I heard that getting a good GPA is very important when you’re planning to apply to grad school. So if getting college credits for taking AP tests gets you into harder classes, wouldn’t it be better not to take those tests so you don’t have to take as many hard classes and get a better GPA?
Just because you get college credit does not mean that you have to accept it. One can, as an example, forgo the chem credit and retake general chem in college. I would still take the AP tests, though.
If I were to take the AP tests, what would be the benefit(s) of taking them if I’m going to forgo the credits anyway?
As a senior, none. As a junior or younger, they can help validate the rigor of your AP courses in the admissions process. Getting an A in the course and a 4 or 5 on the exam will show that; getting a 1 or a 2 may lead to AO’s questioning grade inflation at your school. Not reporting scores on your college applications may cause they AO to think either:
• Financial hardship prevented you from taking the exam
• You were not motivated enough to take the exam
• You took the exam and performed poorly (1 or 2)
The first one will not affect your application; the last 2 may raise an eyebrow. AO’s can, and have, contacted GC’s to explain why there are no AP scores reported on the application.
Depending on the university, it gets you out of entry level prerequisite courses. For example, my university requires three semesters of a foreign language, but one can satisfy two of those by scoring well on the AP and completing the requirement in the first term.
Yes, but does it mean you have to take harder classes if you get out of an easier course?
@babytomato yes, potentially. The way I see it though is that especially for classes in your major, you will be taking those harder classes anyways, so you might as well get a head start on it. However, AP credits can be very useful for getting out of gen ed requirements, depending on what college you go to. In my case, my AP credits allowed me to fulfill nearly all of my gen ed requirements, so now I can focus solely on classes that pertain to my major or classes that I enjoy taking. For example, since I took so many humanities based APs, I don’t really need to take any more in college unless I want to.
Some colleges require you to retake classes anyways regardless of your AP score, which can be an advantage since you will be relearning it rather than learning something completely new.
@silmaril thank you, that’s very helpful! I’ll look for the general ed requirements for the colleges i’m interested in.
AP credits earned in high school will give you more flexibility in college. You can use the credits to move into more difficult courses right off the bat when matriculating, or you can retake a course even if you have AP credit if you want to solidify your understanding of the material. You can take courses you might not have had the opportunity to take in college because your were busy fulfilling requirements. You can delve more deeply into your major or consider double majoring. You can potentially graduate early if you have enough credit. There is really no downside to having those credits though it may be a bit more work in high school.
Actually, there is a financial downside depending upon which college you attend. Some schools (UMich is an example) will charge you an upperclassman per credit rate once you go above a certain number of credits.