The vast majority of Advanced Placement exams this May will be digital. The exams in English, history, social sciences and other subjects will move to the digital testing application, Bluebook, the same software used for the SAT.
Travis Arnold, an AP teacher at Fort Worth ISD’s Arlington Heights High School, said he’s been adjusting his teaching to train for the digital test. Part of that is learning some of the software tools and getting students comfortable with typing on a keyboard since many of his students have been using tablets and smartphones.
“I’m just having these kids be aware of how to use these things, because it’s a big shift from having to do nothing but a paper test (and go) to digital,” said Arnold, who has taught AP World History for more than a decade. “(These students) just aren’t comfortable with the layout of where their hands are supposed to be on a keyboard.”
Millions of students are expected to take the digital or hybrid digital exams May 5-16. The College Board, the group that administers the tests, called the move to digital a “more secure, streamlined, and student-friendly testing experience.” Fort Worth ISD has been testing out the software and their computers for months to make sure that no bugs or glitches happen on testing day, district officials said.
“We’ve found that almost all students who’ve taken a digital AP Exam or participated in an AP digital testing pilot have adapted quickly to the new format,” said Trevor Packer, head of the AP Program for the College Board. “Students today are ‘digital natives’ and appreciate the user-friendly features of the Bluebook interface.”
Fully digital AP subjects for 2025:
- AP African American Studies (U.S. schools only)
- AP Art History
- AP Comparative Government and Politics
- AP Computer Science A
- AP Computer Science Principles
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP English Literature and Composition
- AP Environmental Science
- AP European History
- AP Human Geography
- AP Latin
- AP Psychology
- AP Seminar
- AP United States Government and Politics
- AP United States History
- AP World History: Modern
The Advanced Placement exams in English, history and social sciences will be digital this May. Science and math subjects will be offered as a hybrid option in both paper and digital. Foreign language and music theory tests will remain written but will transition to digital in the future.
Students will be able to access free practice exams, quizzes and other teacher-created assessments online.
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org.
The Report’s higher education coverage is supported in part by major higher education institutions in Tarrant County, including Tarleton State University, Tarrant County College, Texas A&M-Fort Worth, Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Texas at Arlington and UNT Health Science Center.
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