Using inquiry and PBL to create an engaging classroom environment that fosters higher-order critical thinking skills and promotes student agency in problem solving encourages students to delve more deeply into content than is sometimes possible to accommodate when simultaneously trying to accomplish a semester's-worth of standards for an AP or MCAS class. Rather than truncating or glossing over answers to student questions that are larger or beyond the scope of a standardized tests in the interest of time, implementing a system by which inquisitive students can take their learning to the level they deserve within the confines of a semester and share their acquired knowledge with the rest of the class increases overall understanding of a subject, builds leadership skills, fosters self-confidence, and encourages a curious and innovative classroom climate.