<p>Hi all,
I'm a senior who planned to take the English Lit, Calculus, Chemistry, and US Gov & Politics tests, but now I'm questioning whether I should bother taking them. I'm a good student, and I've taken four AP tests with three 5s and one 4. However, I took the English Lang test last year and got a 5, and it seems like the many colleges offer the same credits for either the literature or language test. As for the US Gov & Politics test, that seems to earn only elective credits at most colleges. Lastly, my concern with calculus and chemistry is that they are such difficult subjects that I will not want to skip them in college anyways, so there seems to be no point paying $90 for each test I don't need. Are there any reasons I should take some/all of the tests or any other thoughts?</p>
<p>The lit/lang this is a legitimate reason, but the others really boil down to what you want to study in college. Planning on being a history major? Then obviously you want to get a lab/math credit out of the way so thats beneficial. If you are going into chemistry, then yes you probably will have to take those classes again, but you could use the calc credit.</p>
<p>Finally, theres nothing wrong with some elective credit, as sometimes a class like US gov falls into a category of gen eds that you might need.</p>
<p>I have to agree that you have a legitimate reason to not take the lit/lang test, but I would recommend taking the other tests. The more classes you can cross off your schedule before arriving at college, the better. I regret not taking more APs. If I had taken one more, I would be able to graduate a semester early.</p>
<p>Even if the classes don’t qualify for credits for you, they can often allow to place into better classes, and, therefore, be more able to take advantage of what your college has to offer. Personally I’m planning on taking 7 AP tests in May.</p>
<p>Thanks for the insight! I suppose I should just pay up, buckle down, and take the tests. If only I knew which college I was attending… that would make it much easier.</p>
<p>Depending on the college, many times they offer a step-up version of calc and science for those who scored well on the AP test. It’s definitely worth it to take the exam. I agree in there no need to take the AP lit exam.</p>
<p>Depending on the college you plan to attend, you also may have the option to take a CLEP test in the same subject matter. Those tests are given throughout the year (not just once like the AP tests). There are a lot of colleges/universities who have a CLEP policy in place and may allow for something like up to 30 credits accepted. You might want to check it out if you don’t want the pressure towards the end of your senior year. Also a good alternative if you don’t do as well as you hoped on the AP exams.</p>