<p>I got an A/ A- in my AP English class, but I got a 4 on the exam and I'm really devastated. I was confident when I was taking the test, I don't know what went wrong. If I submit my AP score, will colleges think my school has grade inflation and will it hurt me? Should I not submit it?</p>
<p>Stop worrying. 4 is an excellent score. Instead of grade inflation, a college is likely to think (1) you got rattled by pressure, and/or (2) your AP class emphasized different things than the test did. It happens.</p>
<p>4 is a good score. Definitely submit it. If your AO sees an AP course but no score s/he will assume you either didn’t take the test because you weren’t prepared or you did take the test and did very poorly (a 1 or 2).</p>
<p>wondering the same thing. I got a 4 on the AP lang test ( D: ) but did really well in the class(which was not easy)…i think the MC screwed me over this time.will colleges question the validity of my A?</p>
<p>@RunningForLife and OP:
Here is how I see it.
If you got an A in the class, I’d expect a 4 or a 5. As the poster above said, a 4 would be representative of either a bad day (I, for one, actually had gotten a concussion the day before my AP test!) OR test anxiety OR a test that emphasized different things than your class did.
If you got a B in the class, I would expect either a 3 or 4. A 4 would be representative of a student who really understood the info, despite checking out during class.
If you got a C in the class, I’d expect a 2 or 3.</p>
<p>Anything below that, I’m not sure. </p>
<p>I had a 4.0 UW, but got a 3 on my AP Bio exam in my junior year! I got an A+ in the class! I’m doing my second major in biochem hahaha. AND I’m going to Penn. I promise you, no one will question the validity of an A paired with a 4. Colleges barely even care about AP scores, and to assume a 4 is equivalent to a B is insane.</p>
<p>@noel597 your post cleared things up a lot! My English teacher is writing my recommendation, so maybe she can hint at how the class wasn’t exactly focused on preparing solely for the exam? Would this help? </p>
<p>The 4 is a good score. Do not try to “explain” it in your essay. Do not have your teacher address it in the recommendation. Doing either of these things will come off as whiny.</p>
<p>Why do people expect that an A in a class will result in a 5 on the AP test? Why is a 4 (or even a 3) on the AP test with an A in the class equal to a “bad day at the office”? Accept the fact that success in one area does not always guarantee success in another area. Even Brazil loses a soccer game every once in a while; sometimes badly. </p>
<p>^ I agree man. I wish adcoms were more lenient and understanding like that </p>
<p>And I’m sure to some degree they are. HONESTLY, just do your best. If you screw up once (and a 4 is BY NO MEANS SCREWING UP. It is an impressive accomplishment), they aren’t going to care. They get it; you’re human.</p>
<p>^what if you have multiple 4’s?</p>
<p>When on earth did a 4 become a bad score? It’s enough for credit at the vast majority of colleges that give credit for AP exams…</p>
<ol>
<li>no one cares about AP scores</li>
<li>a 4 is high enough to count as taking a course in the college, why on earth would it not be sufficient to prove you took a high school course proficiently then?</li>
<li>#1</li>
</ol>
<p>I forget where I read this, but I think this is official. A 4 is supposed to be the equivalent of a B+ or an A- in a college course. A 4 is still a very good score, and not sending it will only make colleges assume you did worse.</p>
<p>
Perhaps [url=<a href=“Higher Education Professionals | College Board”>Higher Education Professionals | College Board]here?[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Haha you guys it’s all good. AP scores are rarely even considered. chill!</p>
<p>Should I submit a 3 in bio, with an explanation in the additional info section (migraine in the morning, almost skipped it), or just not submit at all?</p>
<p>My earlier advice stands.</p>
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<p>Should I still submit the score with no explanation, or will it hurt me?</p>
<p>Just submit it. The general advice is that AP scores are for awarding credit and not very significant in admissions. A 4.0 GPA with several 1’s on AP exams might turn heads, but a 4 is perfectly fine. </p>