<p>How does it look to colleges if you take the AP Course but don't take the AP Exam for it?</p>
<p>Depends. If you're a senior and you said on your application that you'd take the AP exam, you should take the AP exam for fear of getting your application rescinded (it's rare, but it can happen because it's on your application.) </p>
<p>If you're a sophomore or junior, then taking the AP course but not the exam is generally frowned upon because AP exams help compare how difficult courses are between schools and whether you actually learned the material. It's an "added bonus" if you're applying to some of the top schools. Even so, if you take the exam and get a one, you don't even have to list it on your application- it's optional.</p>
<p>but if reporting AP scores is optional, how would a school find out that the exam WASN'T taken?</p>
<p>^ They wouldn't. However, I can't understand why someone would take the class without the cumulative exam.</p>
<p>From reading many admissions books and posts here, I thought that the AP exam results are NOT part of the college application. In fact, I have always thought that to be crazy, that the exam and not the course grade should be reported.</p>
<p>Can anyone confirm that the exam grade is not reported?</p>
<p>You self-report the scores.</p>
<p>Anyway, anyway, if you totally bomb your senior year AP exams, you're not going to get admissions rescinded (most likely); but if you decided to be dishonest and not take them at all -- thats a different story.</p>
<p>Our HS will not weight AP classes if the student doesn't take the exam.</p>
<p>There's no harm taking the exam. I wonder how many people here thought they were going to bomb AP Calc and instead got a 5. :)</p>
<p>Of the five AP exams I'm taking, the college I have been accepted to and will be attending does not accept two. Is it still 'frowned down upon' if I'm not taking it simply because it's not going to give me any credit or placement into higher-level courses? Seems kind of a waste of time to me..</p>
<p>Take them.</p>
<p>And you might use them to win an award or something. Doesn't hurt. Plus later on in life, you never know when you might switch fields and they would be nice on your resume. :)</p>
<p>^Yeah I agree with galoisien. You can get awards. Anyway my experience is different from yours. I took the exams without the courses. And I still survived. You already paid for the exams right? Go for it. In September, you will getting some award you could use for scholarships apps etc :)</p>
<p>There are several good reasons for not taking the exam. For example, some colleges don't necessarily award credit for all AP exams (Gov't), so why take the test and waste 4 hours? A second is that you don't feel particularly strong in the subject and will retake it in college. A third is finances - our HS requires the students to pay the full AP fee.</p>
<p>A college will NOT rescind your acceptance if you are a senior and you skip AP exams. Why would/should they care? On the contrary, highly selective colleges are rethinking AP credits since some matriculants don't seem to well prepapred for upper level study.</p>
<p>And, sorry, AP awards are worthless. Admissions can easily see that you scored 4-5's and 4-4's (or whatever); they don't need CollegeBoard to tell them via a certificate.</p>
<p>astro: do you have any proof of your 'rare' instances?</p>
<p>OTOH, taking the AP test and earning credit might be beneficial if you decide to transfer.</p>
<p>
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And, sorry, AP awards are worthless.
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<p>I don't mean your future college! I'm talking about scholarships / employers / internships / schools down the road.</p>
<p>While I agree that the award will matter little in a situation like say, if you are applying to work at JPMorgan, it might look nice to your in-transit employer in-between schools or during the summer. Maybe it won't -- but it doesn't hurt.</p>
<p>I'm taking 2 AP classes, and I forgot to say on the UC application that I would take the AP exams. Will they still accept my scores and give me credit if I pass the exams and send them the scores by the deadline?</p>
<p>Definitely, if you're already accepted.</p>