It’s that time of the year again: AP teachers are wrapping up content and beginning to prepare their students for the upcoming tests in May. For many, this is a process they have undergone multiple times. 

This year, however, won’t be the same.

According to Collegeboard, in May, 28 AP tests will discontinue their original paper version and move on to a digital one on the College Board’s Bluebook. 16 tests will be fully digital and 12 will be hybrid digital. For fully digital tests, students will complete multiple-choice and free-response questions in Bluebook. For hybrid digital tests, students will complete multiple choice and view free-response questions in Bluebook. Free-response questions will be answered using a paper booklet.

These tests will be operable on both Mac and Windows devices, and exam timing will be controlled by Bluebook. Accommodations, such as extended timing, will be provided.  

These developments will largely alter how students take their tests this May. Last year, the AP Language and Composition exam was only administered digitally within the school. Essays that were once hand-written were instead typed. 

AP English Language and Composition teacher Karen Whitney believes these changes prove both beneficial and problematic depending on the circumstances.

“In terms of writing, it’s really helpful, because kids can make edits as they go,” Whitney said.  “They can go back and forth between essays. If they finish, they can move on to another one, or if they don’t finish, but they want to move on, they can come back and all that. I think in terms of the reading analysis, it’s not as good, because I think kids like to be able to write on the paper and take little notes or highlight or underline things. But I think overall, generally, I think scores have gone up since it went digital.”

Tvisha Dave ‘26 is currently taking five AP classes and has taken AP exams in both her freshman and sophomore years. 

“I think these changes are definitely helpful in written exams like AP Lang, because it is much more convenient to type an essay and it’s more convenient for the graders as well,” Dave said. 

“But I would be fully against exams like chemistry and math being fully online, because it’s very difficult to show your work if it’s online. I know this year they’re hybrid, and I feel like that’s fine.”

As a result of these changes, Whitney has adopted her teaching methods and assignments in class to be completed digitally. She finds these adjustments to be less demanding. 

“We used to do pretty much everything handwritten, which kids didn’t love because their hands got tired, and teachers didn’t love because we had to read all those handwritten essays,” Whitney said. “It makes it easier for everyone.”

For now, students will be focusing on preparing for their tests. For some, this year’s exams will be their first digital ones. 

“[It’s best to] really tailor your studying to the AP exam you’re studying for,” Dave said. “For example , for computer science, it’s not really a class that you can plan for. So I would start studying earlier and just go over the concepts you don’t know versus, like, if you’re taking AP history, then it would be more helpful to study closer to the exam, because it’s a lot more memorization.”

According to College Board, effective methods of study include drafting a study plan and reviewing the format of the AP test. The Princeton Review also suggests referring back to old material and investing in an AP prep book. Depending on the exam, students should start studying one to three months prior. 

“I think [it’s important to] just practice as much as possible,” Whitnesy said. “We do, obviously, a lot of practice in class, but there’s other ways you can practice in AP classroom, and there’s tons of other sites that you can do. That kind of would help with all standardized testing.” 

Students can familiarize themselves with the digital versions of AP exams using the test previews available on Bluebook.