A Blue Valley high school student has earned a rare academic achievement: a perfect score on an AP test.
Driving the news: Blue Valley High School senior Emily Clausen was recognized by district leaders earlier this month for being one of only nine students nationwide to earn a perfect score on the 2022 AP United States History exam.
- The nonprofit AP College Board annually administers AP, or Advanced Placement, tests in nearly 30 subjects, ranging from Calculus to Music Theory.
- The tests, which students typically take in conjunction with a class at their high school, are meant to prepare kids for college-level material and skills.
Background: The College Board first notified Clausen about her perfect score while she was attending a club meeting with her fellow officers for Tri-M Music Honor Society.
- Clausen said she opened the email that contained the good news during the meeting, which prompted her to cry out in surprise.
- “I kind of went into shock,” she said. “I think my jaw dropped, and I screamed ‘What?’ at the meeting. Then everyone began looking at me.”
The backstory: Clausen said while she studied hard for the exam, which is rated on a scale of 1 to 5, she never expected to earn a perfect score on it.
- “My goal was to get a five, which is a score that generally gets college credit, but I was never like ‘Wow, I should try for a perfect score,'” she said.
- To prepare for the exam, which she took back in May as a junior, Clausen says she read a review book and watched a lot of YouTube videos about different events throughout history.
Key quote: “I’ve always liked history,” Clausen said. “It’s so interesting to me because you can look at things, like what happened in the 1700s, and see how they still have an effect on how America functions today.”
Recognition: To honor Clausen’s achievement, district officials recognized the senior at the beginning of the Blue Valley school board’s regular Monday night meeting earlier this month.
- During that meeting, Blue Valley Superintendent Tonya Merrigan said she has never seen another student attain this type of academic achievement since she first joined the district in 1999.
- “It was really nice to be recognized,” Clausen said. “My [AP United States History] came too, and I just felt really supported.”
Clausen’s future plans following her perfect AP score
When looking to the future, Clausen said her goal is to study chemical engineering in college next year.
- “I don’t really know where I want to go to college yet, but I’m excited to find out,” she said.
- For now, the senior is focusing on school and her other extracurricular activities, which include National Honor Society, National French Honor Society and Model United Nations.
