<p>AP</a> Exams Are the Biggest Scam in American Education - BroBible.com</p>
<p>I never took an AP class. What say you peeps?</p>
<p>I'll bet AP math tests are more rigourous.</p>
<p>I easily could have passed my first quarter calculus class using just my knowledge from AP Calculus AB. My required English class was literally 10 times easier than my senior year AP English class.</p>
<p>I haven’t taken Biology or US History in college (those are the other AP classes I took), but I assume those would be quite a bit tougher in college.</p>
<p>I only took one AP class (the only one offered at my school), but I know several people who took several. Most of them took math classes (predominately calc). I know of at least one that retook it at his university and found that the AP class had been more rigorous! </p>
<p>It probably depends on a lot of factors, like teacher/professor, how it’s taught, additional assignments, etc. as to whether or not they’re useless.</p>
<p>At my school, some of the APs were notoriously tough. Government’s midterm average was usually around 60, class was tons of work, and the teacher was a nightmare. Everyone aced the exam of course, but wow, the class was scary. A lot of students would take gov at the local CC instead, was just as transferable and waaaay easier.</p>
<p>Calc, well, I always felt like the exam questions were a joke. But, again, it had a good teacher who expected a lot from the class. A majority of students got 5’s, and few got below a 4. In terms of what was expected going into the next calc class though, I think we were definitely prepared, and even just the test material would’ve been enough.</p>
<p>Also, I think part of the issue with credit is which university is in question. State schools generally accept CC credit, and CC classes (at least intro ones) are usually on the same level as APs, if not easier. Other, more selective schools, expect more either way, so in the same way they make students retake important classes they’ve had at other schools, it makes sense to have them retake AP classes.</p>
<p>I’ve already posted about my views regarding this article [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1460539-ap-tests-biggest-scam-american-education.html#post15478966]here[/url”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1460539-ap-tests-biggest-scam-american-education.html#post15478966]here[/url</a>]. In short, I think the article is flawed.</p>
<p>It is a very broad brush treatment that ignores significant differences between various AP courses, AP tests, colleges’ introductory courses, and colleges’ policies with respect to AP scores. (It is, however, the case that many of the newer AP tests are poorly accepted at colleges for subject credit or placement, earning them the name “AP lite”.)</p>
<p>These days, students often do not need to guess as to whether it is a good idea to skip the introductory course if allowed by the college. In many cases, the old final exams are readily available on the college’s web site, so they can be reviewed to check one’s knowledge before deciding whether or not to skip the course.</p>
<p>My AP classes were very difficult, the rigor of the courses were insane, and our teacher’s pass rates were always very high. I took AP Psych, hated my (non-IB program teacher), wrote a few brief answers on the free response part (and wrote stories and lyrics after that), I was surprised to see I passed with a 4! They should have chosen anther AP test as an indicator, because not a lot of people take AP psych, the exams are graded super easy. APUSH (a class that everyone takes) should have been used, I loved the teacher and got A’s on the course and barely passed.</p>
<p>I got a 4 on my AP Calc test and if you asked me to take a college level calc exam, I’d certainly fail it. D’you know why? Because I took that test over a year ago. I studied really hard for it by cramming for weeks and doing practice questions over and over. Now it’s all out of my head because it was so long ago. It’s the same with college classes I’ve taken. I took developmental psychology two semesters ago and I’ve forgotten most of it. That doesn’t mean I didn’t take a college level class. I just studied really hard for the tests and while I remember most of the key concepts, that doesn’t mean I could answer a question correctly about some random experiment that I’d only know if I had studied.</p>
<p>As far as being subjective, I don’t see how that’s any different from college classes.</p>
<p>I think it all depends on the person. Never studied or prepared for the AP English exams and I got 4s. Worked my butt off for Calc and got a 1. Moderately prepped for AP World and scored a 3.</p>
<p>It’s not very consistent, and like college courses, you tend to do better at what interests you. AP classes are what you make of them.</p>
<p>Ap classes can be very helpful! Thanks to AP, my son entered college as a “freshman with sophomore standing”. This will save him considerable money, by allowing him to graduate early.</p>
<p>I’m glad I’m well-off enough financially not to need to graduate financially.</p>