It is much more advantageous to take finals after AP exams since it allows a greater amount of time to prepare for the class’s final exams and ultimately benefits a student’s GPA. For college decisions, GPA is more important than AP scores. Thus, having more time to study for final exams is usually more beneficial than taking finals early. Many AP classes give the final exam soon after they finish learning all the coursework; this gives students an inadequate amount of time to master a year’s worth of material within a few days.

Taking finals prior to AP exams as opposed to during finals week usually gives students three to five more weeks to study, which is a significant amount of time to review. When a student has a borderline grade, this extra study time can make or break their final grade.

In addition, AP exams are a way to practice for final exams. Students study extensively for AP exams to attain a passing score that allows them to skip classes or acquire college credits at some universities. Based on past statistics, Lynbrook students perform extremely well on AP exams on average. Last year, 92.8 percent of all Lynbrook students that took the AP exam passed, and 51.5 percent of those students earned a score of 5 out of 5.

After studying for AP exams and taking the AP test, students will be extremely prepared and well versed in the material.

Further, it is undoubtedly more important to allow students more time to study for final exams, since a student’s GPA matters more than AP scores. While reporting AP scores to colleges is generally considered optional, it is always necessary to report GPA when applying to universities. According to the National Association For College Admission Counseling, 79.2 percent of 231 colleges ranked grades in college preparatory courses as of considerable importance, while only 7 percent ranked AP scores of considerable importance. Additionally, after admission to a college, a senior’s second semester grades cannot drop significantly, or else their admission may be rescinded.

AP exams serve as a practice test for AP classes’ final exams, and having final exams on their typical date rather than prior to the AP exam allows for students to better prepare for the final exam. With colleges weighing a student’s GPA over his or her AP exam scores, the extra time to prepare for the potentially grade-changing final exam is extremely advantageous.