Can High School Deny Student Right to Take AP Test if Self Studying for Exam? Not Taking AP Course

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Hello,
Can a high school AP administrator rightfully deny the student the right to take an AP exam on the basis that they are not enrolled in the AP version of the class, but only Honors? The student has an A in the Honors version of the course and plans to self study to pass. Thanks

2

Yes, they can.You can see if a neighboring HS will accommodate you for the exam. See the below link:
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/student-resource-finding-test-site-2018-19.pdf

3

Probably, yes.

  1. One factor in a school's reputation is the percentage of kids who score a 3 or higher on the AP Exams. From their standpoint, if they let you take it, they'll have to let everyone who wants to also take it. Frankly, that's a risk. Not everyone in the self-study group is going to score 4's and 5's.
  2. There are costs and logistics involved in the proctoring and processing of the exams. If 30 kids take the test but not the class, arrangements must be made for use of an extra classroom and trained proctor - times however many tests available at the school. And there usually aren't a lot of empty classrooms or trained proctors available. AP Exams are given at the same day, same time across the country, so there is little flexibility for the schools in terms of scheduling.
  3. There is the issue of fairness. AP students are expected to do more homework and perform at a higher level (all year long) than honors students... in exchange for the possibility of receiving college credit if they do well on the exam.
  4. Cost. AP tests are expensive. Some school districts pick up the tab, some don't. If you are offering to pay for the test, then #4 isn't a factor.
  5. Their school, their rules.

There ARE schools that will let you self study and take the exam. If your school won’t permit it, make some phone calls to nearby school districts. Call soon. Some schools register the kids for the exam at the beginning of the year, and our high school registration period only goes through the end of February. Be advised that some colleges don’t give AP credit unless you’ve taken the class (check before you “write the check”), and AOs aren’t really impressed by self-studied AP test results.

4

Thank you.
Are yields for each high school published? In this situation, students pay for tests. Private, so no district to pick up the tab.

5

I’m not sure what you mean by “yields.” For a private school, they likely have a recruiting brochure which in which it may tout its AP success. Additionally, most high schools send a school profile to colleges which usually lists (sometimes by subject) the percentage of students scoring 3+. So there may be a concern of that percentage decreasing by allowing students not taking the class to take the exam.

But as bit @Groundwork2022 and I both said, many schools will happily allow you to take the exam there. After all, the school gets a part of the fee. My HS happily allowed non-students to register for exams. While it may not pertain to your situation, be aware that you will generally have more luck if the exam in question is a straightforward “open the book and begin” exam, as opposed to any that require special equipment, e.g. most foreign languages, music theory, etc. Good luck.,

6

“Are yields for each high school published?”
If you mean overall results for all HS’s, the answer is no.

The college board does publish AP results for the nation and for states, but not for Individual HS’s .
https://research.collegeboard.org/programs/ap/data/nation

7

I would heavily recommend against it