[Moving this to a different forum, one where it looks like there is more traffic.]
My son is a junior in high school. His school does not teach AP courses, but he can take AP tests at a nearby school. We’re trying to determine what would be best for him to take in terms of the Physics and Calculus tests.
By the end of his senior year, he will have had two years of physics and two years of calculus – one year as a junior and one year as a senior. Roughly the physics this year is algebra-based and next year calculus-based. And roughly the calculus this year is AB and next year BC.
Given that, which tests should he take? Should he take Physics 1/2 and Calculus AB this year, and then Physics C and Calculus BC next year? Or skip 1/2 and AB this year and just do C and BC next year? Or something different for Physics and Calculus?
This isn’t a question related to the courses at his school (he will likely have to do some self study to complement that), more which tests it makes sense to take.
I would have him look over the materials and see what he feels comfortable preparing for. Colleges say they don’t put too much emphasis on AP scores, but if he feels he can get a 5 (check out what scores are required for that, it’s surprisingly low), then it may be a good idea if the courses he is taking are reasonably well aligned with the AP curriculum and so not a huge amount of material to self study. Also he may want those credits. I’d prioritize the AB over physics because that could be recognized and useful at any school whereas physics 1 and 2 aren’t going to be accepted for most STEM majors anyhow. The BC exam next year does cover the AB material and if he does well on it, the AB won’t matter. But it might be nice to demonstrate rigor to colleges and have that one done if he isn’t able to take the BC test next year for whatever reason.
I would look at your favorite possible colleges and see if you get credit for Calc BC…I checked CWRU and they give credit for a 5 on BC. Also check for Physics.
I would put more emphasis on what you can get credit for in college, and less on how much is used in admissions as you say, not all HS have AP courses and sometimes you would take them senior year after you would be admitted already.
Given that the school does not give AP tests, I don’t think not having them on his application would be a big deal. Since next year is another calc and physics class, he can take whichever tests he feels most ready for then and which he would get credit for.
However, I would also check with his guidance counselor. If most of the seniors that apply to top college form his school have taken AP tests, he may want to do so as well (assuming he is applying to similar schools). No first hand experience on this, as our school gives AP classes.
Thanks for the responses so far. But I feel like I’m not getting the kind of information we need (he has to decide in a couple of days which tests he’s going to take this year), so let me clarify.
This has nothing to do with applications/admissions, we’re simply trying to determine what will be most effective/useful. The feedback from the GC and recent grads is to try to take a number of AP tests. The classes at his school are good, and fortunately, he is a good test taker, so I’m not worried about his having to study some on his own. Also, my son will be shooting for good schools, and he plans on majoring in physics.
Regarding the credit given, we did check a few schools we’re looking at, and in general, as expected, schools look much more favorably on BC rather than AB. So one perspective might be, why bother taking AB this year if you’re going to take BC next year. Yeah, it’s possible that taking BC won’t work out next year, but that’s unlikely.
For Physics, some schools recommend taking the intro courses even if you could get credit. Which makes me think maybe he shouldn’t even bother taking any Physics AP tests.
I figured people who had been through this process before would have some helpful info. Thanks.
Why do the other students and GC recommend taking them?
If he is taking them for admissions purposes, then the only ones relevant would be the ones he takes this year. Next year’s exams in May will be after he has made his choice of schools.
If he wants to major in Physics, I think schools will look favorably on physics 1 and 2 scores even if he does not take the credit. He may be able to demonstrate the same competence by taking the SAT Physics Subject Test.
On the calculus, do the schools give credit for Calc I if he does well in the AB subscore of the BC test? Some do. That way he could just take the BC test next year and if he falls short, still get some credit.
I would say Calculus AB this year for sure, a 4 (or maybe a 5 depending on college) gets him out of Calculus 1. After that there is relatively little additional work needed to supplement for the BC test. Taking the test this year forces him to prepare and really learn the material beyond what the course expects and it also reduces the stress next year.
Physics is trickier. If he is planning on heading in a STEM direction, algebra based Physics is not particularly useful, especially for a Physics or Engineering major.
It looks like the main reason for your son to take the exams is for college credit and maybe prove course rigor. Do any colleges accept Physics 1&2 credits (check)? If not, skip them. I would suggest the AB and BC Calc and Physics C exam to my own child if she had your son’s schedule but I don’t know if she would have listened.
Your son can take any AP class he likes at his own school. He just has to request and pay for them. My D did thi at our school. I am not 100% sure, but I beleive they need to provide a proctor and a place for,him to tkar the test, but this can be any room in the school. All AP tests are given on the same day, so not sure why he would need to go to another school to do them.
I believe that AP Physics 1 and Physics 2 are both one year courses, so it would take two years to make it through the AP Physics 1/2. I know some schools are offering it as a one year option, but it really takes two years to cover that material at any depth with enough time for the material to sink in.
My suggestion is to take the AP Calculus AB this year so that he covers differential calculus in depth at a leisurely pace and then take AP Physics C with AP Calculus BC next year. There is a whole lot of overlap between AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C in the mechanics part. In AP Physics 1, some of the equations are provided to you without derivation. In AP Physics C, some of these equations will be derived from first principles using calculus. However, once past the derivations, the same algebraic equations will be used to solve problems.
If the goal is credit, not applications, I would skip the AP tests this year. Physics C will make the Physics 1&2 tests irrelevant. I only know from an engineering curriculum, but no credit would have been give for non-calculus physics.
And even engineers sometimes take the Physics credit and place into the 2nd semester of physics in college.
Similar recommendation for Calculus - just have him take the BC test next year. The Calculus BC test includes an AB subscore - the score the student would have received on just the material from the AB test. The Calculus test naming refers to an academic year of 3 trimesters of Calculus ( I know few schools use trimesters). AB is the first 2 trimesters, BC includes material from all 3. So it is a complete year of Calculus. My engineering D placed out of 2 semesters of calculus with the BC test.
Ah, I misread your question. You are looking at which tests to take. From the perspective of placement, it really does not matter much as most physics departments want their physics majors to start with Mechanics, usually in some honors level Mechanics class – well beyond AP Physics C level – in order to challenge students who have taken AP Physics C and done well in it in high school.
If he is looking to demonstrate proficiency in the subject on his resume for the college application process, he may be better served to see if he can take the material at a local college either the summer before senior year or during his senior year if he has the flexibility.
In theory, yes. But just because a school can order a test does not mean that a school will order a test. If the school stands firm and will only order tests for its own students taking AP classes in its own school, that is not a battle that will likely be won in time for this year’s testing cycle.
Useful for your son? If it’s simply practice, buy a review book and take the practice exams. If you have the means to shell out the $92 per test, take them all. However, know in advance that for almost all colleges, credit gained from the BC & Physics C exams will supersede any credit given for Physics 1/2 ad Calc AB. Also, many top colleges, if your son is planning on a major in physical sciences/engineering, want students to learn physics their way, and although they might give credit for Physics C, it will not always be able to be applied to the major.
Any tests taken as a senior will be after college admissions offers have been made. Personally, I would defer the decision on which AP tests to take as a senior until you have an offer in hand and know the AP policies of the school in question.
If he takes the Calc AB test as a junior and gets a 5, he can report that to the colleges. If he takes BC as a senior, iit will be too late for admissions purposes.
If he wants to take AP tests this year so that he will have a record of being in AP level classes he should take the ones that align best with what it in the tests. That should be easy enough to determine by looking at sample tests and review books. If he wants credit - generally AB Calc gives one semester of credit BC gives two. Some school will only give gen ed credit for the non-calc based physics. The very selective colleges will often give credits for only 4s and 5’s, sometimes only 5’s and sometimes will also require placement tests anyway.
Since I am a cautious sort, I’d probably have my kid take the appropriate level APs this year and then the more advanced level ones next year. APs are only given one day a year. You can be sick - or as in the case of my youngest have severe senioritis. He didn’t study for half his APs while he was much more focused for the ones he took as a junior.
AP physics 1 and 2 together cover what may be covered in one year in a physics for biology majors and pre-meds course, or the old AP physics B. However, the latter two may assume that the student has had high school physics.
Because many medical schools do not accept AP credit, and physics for biology majors and pre-meds is a terminal course (i.e. there is unlikely to be a more advanced physics course to substitute), AP physics 1 and 2 credit is unlikely to be useful for pre-meds. For non-pre-med biology majors, usefulness depends on the college, but note that some colleges do not accept it because their own physics for biology majors and pre-meds courses include some calculus.
Part of the issue with AP physics C is that the assumed math level (concurrent enrollment in calculus AB = calculus 1) is lower than that assumed by most college physics for physics and engineering majors (usually, mechanics is taken with or after calculus 2, while E&M is taken with or after calculus 3), so that AP physics C cannot use as much math as the college courses. Also, some colleges’ physics courses include more material, such as thermodynamics, in the first two semesters.