I am a rising junior who received a 4 on AP Comp Sci Principles, and 5s on my other two exams. I only took the class to complete my school’s required tech credit, and my extracurriculars and future plans do not include computer science.
I am planning to apply to Top 20 schools. Should I self-report the 4, retake the test next year, or withhold the 4?
Don’t retake the test.
If I were you I’d report it. If you’re still unsure, check the college’s ap credit policy. If they’ll give you credit for it, you should definitely report it
An applicant can withhold an AP score for admissions and report it after being admitted for credit/placement consideration.
So whether credit is received has no bearing on a decision to report a score on an application.
OP, I’d go ahead and report a 4, but it probably won’t make a difference either way.
Certainly don’t bother retaking it next year. The chance of improving a score a full year after taking a course is very small.