College Board increases cost of AP tests

By Sarah Garrett,
Bluedevilhub.com Editor-In-Chief–

With AP testing just around the corner, AP tests have now gone on sale on the Davis High webstore. However, students have begun to notice the expensive price tag that comes along with taking the test: $97 per test.

AP tests have always been expensive, but this year the cost is even more pricey than last year. Last year AP tests only cost $92 each.

While $5 may not seem like a huge increase to most students, over the years this gradual increase has led to a huge difference among the cost of tests.

According to head counselor Courtenay Tessler, tests used to cost only $86 each not too long ago. AP tests may have even cost around $40 decades ago.

The official price of AP tests is set by the College Board, the company that creates and sells the tests. According to the AP Bulletin this year, the College Board has set the price of each AP test to be $91. However, schools “may negotiate a higher fee to recover additional proctoring and administration costs.”

Although AP tests may come with a hefty price tag, if students pass a test it could save them much more money by not paying for the course in college.

“I think [the prices] are okay considering the benefits you can get in college from passing them,” junior Sally Li said. “But it’s risky if you do badly and would suck because you would waste a lot of money.”

Like many other students, Li is also unclear as to why the College Board continually increases the prices of AP tests.

Li is planning on taking many AP tests this spring, such as Biology, French and Calculus AB. However, the cost won’t be much of a burden on her personally as her parents will be paying for the tests.

For some students though, $97 per test is not affordable for their families. Luckily, students who qualify for free or reduced price lunches are eligible to apply for a fee waiver to reduce the cost of the tests, according to Tessler.