<p>Some schools use AP scores in admissions, some only for placement if you are admitted. A great many state flagships don’t require them at all.</p>
<p>They can be useful as an equalizer in judging your AP grade. If you received an A in the class, yet a 2 on the AP exam, the class may not have been that difficult. On the other hand, If you got a B in the class but a 5 on the exam, you may have had a hard teacher. It does help to put your AP grades in context for the schools that look at them.</p>
<p>If a school is looking at two candidates from the same high school both have high SAT scores, both have relatively high GPAs, etc. One got an A in Calc but a 1 on the test, the second got a B+ in the class but a 4 on the test. The admissions representative might suspect that the first student cheated in the class. They may even put in a call to the GC to ask about each students character. The previous would only be at an elite school, however it is certainly a possibility of how a disparity in AP grade vs score could raise a red flag.</p>