March normally marks the registration deadline for the AP tests. However, The College Board has announced that the registration date will be moving to the fall.

“The registration dates are going to move up. When classes solidify after the first five days, we’re going to start registering,” said Adam Morrison, AP Coordinator for LHS. “Students will register and they’ll pay by the end of September.”

The College Board is making the shift in order to increase the number of students who take the test.

“The reason AP gives for this is that…when kids pay for the test early on, more students will take the test at the end of the year,” said Morrison. “This is a nationwide problem. They think that it will especially impact lower-income students and minority students. Students [at LHS] who take the class starting in the fall usually take the test.”

If a student does not want to take a test, they can still get a refund. The College Board has still faced some criticism over the decision. A petition to reverse the changes received over 77,000 signatures. Total Registration, the company that has normally handled registration for LHS has been incredibly resistant to the changes because students will register directly with the College Board, eliminating the need for their service.

However, the College Board has stayed firm in their decision, claiming that in their research “Moving the time of registration made a difference across the board, but it had the strongest effect for students who are traditionally underrepresented in AP.”

In terms of LHS, Morrison does not believe that the changes will have a major impact on the school.

“They’ve been suggesting this for years. My main concern is that the price doesn’t change…I think the $40 is a little high, but they’ve thrown out several scenarios…and this is where they’ve landed. That’s not ideal in my world, but they’re trying to promote kids in the class taking the test. That’s already what happens at Lincoln,” said Morrison.