how badly will a few bad AP scores hurt me in the college admissions process?
Ive gotten 5 3s (lol i know) and 1 4. Im taking 5 APs this year but am planning to only take 2 tests.
For the ED1 round, im applying to a top ranked school…and im a nervous wreck about how these will hurt me.
Does anyone know if AP scores carry any weight in the admissions process? Will I be scrutinized for them?
AP scores do not generally carry much if any weight in the admissions process. However, they can be used to assess curricular rigor and to correlate with GPA. In your case, 5 3’s raises some questions about the rigor or adequacy of preparation of your AP courses. Not reporting them is worse, as colleges will assume you scored poorly (most likely a 1 or 2). I doubt it will be decisive, but it is a consideration.
This can be boiled down to three options (assuming SAT / ACT and Subject Tests correspond):
(1) All or mostly all As + High SAT / ACT and Subject Tests near or at 800
(2) All or mostly all As + Low to Moderate SAT / ACT and Subject Tests around 700 or no Subject Tests
(3) Mostly Bs + Low to Moderate SAT / ACT and Subject Tests around 700 or no Subject Tests
If you are:
(1) AP Scores likely to be overlooked or discounted
(2) AP Scores confirm or strongly imply grade inflation and poor course rigor
(3) AP Scores confirm your academic abilities
Why aren’t you planning to take the AP tests for all five AP classes that you are taking this year?