With the end of the year rapidly approaching, especially for seniors, IB tests and final exams are just around the corner.

The current final exam grading is that it can only help someone’s grade, not hurt it. If someone scores poorly on a final exam and it would bring down their overall grade, the final exam will not be added to the grade book. If someone scores well and it would improve their overall grade, then it will be added to the grade book and weighted according to the syllabus.

Most students have a more positive attitude towards this grading policy, feeling less stressed towards the end of the year and as a result having the opportunity to focus on other extracurriculars.

“Right now my grades are where I want them to be,” junior Imran Khalid said. “While I don’t plan on failing the final exam, knowing that it won’t hurt my grade relieves much of the stress that is coming with IB exams and SOL’s.”

The grading policy addresses the issues brought about from COVID and virtual learning.

“Online school last year and returning this year overwhelmed many students since they aren’t used to school anymore,” junior Connor Lape said. “So the fact final exam grades won’t hurt students is great,”

Many teachers support the grading policy because it allows a student’s grade to reflect their true academic ability and effort.

“I think that a student’s best performance is shown throughout their work the entire year, not on a single exam,” math teacher Roberto Obando said. “If a student is doing well and understanding the material in a course, it will be shown through their grades on classwork, homework, quizzes, and general effort in class.”

Aside from normal finals, seniors and some juniors in HL level classes will be taking their IB exams soon. While some students might have more than one IB exam a day, the school has tried their best to ensure that students have adequate time to prepare for their exams and not to load too much onto students. Since the exams are only half of the school day, students who only have one test on a given day are allowed to be excused from their other classes if they get a parent’s signature.

“I like that most students only have one IB exam per day. It really takes a lot of stress out of the process,” senior Sarah Baluch said. “I like how we can come in late or leave early as it gives us a break from the exam we just took or lets us prepare for an afternoon exam.”

These excused absences serve as a relief for students overwhelmed by the rigorous exams.

“I have an anthropology and a physics test on the same day. Some test days only have one subject listed but multiple tests,” senior Madisyn Dixon said. “These tests are mentally draining and especially tiring since they are handwritten and most of us are used to typing.”

As final exams and activities approach, students anticipate and prepare for the end of the school year.