Congratulations to all students who have taken a mock examination this year! We can’t wait for all of those tested to receive the predicted 5’s and 7’s, and we hope the best for all those who worked hard to reach those grades. 

Mock Examinations are always a stressful time for AP and IB Year 2 Students. Throughout the duration of the two weeks, students work diligently to prepare themselves to take their graded exams as preparation for the external graded ones in May. Although it is a difficult time, many students recognize the value of these exams, and their results give students a general idea of where they may score so that the students may strive to improve.

The 2021 mock examinations are no different, but a new twist is added with COVID, with masks, sanitization, and social distancing in place to ensure the safety of the students. Spaced over the course of two weeks, students across the high school arrived to take their exams in these new circumstances. Over 900 exams were administered to almost 400 students.

Ms. Katrina Charles, the IB Coordinator here at ASD, has expressed that the mocks were not only good preparation for the students on how the May exam will be but also ensures to the faculty how to better improve conditions to keep students much safer when the actual exams arrive. 

Students who were unable to attend the physical exam for one reason or another opted to take them online to still receive the educational benefits. They used either AP Classroom, where students were asked to use a second device to show their work area through video while working on the exam, or GoFormative, where students were asked to screen share while still asked to show their video while they worked through a second device. This provided an excellent opportunity to ensure that no student was left behind, regardless of medical exemption or quarantine circumstances.   

Students had mixed feelings about the exams. Some, like D. Abdel-Rahim (‘22), expressed their gratitude for the exams taking place as per usual. She explained that while “mock exams were hard, I feel like it has helped me realize what I need to do in order to prepare for when I take my final exam in May.”

There’s no doubt that these exams were difficult – most of them exceeded 3 hours and required many more hours of studying – but they were undeniably an immensely valuable opportunity for students to practice the content of their class and get a feel for the exam. This will surely shine through when final exams take place in a couple of months.

Once again we applaud everyone who put in the time and effort to take a mock. It’ll all be worth it in May!