AP scores came out yesterday and my scores were lower than I expected. How much do colleges actually care about AP scores (I’m looking at selective schools)? Should I report 4s and 5s or just 5s? Thanks for the advice 
4’s are very good scores and I see no valid reason not to report them.
@skieurope Ok than you! I got 3s on bio and bc calc. Should I report them or not? I’m mainly thinking of selective schools. Threes aren’t terrible, but they don’t scream I know the material. Then again, I don’t want the admissions officers thinking I got 1s or 2s. I’m very conflicted.
It’s up to you. Your AP scores will not be the reason you are either accepted or rejected. That said, the BC score is one where 60% get 4’s and 5"s, and probably more than 60% applying for selective schools get that score, so the 3 here is probably one I’d omit. Along the same lines, if you need calc for your major in college, you probably want to retake even if the school gives credit.
@hw1102 Do not report 3’s, it can most definitely hurt you at selective schools. These schools are getting so many applications, they are just looking for a reason to deny. If you report it it becomes part of the evaluation process. Simply leave it off. Report your best scores and put effort into the entire application. Best of luck!
I agree that there is no point in reporting threes at selective schools. They won’t help, and given an otherwise equal applicant, might hurt.
You might report the calc score if you got a higher score on the AB portion of the exam. IRC my younger son got a 3 on BC, but the report said he got a 4 on the AB portion of the exam. Reporting wasn’t an issue for him as he took it as a senior and at that point he knew the college he was attending would only accept 5 AP scores which he already had.
I’d report a 3, unless it is in your major or to a tippy top school. You can always take and SAT II subject test if you are worried about validating a good grade you got in the class.
For Calc BC, much of the time it’s probably a moot point to report a 3, as many schools won’t give you actual subject credit (i.e. skip the class) for Calc 1 and/or 2 unless it’s 4+. So even if you got graduation credit (which many universities will do for 3+), once you retake the class in the university, the credit from the AP gets overriden anyhow. But it depends on the school.
IF you’re a stem wanna be, the 3’s in bio and calc are an issue for highly or most selective colleges. Not reporting them won’t help. Reporting won’t help.