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