I am an upcoming Junior at a rural, small K-12 school, and I just received my AP scores back from my Sophomore year. They read as follows: AP English Lang: 3, AP Biology: 3, AP U.S. History: 4, AP U.S. Govern: 4, AP Calculus BC: 5. I was surprised to receive two 3’s (I was expecting one at the most), and I am wondering exactly how these scores will fit into my admissions chances. I plan to major in a mathematical field, and consider English and Science core areas my weakest. Given my rural upbringing and these scores alone, what are my chances to an Ivy League looking like?
Your location and AP scores are definitely not enough information to chance you accurately! And anyway, at the Ivy League level, AP scores are not heavily weighted in the admissions process at all. Even though your scores aren’t necessarily amazing, I’m really impressed that you’re taking 5 AP classes as a sophomore, and I think colleges will be too. You’re definitely on the right track with your course rigor. Please come back with GPA, ACT, and EC information and I’d be glad to look at your profile more thoroughly. Good luck 
Thank you for your response! Here is the rest of my background information. I have maintained a 4.0 GPA since my 6th grade year. However, I found it odd that I only scored a 3 on the AP Biology and AP English Language exams, as I did get an A in those courses as well. I come from a very poor county in Kentucky, where the Ivy Leagues likely receive a very minute amount of applicants. My ACT has been the same since Freshman year, at a 31 composite. However, my math score, at the end of my Freshman year, was a 35. So, I do have a fairly solid background in math. In addition, I took the redesigned SAT in March, and scored a 1490/1600, which is noticeably better than my ACT score. If there is any other information you would like, just let me know!
The Ivies my DD has toured don’t care about AP Scores. However, they do care about Subject test scores which in my opinion are much harder than the AP exam. Have you decided which subject tests to take?
I took Mathematics Level II my Freshman year, and scored a 760. I would like to retake it (going for an 800), and also take the U.S. History subject test.
Two is all you need unless you are applying to Georgetown. If you can get an 800 on the US History, then I would not retake math.
No college will ask for, or care, what your grades/honors/awards were before HS.
Usually, I would agree that it is pointless to retake a 760, but the OP did take it as a freshman, so some improvement is likely. However, if the 2nd result is not an 800, I would accept it and call it a day. One does not want an AO to think that the applicant is nothing but a test taking drone.
Really? I thought that Ivy League colleges sometimes look back to before HS for applicants? Also, I probably would not take it a third time. That would be investing too much time into one aspect of my application.
Nope.
A 1490 as a sophomore is awesome, and you still have plenty of time to retake it. Your grades and SAT IIs look really good too. I wouldn’t worry too much about AP scores. You don’t have to submit them, and it seems to me that the caliber of the AP classes you took could be less than that of some other areas, which could have affected your scores. You might also want to be thinking of incorporating your community/upbringing into your essay if you feel that makes you different from other applicants.
Okay. I will definitely do that, as I believe I come from a background unlike most applicants. Thank you so much for your input!