<p>Does Carnegie Mellon consider scores on AP Tests for admissions? This excerpt from their undergraduate admissions page suggests that they place little to no weight on them (more so on the SAT's). </p>
<p>"Standardized test scores add to our knowledge of a student's ability, but we cannot make decisions simply on the basis of test scores alone. The high school record and standardized test scores (SAT Reasoning Test or Act with Writing and SAT Subject Tests) work together to make up the academic portion of a student's evaluation."</p>
<p>I have not researched CMU specifically, but generally speaking, AP tests scores are used for giving college credit at some universities, not for admissions. However, if you are an AP Scholar with Distinction or some other AP Scholar recognition, that tells the university something about you that can be used in admissions (by placing this information in the awards and honors section of the application, e.g.). It says you’re in a select group of high school students who challenged themselves with a certain number of AP exams and made certain minimum scores on them. Taking AP courses at your school also tells a university whether you’re taking the most challenging curriculum available, and your grades in the courses (as opposed to your AP exam scores) may give you a boost compared to other applicants if the university weights AP courses when viewing a student’s transcript and comparing it to other applicants. So the AP scholar awards and your grades in AP courses can give you a boost in admissions at many universities. </p>
<p>I called the admissions office a few weeks ago to ask about my AP scores because I forgot to include them in my ED application, and the man who answered the phone told me not to worry about it because they don’t use them when making decisions. They only use them for placement after you’re admitted to the university. However, I still sent them my AP score report and they placed it under the “Admission Documents Received” list, so it does go in your file and they can look at your AP scores if they want to. </p>