I noticed that UVA and countless other schools don’t take the AP Human Geography exam credit. I happen to be in that class unintentionally, as I was supposed to be in AP Economics, but had to chose Human Geography due to a scheduling conflict. I’ve been considering whether or not I should take the exam. At our school, the exams are $83 each, and I’m wondering if it would be worth it to pay that much money at the risk that I may attend a school that doesn’t even take that credit. It’s not that I don’t think I would be able to get a 5 on the exam, it’s just that my main concern is whether it would appear as “lazy” if the general college admissions team saw that I took an AP course but didn’t follow up with the exam for it.
In addition to AP Human Geo, I’m also taking APUSH and AP Lang, and I plan to take those two exams. I feel like if I didn’t take the Human Geo exam, it would give me more time to focus on the other two, but I’m not really sure.
In addition to whether I should take the Human Geography exam, I’d also like to know how much value more selective schools place on the actual AP score. Last year I got a 3 on the AP World exam, which most of the schools that I like don’t even take. Is it necessary to show all AP scores, especially if I scored pretty low on them? If I do, and I don’t get a 4 or a 5, will it hurt my application?
I always think if you are in an AP class, take the exam. Otherwise it might seem that you failed, or did poorly. It is regarded as one of the easier exams.
Seems there is conflicting advice about scores on AP. Some on this forum will say that colleges don’t care what score you get on AP tests, that they just want to see if you took the most rigorous courses. Others (like me) think that a high score means you studied hard and understood the material. They show that you can handle more rigorous work. Also, a good score on the test will help confirm that your grade wasn’t just from coasting in class, or an easy teacher. There have been many people on this forum who got a good grade in the class and did poorly on the test.
You chose to take the class, you weren’t forced. Now you need to back it up with a good test score. Good luck!
“my main concern is whether it would appear as “lazy” if the general college admissions team saw that I took an AP course but didn’t follow up with the exam for it.”
AP scores are not officially reported on college apps, so actually the worse concern is that colleges assume that you did take the exam but got a low score and decided not to self-report it.
so you’re saying i should report everything, even if it doesn’t meet the credit for the school? Also, when they see my test score, will it hurt my overall application if it’s not a 4 or 5?
Yes, take the test and report it if you get a four or five. No point reporting anything lower. Either they make assumptions, or you confirm the assumptions. I do think reporting anything lower than four or five, with the exception of three for foregin language, isn’t helpful.
I second @Lindagaf’s advice on which scores to submit (4 and 5) as well as the recommendation to take the exam. High marks on an AP validate your A, and if you got a lower grade, possibly substantiate a claim that your school was tough in its grading. And whether you get credit for APHG or not, if you enjoyed the class, you’ll find that it is relevant to a lot of what goes on in the world.
If you don’t take it, colleges might assume that you failed the class, which seems unlikely. You should take the test. Especially if you aren’t 100% sure on UVA. Maybe don’t make AP Human Geography your first priority and study a little bit, but focus more on your other two.
@ucbalumnus Yeah, I didn’t realize! I’m thinking GMU as a safety school, but after posting this topic, I realized some of my other top choices actually do take the credit. I think I will take the exam!
Take the exam if you want to take it, honestly. Colleges don’t just want you to take AP exams for credit or because you have to. I think it’s easy if you study and feel interested. I didn’t like it personally ; the course. But it’s up to you.