“Can we move the test?” As AP exams have continued to empty classrooms this past week, this question has grown increasingly common. Two members of the Senior Editorial Board saw their multivariable calculus assessments pushed back nearly two weeks because so many classmates were taking AP exams rather than sitting in class. Nonetheless, some students had forgotten about—or never even knew of—these exams.
Likewise, while many may center their entire week or weekend around ACT or SAT preparation, others don’t even notice. Our school-wide disconnect from standardized testing leaves many students to navigate preparation in isolation and, more concerningly, creates inequitable access to the resources necessary to succeed in a college admissions system where these exams matter.
Standardized testing is once again becoming an increasingly important part of college admissions. Per U.S. News, in October of 2025, Princeton University ended its test-optional status, which had been reinstated due to testing inaccessibility during COVID. Now, only one Ivy League school, Columbia University, maintains test-optional admissions. But even at test-optional schools, AP exam performance and standardized metrics remain an implicit signal of academic preparedness. A 2025 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that standardized test scores may be a more reliable predictor of college readiness than grade-point-average and class-rank.
Compared to other components of the admissions process, this testing can be more financially accessible than many extracurricular opportunities. While high-cost tutoring and repeated testing still create substantial inequities, the exams themselves are generally less financially prohibitive than years of expensive extracurricular commitments—the $68 SAT fee can be waived twice. Regardless, Milton offers no system for centralized preparation guidance, peer mentorship, or reliable review sessions to ensure preparation for College Board exams is accessible to all Milton students.
Beyond November reminders about AP exam signups or emails about transportation to take the SAT, discussion of College Board testing rarely enters the broader conversation at Milton. The Academic Skills Center, for example, supports students heavily via student-led initiatives during midterms and major assignments such as the U.S. History paper; standardized testing season deserves similar recognition. Short newsletters during AP or SAT/ACT months could centralize free preparation tools such as Khan Academy and the Bluebook app. The Peer Writing Tutors and TutorMilton could expand their mentorship by connecting younger students with upperclassmen who have already navigated the testing process to provide advice for formulating study plans or adopting test-taking tricks.
Alongside student-led initiatives, Milton faculty members already possess models for meaningful standardized-testing support. Senior Editorial Board members who attended English Teacher Tarim Chung’s review sessions for AP English Language and Composition and AP English Literature and Composition exams described them as remarkably helpful despite modest attendance. In just 30 minutes, Mr. Chung outlined the exam format, shared strategies, and distributed study materials. Rather than relying on the sporadic largess and volunteer efforts of individual teachers, Milton could institutionalize sessions like these.
Mr. Chung’s approach acknowledged AP and college entrance exams while allowing students to navigate the assessments openly and collectively. Sessions like these were also completely untethered to actual Milton classes: they did not “teach to the AP,” but simply dedicated half an hour to making students feel supported and seen. This year, Milton offered only eight AP exams across five departments. Requiring each department to host a single, optional 30-minute review session before AP exam season would demand relatively little institutional effort while making standardized testing far less isolating.
Although high performance on College Board testing isn’t the sole determinant of a promising future, these exams remain an unavoidable part of many academic paths. Students encounter them not only in college admissions, but also often in graduate school and professional certification. Milton already supports students through midterms and college applications; APs, ACTs, and SATs should not remain strangely separate from that support system. Creating a more testing-aware culture would require relatively little effort—a few centralized review resources, peer tutoring opportunities, and faculty-led review sessions could make preparation far more navigable.
At the moment, advice about standardized testing circulates through hallway conversations and scattered across PDFs. When preparation guidance exists primarily through word-of-mouth, students with access to private resources and support networks are naturally advantaged. Conversations around standardized testing should instead be inclusive, open, and welcoming. Though Milton cannot control the role this testing plays in admissions, it can certainly standardize the support systems students rely on to navigate it.