OC HIGH: STUDENT NEWS AND VIEWS : Fast Track : The classes are challenging, and the tests are grueling and expensive. But in the Advanced Placement program, students can get college credit even before they graduate.

On high school campuses, the letters AP stand for: 1) Adventurous Pachyderms; 2) Air-cooled Pajamas; 3) Advanced Placement.

While less fanciful, the correct answer is Advanced Placement, a program at many high schools that allows teen-agers to take college-level courses.

AP program courses are offered in 16 subjects, from art and music to German and calculus. In addition to providing challenging course work, the program gives students the opportunity to earn college credits.

But there’s a catch: To get the college credits, at the end of the course students have to pass a standardized national test given in May.

It’s easier said than done. The test generally consists of three hours of multiple choice and free-response questions. It is a mind-boggling cumulative exam of material covered in the yearlong AP course.

The examination is graded on a five-point scale: 5 being the most qualified and equivalent to an “A” in most college courses. Students must earn a 3 to pass the test and get college credit.

The AP program has not been established at all schools, so it is not an option for all students. Also, at some schools, demand for AP classes is greater than the number of openings. When that happens, some schools require students to compete for spots by filling out applications disclosing GPA, previous classes and extracurricular activities.

“The Advance Placement program,” according to the College Board, “is based on the premise that college-level material can be taught successfully to able and well-prepared secondary school students.”

*

Teachers for AP courses are trained at special seminars, and the curriculum concentrates on specific concepts that will be included in the May AP exam.

Homework is also a bit different than in regular classes.

“Homework may not be due as often, but when it is, it is a major assignment,” said Mojgan Vakili, a senior and veteran of four AP classes at Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo. “There are not as many tests, but the tests are bigger, in order to prepare you for the AP test.”

AP classes can also boost grade-point averages. Most schools award one more point for AP courses than regular classes. For example, an A in an AP course is worth five points; in a regular class it is only worth four. Letter grades are based on class work, not performance on the AP test.

By April, most students are accustomed to the rigorous AP curriculum. However, the month creates stress for a different reason--money. Fees for the upcoming AP tests are due, and each exam costs $72.

“It seems like a lot, especially because it’s around prom (time),” said Jen Jordan, a Capistrano senior who passed the AP chemistry test last spring. But, if “you really prepare for it and pass, you save money” because you don’t have to take that course in college.

Test fees can really add up. Vakili says her family will pay about $580 for the eight AP tests that she and her brother will take this year. Students with financial need can get a $22 fee reduction from the College Board and a $7 fee waiver from their high schools. Eight states--but California is not among them--pay for some or all of the AP exam fees, regardless of student need.

The College Board estimates that passing one AP test can save $2,500 in college expenses. However, the value of AP tests varies by college.

For example, a high school student who earns four or five points on the AP chemistry test can earn eight units of elective credit at UCLA. At UCI, it is worth four units of elective credit, and it also fulfills the Chemistry IA requirement.

Reviewing for the tests begins in late April. For some, that means cramming in earnest.

“I went into a bookstore three days before the test and got whatever AP review book was there,” recalls senior Monica Hanny.

Vakili discovered that cramming was too stressful. “I was studying for tests at stoplights. I burned out to a point that I didn’t want to see the test questions.”

Capistrano student Ahmad Edris found a study method that worked perfectly--he earned a 5 on the U.S. history exam. “I read the chapters twice. I wrote summaries of the main points of each chapter and reviewed them. I prayed and hoped I’d pass.”

*

When testing begins in mid-May, about 400,000 nervous students worldwide are ushered into designated rooms. Schools that offer AP classes usually have a test center on campus. The tests, monitored by proctors, begin at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Exams follow the same basic format, but there can be subtle differences, as Vakili and Edris discovered on the French test. The foreign language exams involve listening to tape recordings of the language.

“You start with the listening comprehension. Different people speak on the tape with different accents. There are questions, a monologue and a news clip,” recalled Edris.

“You either heard the tape or you didn’t,” Vakili added. “If someone sneezes, (test givers) won’t play it over.”

Students also must record themselves speaking the foreign language.

“You are in a room with other people, and you can hear everyone else. You have to speak loudly because your recorder will sometimes pick up the background noise,” Vakili said.

The AP language and composition test includes three essay questions based on diction, structure and style of passages printed in the test booklets. Hanny found this the most “challenging” test.

“The essays were stupid. The subject matters were way out there.”

The AP chemistry test also discouraged some. “You have to remember all the formulas. There’s about 4 billion of them. The first problem on the test was impossible,” Vakili said.

Guessing poses a dilemma. Each incorrect answer subtracts a fraction of a point from your score, while unanswered questions neither add nor subtract from your score. To pass the exam, about 50% of the multiple choice questions must be correct, and the essays must be acceptable. Students are advised to guess if they can eliminate choices.

*

Most students are relieved, but drained, after the exam. “My brain almost exploded! I had the worst headache ever. I was dying,” said Edris, who completed two AP exams on the same day.

The stress dissipates, but the anxiety remains. Students have to wait until July to receive their scores. The multiple-choice portion is graded by computer, but essays are scored by college professors and AP teachers on a weekend in June. The process means test scores aren’t mailed until mid-July.

“I was anxious to get the scores, but when I got the envelope, I was scared to look at it. I just took a deep breath and opened it,” Jordan said.

Veterans of AP courses as juniors, Vakili, Edris, Jordan and Hanny have chosen to relive the AP experience this year.

Despite mounds of homework, stress headaches and the pressure of the test, each found it to be a worthwhile venture.

California Advanced Placement Test Scores

Each year, qualified students take the Advanced Placement Test to earn college credits while still in high school. The test is scored on a 5-point scale; a score of 3 is needed to pass. Here is how California students fared on the testing in 1993 and 1994:

1993 Statewide Average 1994 Scores by Sex Subject Average Males Females U.S. history 2.84 2.88 2.69 European history 3.12 2.95 2.85 Biology 3.28 3.25 2.98 Chemistry 2.92 3.00 2.76 Spanish language 3.91 3.69 3.82 German language 3.37 2.83 3.14 French language 2.88 2.79 2.82 English language and composition 2.96 2.90 2.86 English literature and composition 3.11 2.96 3.07 U.S. government 2.99 3.02 2.78 Psychology 3.25 n/a n/a Physics B 2.87 n/a n/a Calculus AB 3.21 n/a n/a Computer science A 2.60 n/a n/a

Source: College Board and Advanced Placement Program