So, I’m kinda stuck in this weird limbo. I’m currently enrolled in an accredited distance learning school, and I was unable to choose my courses. The school has a partnership with CTY Online so that it’s student can take AP courses. And apparently in order to get into CTY you have to have a qualifying SAT, ACT, PSAT 10/NMSQT score. I had no idea about this, because both the CTY website and my school’s website say a qualifying verbal and comprehensive score, which in no way implies huge standardized tests.
Anyway, I didn’t sign up for any APs in the beginning of the year because I didn’t meet the prerequisites, but now I meet just one or two. The CTY AP course I want to sign up for is session based, and starts in January. What worries me is that I just found out about the fact that you need a qualifying SAT, ACT etc. score. And, with timing and everything, the SAT I can take is in December, so that’s not a lot of time to prep. And, 10th graders don’t normally take the ACT, SAT, etc. this year. What should I do?
Don’t take AP Stats…you don’t need two maths. Also I would do Calc AB…I would want to make sure your math foundation is good before you did Calc bC. Consider Spanish 4 instead of AP Spanish if that exists, ifyou are not planning to do much with spanish later…
You need to add Physics somewhere.
Also are you more of a STEM person or more of a Humanities person? You are taking APs in all areas…that might be a bit much.
My recommendation would be precalculus Honors junior year, and Calculus AB senior year (or Calculus AB junior year, then see if you take BC or AP Stats senior year), especially if you’re a humanities person. BTW, both calculus AB and BC are college-level math (AB= first level of college math for science and business majors, BC = second level of college math, for stem majors).
Generally students take AP English Composition junior year, and AP English Lit senior year.
Take Spanish 4 before AP Spanish Language.
So, junior year would be AP Lang, APUSH, Precalculus Honors, Spanish 4H, Chemistry, one elective (could be AP Gov
or AP Psych for example, or an honors English seminar or something in art)
Senior year: AP Calculus, AP Spanish, AP Lit, AP History, AP Gov or Econ, physics.
As Stanford famously put it, it’s not a game of who has the most AP’s, wins. You need to have some of the important ones (AP Lang, APUSH) and AP’s in your chosen field for consistency (ie., if you’re into humanities, you need all Humanities AP’s and several strong social science ones), but then the rest needs to demonstrate balance.
Going from your current schedule to the proposed schedule, with more AP’s than is wise, is not a good idea and will not make you “look good”.
My personal recommendation: You are in grade 10. Wait to take APs until you are in grade 11. Try to get everything lined up to be ready to take at least one AP next year.
Take the SAT anyway? What is the worst, that you dont’ score well? Then that is okay, you have time to take it again next year. If you don’t take it, then you can’t take any APs, right?
Have you taken the PSAT 8/9 or did you take the PSAT this month? If you did, and you scored well enough, you don’t need the SAT. If the class you want requires a qualifying verbal score, you would need a 490 scored as an 8th grade, 540 as a 9th grader, or 590 this year. There are other tests that qualify as well (ACT and SCAT).
Can you still take the SCAT at testing centers to qualify? My son did that in 7th or 8th grade to qualify for CTY, and it was very easy to schedule. We got the score back the next day.
Didn’t you ask this question already? Didn’t I say to just sign up for the Dec SAT and start studying on Khan Academy now? You can sign yourself up for SAT. Go to the College Board Website.