May 2025 marked the first time that AP exams were digital nationwide. Now that exams are over, every AP student has had time to compare this year’s digital exams with past years’ paper exams. Some students appreciated the more modern approach to testing, while others felt that the College Board should have stuck to tradition.
Some AP exams, like AP US History, were fully digital. Students answered the multiple-choice questions on the computer and typed their answers to the free-response questions.
Other AP exams, like AP Calculus, were hybrid. Like with AP US History, students filled out the multiple-choice questions digitally. However, students answered the free response questions on paper and read the prompts off the computer screen.
The 2025 AP students were the guinea pigs for these digital exams, and there were a few glaring mishaps during the experience.
Exams like AP Chemistry and AP Statistics had reference material that was on the computer. Students found it challenging to switch between the reference material and the test questions on the computer, so College Board made an unprecedented mid-testing change. They recommended that test proctors provide students with paper copies of the reference material for any other AP tests that required it.
Some AP exams, like AP Music Theory and AP Spanish Language, required students to record certain responses verbally. During the AP Music Theory exam, the recording software malfunctioned and did not save the responses of tens of thousands of students. These students had to retake the exam.
Perhaps the most significant dilemma with the 2025 AP exams was the cancellation of the AP Psychology exam. Students nationwide showed up for the exam on Friday, May 16, and BlueBook — the exam platform — would not let any student log into the exam.
Leesville students had mixed opinions about the digital AP exams. AP Psychology students, like Delaney Williams, senior, are understandably opposed to digital exams.
“[I want AP exams] to go back to paper,” said Williams.
Other students disliked the digital exams because of the logistics of taking them on the computer.
Lexi Kamieniecki, junior, took six AP exams. “I’d say the digital exams are really boring and really stressful. If you have two exams in one day, you have to worry about charging [your computer]… It’s also harder to annotate,” said Kamieniecki.
Despite the criticisms, there were some obvious benefits to taking AP exams online.
“You can write the FRQs a lot faster, and there’s, in general, less paper wasted and less worrying about pencils and stuff, which makes it easier,” said Kamieniecki.
“On paper, it was kind of harder because you would have to write. Your hands were cramping because you were writing for long periods of time. On digital, it was a lot easier because you could type and keep flowing… You could also actually backspace on the computer,” said Aidan Roberts, sophomore.
The College Board is unlikely to make AP exams paper again. We are in a digital age, so it follows that testing has moved online, and there are definite advantages to taking exams on the computer. However, the College Board needs to adapt from the mistakes during the 2025 exam season to ensure that AP exams in 2026 run more smoothly.
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