

In many cases, students have taken on more than one AP class during the year. Some students take several, which can be even more stressful when AP exams come up.

“Some of my classes offer diagnostic tests which I find very helpful. Personally, I try to figure out which topics need the most attention and try to tackle those first,” Gerald said.

“I prefer to cram most of my studying right before the test. Throughout the year I have found it to me the most effective in keeping the information fresh in my brain for the test,” junior Kendall DeRosa said.  

Because AP testing starts in early May, teachers are on a time crunch to get through their entire course within a shortened period of time. However, once the testing is over, there are usually no more lessons to be learned.

Most AP teachers have projects planned for their AP students, which are great ways to wind down the end of the year.

“AP Physics C will be building hot air balloons and then shoot them down with rockets,” Mr. Geoff Clarion said. “The other classes will be doing computer-based projects.”

Mr. Paul Werner and his AP Chemistry class will be spending the rest of the year doing various labs and activities, such as tie-dyeing and making ice cream.

Whether you are taking one, five or no AP classes this year, all students have their reasons to look forward to the end of the year. With these tests out of the way, it will be easier to start to relax and wait for summer break to arrive.