<p>You've prolly all seen this thread before, but o well.</p>
<p>Which is more important, SAT IIs or APs? If it depends on the college, then consider only the top colleges.</p>
<p>Well, it probably depends on your high school. Some, like mine, have a <em>very</em> limited selection of APs available. So in my case I suppose SAT IIs are more important.</p>
<p>Both the SAT IIs and the APs can demonstrate competence in particular subjects, right? They can be a general indicator that you work hard in school, or else an indicator that you go to a good school - almost certainly a combination of the two. But the fact is, they don't go much further than that. Once you have demonstrated competence - what more do either the SAT IIs or the APs say (besides that you like to spend hour after hour sitting in for tests)? After competence is demonstrated, you simply have no choice but to move on to other parts of the application.</p>
<p>Which is better - a 5 on the AP Calc test, or an 800 on the Math IIC? Surely both scores show competence with mathematics, but if nothing else is known about either applicant, who's to say that the person who scored 5 on AP Calc AB is better at math than the person who scored an 800 on the IIC? I ask you.</p>
<p>An AP ought to be more important, but at the Ivy's which calculate an "academic index" based on average SAT1 and SAT2 scores - it's still important to have top-notch SAT2 scores. However you don't need more SAT2 scores than the colleges require.</p>
<p>WELL, most colleges require either the SAT or ACT ...AND... x amount of SAT IIs. They often add on their websites " however, you can put down other scores, such as those from AP/IB exams that show your skills, etc etc". So while it is optional to write your AP scores on the application, does it help you at all, seeing as how AP scores aren't required for admission ? I mean, how much bearing does it have on the application, if you have x number of 5s ?</p>
<p>"I mean, how much bearing does it have on the application, if you have x number of 5s ?"</p>
<p>Who knows. Admissions offices aren't saying. But obviously it's a good thing. There's just no way of saying how each admissions office weighs it. If I had good scores I'd certainly make sure the prospective colleges knew it even if there is no obvious place on the application for it.</p>
<p>Yes, but the subjective element to an application certainly cannot be denied. I personally suspect that, in many cases, the "feel" of the overall application has a greater impact than having x vs. 2x 5s on the AP. Scores do contribute to the subjective element, but surely there comes a point where the adcoms say, "Alright. I can see you are competent. What else are you?"</p>
<p>I personally think that AP's are more important because they actually test what someone did in a course throughout highschool. I'm not disparaging SAT II's at all- they're still very important- but I think that AP's matter more.</p>
<p>I recommend that everyone read The Gatekeepers - an inside look at the admissions process. APs are important, but they are judged within the context of the school you are attending.</p>
<p>I would have to say that Sat IIs and the AP's are equally significant to getting into a good college, like i would have everything balanced, everything you do in highschool in the end will pay off, althought personally i would do good on both</p>
<p>
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Ivy's which calculate an "academic index" based on average SAT1 and SAT2 scores
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</p>
<p>Wow..knowing that makes me feel bad for the horrible grade i m going to get on the SAT this january...... i d better start studying (and it also makes me somewhat feel bad for the 790 i got in bio M... but more bad for the SAT part..)</p>
<p>are you allow'd to retake a satII if you do bad?</p>
<p>yes, you can always retake a sat II if you want a higher score</p>
<p>my dad said you can only retake sat</p>
<p>Daddy's wrong then :P</p>
<p>but wouldn't it look awful if you took the same sat ii more than like.. twice anyways?</p>