Does Berkeley require you to submit all AP test scores, or can we choose?
You can self report your AP test scores or not. They are not required for an admissions decision. They will be used to determine if you get course credit when you matriculate; however, if you do not report any scores or a few, admissions may question why. Admissions may think 1) You did poorly 2) Did not want to take the tests or 3) could not afford to take the tests (this will not be held against you).
@Gumbymom Great, thank you. I could not take more exams because 1. I live with my mom (who makes $40,000) annually and my dad only contributes through child support, and 2. because my close, direct family relative had an emergency medical issue in May, so most of the money that should have been used for the exams was instead used to cover the medical bills.
Should I explain this myself in the additional information section since there are no rec letters submissions?
Still though, I have managed to take 4 exams throughout my high school career (1 Freshman, 1 Sophomore, 2 Junior), so should I just not say anything?
UCB is asking for LOR’s by invitation, so if you submit your application, you could get an invite. You could mention that the AP test costs were a financial problem.
If there are financial issues regarding AP tests this year, you may want to consider strategically choosing those which are likely to be useful for subject credit and foregoing the rest. For example, for Berkeley L&S and the majors therein, English language or literature is useful if you get a 4 or 5 (5 on literature fulfills both parts of the reading and composition requirement, 4 on either fufills the first half), but human geography, comparative government, US history, European history, and physics B/1/2 appear to be rather useless for anything other than generic credit units, and many of the others are only useful for subject credit in a few majors.
In your essays, you could mention that you could not take as many AP tests as you would like due to financial considerations.