Procrastination is one of the most prevalent faults among students. Therefore, teens are not always quick to sign up for Advanced Placement tests, especially if the test can cost up to $99. 

But this school year, the College Board has set the deadlines for AP test registration a lot sooner than what they were before. 

The previous early registration fee was due in January, but now the dates have been moved up to November. Any registration after the early November deadline requires a $40 late fee, and if students sign up to take a test and then decide not to take it, a $40 cancellation fee will be deducted from their refunds. 

This change is meant to get more students to sign up for and to be motivated to do better on the AP tests, since theoretically they would know earlier in the year to focus intensely in that AP class.

The problem is that most students don’t know this early in the year whether or not they want to take the AP test.

Deciding whether to take an AP test is not a simple choice. There is a lot of information students need to think about. 

Students need to consider whether they think they would get a good score on the exam, and whether they might get college credit for it — even though most do not know what college they are going to yet. Some students may not know if they have the money for the AP test yet. 

One possible reason why the College Board might have moved up their registration dates is to make more money from students. 

Many students may not realize how soon the registration deadline is and either put it off or underestimate the time they have, resulting in having to pay the late fee. 

And all of the students who don’t know whether they want to take the AP test yet might just wait until they know for certain, even if it means paying that late fee to the College Board.