Just where is that box full of AP exams? If you’re one of the over 100 students who took an AP exam this past spring that was lost in transit to the headquarters of The College Board, aim your arrows at the United Parcel Service. Rest assured that the affected students, those unfortunate test-takers at the Western School of Technology in Catonsville, Maryland, were given the option to receive a projected score calculated by The College Board, retake the test the following July, or receive a full refund for the exam. Talk about being wedged between a rock and a hard place!

A Lose-Lose Situation: Retake Your Lost Test or Accept a Projected Score

As Elizabeth Worthington reports for ABC’s WMAR 2 News in a piece entitled “Baltimore County students decide whether to retake AP exams after more than 100 lost in the mail”:

“The students were given three options by the College Board and had to choose one by August 14: 1) Retake the test at no additional cost. 2) Cancel the score. It would be like they never took it. Students would get a refund. 3) Accept a “projected score” calculated by the college board.

For example, some of the essays were not lost for the English exam. Since they make up 55% of the total score, the College Board says it can use those to project a final score between 1 and 5, with 5 being the best.”

Projected AP Scores Without Transparency Undermine Student Potential

And what criteria, might we ask, was used to determine the student’s projected score? It’s a question that lingers in the minds of many, and parents are rightfully seeking answers. “‘They projected him at a 2 out of 5, which doesn’t guarantee that – most colleges actually wouldn’t accept that. If he earned a 2 out of 5 I would accept it. But not knowing it, and them projecting it and not giving us the actual way of projecting it, I think is a little rough on the kids,’ the senior’s dad told WMAR-2 News’ Elizabeth Worthington.”

In other words, affected students are being asked to accept a score that is presumably the sum of their academic performance and leaves no room for the chance that they might have studied hard and, against all odds, performed well on the test. How can the future students of The Western School of Technology ever be motivated to achieve the highest score possible ever again when they know that one small mistake could mean that The College Board assumes that they have no capacity to improve their academic performance and should be content to stay within their academic rank and file? It’s not exactly a story that inspires sincere studying and dedication, now is it?

Lost AP Exam Score Sheets Are A Thing of the Past

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending, perhaps not for the families affected by this lost test snafu, but for future AP exam test-takers the world over. With the complete digitization of all Advanced Placement exams, missing score sheets are now a thing of the past. All tests are conducted over Bluebook, the same digital exam interface used to administer the SAT. As we at Ivy Coach have previously unpacked, the move to digital test-taking hasn’t come without a learning curve, but we welcome this shift toward the future. After all, with physical exam materials out of the question, these horror stories have become a thing of the past!

While this inkling of advice has probably come too little, too late for the students affected by missing scorecards, we encourage anyone who finds themselves in a similar pickle only to accept a projected score if it’s a 5. Otherwise, like it or not, you had better hit the books and try your hardest to get in shape for your retest. From a college admissions standpoint, only the highest scores possible will cut it, so take this as an opportunity to put your best foot forward (for a second time!).