As students file into the gym with a handful of pens and pencils, the tension is high but the stakes are low because it’s only a practice test.  But the number of mock AP exams taking place on campus is increasing as teachers try to prepare students for the actual exams in May.

While mock exams have no real affect on the student receiving college credit at the end of the year, it is a way to replicate the conditions of the exam, and give feedback on what may need improvement.

“I’m taking AP Psychology, Environmental Science, Language and APUSH,” junior Nemul Khan said.  “Mock exams are helping me because I know what to expect for the test and I know how to prepare myself in the one month I have left.

Most teachers use mock exams to find the weakest parts of their curriculum, and use those last classes to review.

“The benefits for teachers are enormous, we get back all kinds of data,” AP Language teacher Kathryn Pabst said. “I also have another teacher grade my students so I’m getting feedback from another teacher, and that’s really helping me in the last month before the AP test to prepare my students better.”

In addition to find areas where students may need more preparation, mock exams also test a student’s test-taking endurance.

“Writing three essays in two hours for the English exam was a new challenge and it was pretty stressful,” junior Allie Dillard said. “Because our classes are so short, we can only do one timed writing at a time, so trying to do three in a row really wore me out, but I think I managed pretty well.”

Most teachers and students agree the mock AP exams are beneficial and a great way to prepare for the real thing.

“I really feel that the day of the AP test, students will feel more relaxed, confident, much more prepared and ready to do their very best,” Pabst said.