I am taking a free AP Computer Science A course online right now, because my school does not offer the course. Because of this, it would be hard for me to take the AP test; I would have to go to another school to take it. How much of a factor do AP tests have in college admissions? Would it look a lot better if I found a way to take the test and passed?
It depends on where you are applying. At less selective colleges, it may not matter much. The most selective colleges want to see that you’ve challenged yourself in high school by taking the most rigorous courses offered. Some high schools, however, don’t offer Honors or AP courses. Colleges understand that and don’t penalize you for the lack of AP courses if they aren’t offered.
Yes. You are demonstrating a pursuit of challenging courses beyond what your high school offers. But realize that AP tests are graded on a 1 - 5 scale, not pass/fail. You’d want to target scoring a 4 of 5 for it to be helpful in your college application. See https://apscore.collegeboard.org/scores/about-ap-scores/
Good luck!
AP test score has little weight in admission. The course rigor itself is far more important.