Stress. Everything causes stress at this time of the year. With the budding of the flowers and the spring showers also comes the arrival of AP tests. If you are a sophomore or any other upperclassmen, then you feel the stress I’m talking about every day you step into the classroom or even when you’re in bed and simply think about the upcoming testing season. Juniors will feel this stress the worst as some are taking multiple AP exams spread out over the duration of May. Despite what all of your teachers and parents have been telling you, AP tests do not matter and do not deserve your stress. There are three basic reasons that you shouldn’t stress over the AP’s:

1. The only people that ever see your AP scores are you, your parents and the teacher that the AP class was taught under. None of your friends have to know what you got and colleges certainly do not either. Your AP scores are essentially your possession and you can do whatever you want with your possession.
2. AP scores will not impair you from getting into colleges. Even if you do decide to send your AP scores into colleges, you send them after you have already been accepted based on your applications. If you want to go to Harvard but you got a 2 on that one AP Euro test, they won’t find out until it’s too late for them.
3. You are a high schooler. These are college level classes that you are not expected in the slightest to get a 5 on. Colleges don’t prepare for students to get 5’s on these tests.

Should you try your best on the upcoming test season? Absolutely. But you shouldn’t spend your nights freaking out about tests. So study, but go to bed at a reasonable time because if you don’t do too well on the tests, who cares?