As the tensions from Advanced Placement (AP) exams settle, and students start to transition back into regular schooling and await summer break, many public school students in New York face another challenge: Regents week. The end of the AP exams let students have a time of peace, to reflect on the past year, and a sense of relief knowing that there are no more steep hurdles for the year. However, Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School students and many other students must face the coming Regents in June before their big summer break.

With Regents just weeks away, many AP classes must switch from the strict AP exam course to topics centered around Regents subjects to help students. This switch from the rigorous AP course to a more straightforward and easy topic that the Regents cover, will help cover critical points and assist students understand the test layout compared to AP.

Many students who need to prepare for the Regent’s exams will slack off in classes and skip out on necessary practices and schooling to prepare for the exams. Even though the Regents are a fraction of the difficulty of AP exams, it’s still essential for students to stay grounded and maintain a steady focus to do well on the Regents. The stress from AP week could be overwhelming, especially for students with multiple AP classes and other personal responsibilities to family and school. These pressures make it important for schools, as well as other students, to look out for each other and help each other when in times of need. 

The strenuous wait for the Regents is ticking on everyone’s mind. Even though the AP exam is more demanding, it’s optional, and Regents exams are not. Introducing the Regents right after AP exams can be demanding for a person who doesn’t feel confident in a subject or, in a worst-case scenario, is failing or doesn’t know any of the material entirely. While situations like this are rare, AP students may often need to pay more attention to other studies due to stress from the problematic AP course. Introducing the Regents makes things more challenging for students suffering from this problem and could lead to low scores on the Regents.

The aftermath of AP exams and the introduction of Regents exams in the upcoming month puts stress on us as we wait in anticipation for the exam that determines our future. However, students stand at the threshold of possibility, armed with the determination and skills to overcome anything thrown at them, students will study for the Regents and aim to overachieve!