Having the most AP exams taken by students in the state, they aren’t a joke at Kennedy. With more student taking exams the prices become higher and higher for each individual exam. Student taking AP exams have the opportunity to gain college credit from them.

“My first year here the cost was $89, last year it was $91, and this year it will be $92 per exam”, Sydny Richey, AP Coordinator, said.

A few dollars might not sound like a lot, but when students challenge themselves and take four, five, or six exams, the price can rise pretty fast.

“When I saw the price go up on AP exams it was a little shock just because I’m taking so many exams this year,” Sydney Rieckhoff, sr., said.

Even with the price increase, some think it is still worth taking the AP exams for experience.

“The biggest thing, yes you can get college credit assuming you score a 3, 4, or 5 on the test, but research shows that you will be more successful in college than someone who doesn’t take the AP exam,” Richey said.

Some students believe that paying for and taking the AP exams are worth it due to potential college credit that could be given.

“If you take the test now and you pass it then you will be paying a lot less than you would a much harder college class,” Connor Peterson, jr, said.

There are also downsides to students as well.

“AP exams can be stressful and they are expensive,” Rieckhoff said.

Although the prices for these exams can be seen as a downside of taking AP exams, Kennedy High School offers way to reimburse those who do well on them.

“The way the Ghosh incentive works is that if you take two exams in a year and you pass one of them you get money back. For every 3 you get 20 dollars and for every 4 or 5 you get 30 dollars. We always throw out the lowest score that’s why you have to take at least two,” Richey said.

Peterson and Rieckhoff plan on taking all of their AP exams this year.