By Trevor Williams ’13, Staff Writer

Each May, hundreds of thousands of high school students across the country take Advanced Placement exams. NA counts dozens of its own among that cadre. It is true that AP exams are imperfect measures of performance; notwithstanding the sense of achievement felt when you spit eight months of studying onto a three hour test, it is just that—a three hour test. All the same, however, AP exams are an entrenched part of the college application process. Colleges and scholarship programs will continue to use them in admissions and placement. The problem with these tests lies not in the way that they are formatted, or administered, or scored. Rather, the problem is one of cost and score reporting. Though the College Board (the AP program’s governing body) is an ostensibly nonprofit organization, it is very much a moneymaking enterprise, maximizing its revenue at the expense of students.

The usury begins with the cost of the test itself, currently $87. This might not sound like a lot, and for most NA students, it is not. The fusion of the IB Programme with AP means that few NA students take more than two or three AP exams per year. Besides, this is an affluent school.

Keep in mind, though, that NA is the exception here, not the rule. Students at other schools might take up to five or six AP classes in a single year. That means you could be paying up to $500 to take AP tests. Even if you exhibit financial need and receive a fee reduction from the College Board, the discount is only $30, meaning you still have to pay the majority of the cost. Of course, taking an AP exam for college credit is far cheaper than paying to take that class at college. But we are not talking about the price of college. We are talking about the inflated, even if comparatively reasonable, price of AP tests.

Besides the actual cost of the test, the College Board imposes numerous ancillary fees and surcharges. Are you taking the test outside of the United States or Canada? That’s an extra $30. Perhaps you want your score when is available, rather than waiting another three weeks for it to arrive in the mail? $25. Or maybe you are content with calling an automated service for the same purpose—that’s $8. Do you want your test booklet so you can see what you got wrong? You have to pay $7 to satisfy your intellectual curiosity. And say test day simply wasn’t your day? Be prepared to cough up $10 per college to withhold scores.

I am not opposed to test fees on principle. Developing dozens and printing millions of tests—and making sure they are administered securely—is an expensive undertaking. However, “Inspiring Minds” does not appear to be the primary objective of the College Board (as the trademarked logo would indicate). The $900,000 annual salary of Gaston Caperton, the Board’s President and CEO, indicates a profit motive. The Board’s $55 million yearly profit (as of 2007—with more test takers, it is likely higher now) too indicates profit motive. These unscrupulous practices have gone on for long enough. If it is to continue calling itself a nonprofit organization, the College Board must truly embrace its vision of “Inspiring Minds.” Charging less for AP tests and score reporting services is a good place to start.