How do colleges view taking an AP test without the class? I plan on taking the test for macroeconomics. Will just having the test look good to admissions?
This has been asked many many times. Colleges will prefer that you take the class. You get no brownie points for self studying - colleges are not impressed.
While there may be viable reasons for self studying, including satisfying a thirst for knowledge and potentially racking up college credits, helping in the admissions process is not one of them.
If you want credit in college, then yes it is okay to do that. If you want it to look good for colleges, then no. Colleges generally don’t take self-studied AP tests in consideration for admission. Colleges want to see how you do in classes… You should pick classes that are more likely to be accepted and you are more likely to pass and you are more likely to get credit for. An example would be AP Micro or Macro Economics. An example that would not work would be AP Biology because you are not taking the lab.
Colleges are much more concerned about your grades in those classes as opposed to the AP tests.
Why is that?
- Doing well in a class shows you can learn over the year and work hard over a period of time. That is what they want in college.
- Not all HS have many APs.
- Many people take AP tests senior year which is too late for admissions
For example, Stanford says:
Students currently enrolled in AP courses are not required to submit AP scores as part of our admission process. AP scores that are reported are acknowledged but rarely play a significant role in the evaluation of an application. Grades earned over the course of a term, or a year, and evaluations from instructors who can comment on classroom engagement provide us with the most detailed insight into a student’s readiness for the academic rigors of Stanford.
http://admission.stanford.edu/basics/selection/prepare.html
I know someone who took an AP test without taking the class first, and did well on the test. I don’t think that universities considered it in the applications process (the student was going to get into her first choice anyway). She did get full AP credit for the associated course – the equivalent to one full year course.
If you want to do it, then do it for the credit, not for the “bump” in admissions.
A past valedictorian at my school self-studied quite a few APs (finished with 20 5’s) and ended up in the Ivy League where likely not much of the credit is taken. Several teachers have a hall of fame for passing / getting a 5 on AP tests and he had earned the 5 in AP government before even taking the class and there’s a special note by his name for that 
One can do it for the feel good, not necessarily for admissions.