<p>My son is taking AP Physics instead of AP Environmental Science. He could have taken the latter and still gotten that coveted "most demanding curriculum" box checked on his Common App, but he said that colleges know that AP Physics is more demanding. (He's a prospective Poli Sci major, so it really made no difference for college studies.) </p>
<p>As far as which is the most demanding AP exam, if one uses the criterion of fewest percentage of students getting a 5, that exam is (surprisingly) AP Government & Politics (based on 2007 scores; I don't know when they will update with the 2008 information). My son told me this; I was skeptical and checked it out on the collegeboard.com website. He was right!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input. He is really enjoying the class so I guess he'll keep it. He was originally going to try to take AP Bio, but it wouldn't fit in his schedule. (It was at the same time as AP CHEM).</p>
<p>S1 took APES as a soph. It was his first AP. He had a sort of wacky teacher who kept them on their toes. At our sch., it's not easy but still not as hard as Bio (which he took a a sr) or chem,physics. S1 enjoyed APES. He is majoring in a related subject in college so the 5 he got on the APES exam helped with his major requirments.</p>
<p>At my school, it was offered in the 10th grade and you had to take the AP exam. I think our teacher must have been really good because most people got 5s on the exam. As for the class, it was a TON of busy work, but once you learned how to manage it, it was actually quite an interesting class. I learned a lot and it really got me interested in environmental issues.</p>
<p>Definitely easier than other AP sciences in terms of requiring thought, but the busy work was hell for a while. I doubt that's the case at all schools, though.</p>