Parent Alert - AP Test Registration

Montgomery County parents - get your checkbooks ready.  

From this month's MCPS Quicknotes:

Register for Upcoming Advanced Placement Exams

Registration for the Advanced Placement (AP) exams is going on now through March 15. Exams are scheduled for May 3–14; the cost of each AP test is $86. Students register for the exams through their high school. Funds are available for students who need assistance. For more information, students should contact their school counseling office or the school's AP coordinator.

Note - the fee is $86 per test.  Many schools tack on a "processing fee" but that's not required by the college board.  For those of you familiar with the Parents Coalition advocacy position, you should not be surprised to learn that we believe any surcharge is illegal.

The College Board doesn't have late fees and allows for exam cancellations and a refund of the test fee.   Here is what the College Board says about canceling an exam:

You may ask for a refund if you do not begin an exam for which you have paid. Local school policy determines the amount of the refund. You will probably be required to pay the $13 fee the school is charged for each unused exam. Once you begin an exam -- that is, write on an exam booklet or answer sheet -- you cannot receive a refund.

So, when your child comes home with a bill for more than $86 per test, or your school says that you can't get a refund if your child changes his or her mind, ask what happens to the fee.  The College Board already includes a $8 rebate that is returned to the school for each test, so why does any school need a surcharge?  Why does a school keep the $73 dollars if a student cancels?