Nationwide Glitches Delay AP Psychology Testing

This year, the College Board announced that 28 of the 40 administered examinations for Advanced Placement courses were to be partially or entirely administered digitally. This marked a significant shift away from the traditional format of AP exams, which were fully issued on paper. However, the decision to revamp these tests to accommodate for digital examination is only part of a much wider nationwide trend. Many other prominent standardized tests, including the New York State Tests for elementary and middle school students, have also recently switched to completely digital formats. However, this has ignited wider discussions about computerized testing in general, particularly amid the myriad of issues that the rollout of these exams has sparked. 

Students taking digital AP exams in particular utilized the Bluebook app this May. Developed last year by the College Board to digitally administer standardized tests, Bluebook has already seen widespread adoption across the nation among students taking the SAT, which has also seen a drastic alteration in its format amid its shift toward online examination. Prior to its use on the 2025 AP exams, users of Bluebook had already reported multiple glitches during standardized tests, severely impacting their experience. During the recent March SAT exam, for instance, about 10,000 students reported the program automatically submitting their exams before their two-hour time limit elapsed. Unfortunately, Bluebook faced technical difficulties during AP exams as well, particularly during the AP Psychology test. 

On May 16, thousands of high school students nationwide reported that they were unable to log-in to the Bluebook application during their scheduled AP Psychology exam. While the test was officially scheduled for 11:30 a.m. EDT, the nationwide technical difficulties necessitated a delay of examination for students who were unable to log in. In conjunction with prior incidents such as the aforementioned March SAT glitch, this event has called into question the reliability of online standardized testing. 

“The delay of the AP Psychology test certainly created some unexpected challenges, but we are incredibly grateful to the guidance department—especially Ms. Baxley and Dr. Valdes—for their swift and effective response in organizing a new plan,” AP Psychology teacher Ms. Esposito said.

At New Hyde Park, many of the students taking the exam that day were eventually able to log on and take the exam that day, albeit delayed significantly from the officially scheduled time. However, some students were still impacted by the nationwide glitch amid efforts from the College Board to remedy the issues, forcing them to take the exam on an alternative date scheduled for the following week. Some AP Psychology students reported mixed feelings about the situation. 

“I think it affected how I felt mentally, especially since it was so much time and they kept us there for an hour,” junior Sara Erxleben said. “It really wasn’t that bad; it was more of an inconvenience.” 

Many of the NHP students that were not able to take the examination, on the other hand, reported that the unexpected delay created unnecessary mental stress.  

“I felt like the glitch made the test harder because I was prepared the day of the exam,” senior Joseph Rago said. “I wasn’t prepared to take it a week later.” 

“I thought it was kind of unfair that everyone else took it but we couldn’t, and it seemed harder because you forget all of the material,” senior Rasandi Fernando said. “You study for days and then you get demotivated later.”

“While the disruption may have impacted the focus of the 75 students who took it amid the initial chaos, we’ve emphasized resilience all year, and I’m confident they rose to the occasion,” Ms. Esposito added. “The 38 students who tested a few days later benefitted from some additional study time, and both groups reported feeling well-prepared when they sat for the exam.”