<p>If your high school senior is going to a college that does not award AP credit, would you still want your child to take the AP tests? How does your child feel about this?</p>
<p>In our high school if you take an AP class, you are required to take the AP exam. Therefore, my child would have no choice and would take it.</p>
<p>Even if the college does not award AP credit, it may allow placement in a more advanced class, which can be helpful. If the student has been doing well in the AP class, I can see little downside in taking the test.</p>
<p>Many high schools require that the students who take the AP class must also take the AP test. </p>
<p>To the OP: A good reason to take the AP tests even if that particular college doesn’t accept AP credits is because there is always a chance that the student may find themselves transferring to a different college at a later date (which may accept AP credits).</p>
<p>Upside: Material learned is better remembered, or at least that’s been my observation. </p>
<p>Possible award (non-monetary): If your kid likes to collect trophies of distinction, AP keeps track and awards by categories of students who tokk X number of AP tests with scores of N or more… leading to their own several levels of academic awards such as “AP Scholar with Distinction.” If that happens, it’s a point-of-pride, wall certificate, future resume notation whenever someone asks for “academic awards received.” There are honors that outstrip this one, but it is a reason to take the test, especially if there are other AP’s tested and the results were good. </p>
<p>Downside: cost of the test</p>
<p>Child’s feelings: at the time, he knew he could waive credits at the college so I’m sure that was his primary motivation for taking the test at the time. The certificate distinction came as a surprise later and wouldn’t have been reason enough to motivate him to lose the days to take a test just for the joy of taking yet another test. In the end, though, he got a certificate and it turned out to be his best honor from high school after all, and a point of pride to him. YMMV.</p>
<p>At our HS you have to pay for the AP tests in the fall, so it is a sunk cost - no downside to taking the test.</p>
<p>definitely take it, who knows, what if you end up transferring?</p>
<p>My daughter found she can get most of the money refunded for her AP tests. She decided to skip two tests because 1) her school doesn’t offer credit and 2) courses were ones that she did not want placement out of.</p>
<p>Another downside would be “stress”. S1 told me many of his classmates (especially the ones that are going to tippy-tops) are not taking the AP tests. They just want to relax and decompress.</p>
<p>I would take them in case you transfer and could use the credit at your new college.</p>
<p>Not sure the time to relax and decompress is at the end of a year-long class whose culmination is a significant national standardized exam.</p>
<p>For potential placement advantages, and the possibility of getting credit should he transfer, he should definitely prepare for and take the test(s).</p>
<p>I think transferring is the best reason for taking them. You just never know. I actually got credit for the APs I took in a roundabout way in grad school.</p>
<p>It sounds to me like your son would like to get a little break.</p>
<p>If it isn’t going to affect anything at his current school choice, why bother?</p>
<p>Even if they did count, I frankly don’t understand what the big rush is to finish college anyway (unless it is financial). When I was a kid I entered school with about 60 units of AP and college credit, but I just retook everything anyway. I appreciated being able to relax a little my first year, and my gen ed classes were a welcome break. I think the only thing I skipped was introductory writing and a foreign language requirement.</p>
<p>If folks are headed for tippy-tops, they should be looking at their course catalogues to see how many times a professor of a 200-level (intermediate course) will consider waiving the “prerequisite.” Often the prerequisite is stated this way in catalogues: “the college’s own introductory (101) course or by permission of the professor.” </p>
<p>Why might a professor permit that? Sometimes the student can say, " I got a 4 or a 5 on my (subject) AP exam." Many students prefer skipping 101 survey courses in subjects they know well. Without an exam taken, how can he "discuss’ with the professor? They’re not going to give him an impromptu exam on-the-spot!</p>
<p>Besides transferring, the other reason might be holding onto a Wait List. But if I recall, OP, your child will matriculate at Caltech, which does provide credit or placement for AP/IB scores. Thus, the only reason for your kid would be possible transfer, or to boost the teacher’s pass scores. </p>
<p>fwiw: AP Gov is the course at our HS that our top ~15 seniors skip bcos some of top colleges, including Stanford, don’t provide credit or placement for it.</p>
<p>There is nothing quite like having to study for a final exam to really raise your understanding and internalization of the material. The whole idea here was to get an education, right? So to skip the exam is to shortchange how much you will learn and be able to use moving forward. </p>
<p>I agree with Bovertine that, aside from finances, I don’t understand why students rush to get college over with by buying down credits with AP. I do understand replacing those courses with other ones however or retaking the courses at college (often the courses can be quite different anyway, and you really do usually learn things at a new and deeper level the next time around).</p>
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<p>You might laugh at me as Polyanna but I think that’s a good reason for a student to take the test. To pay back the teacher’s effort to train him shows respect and appreciation for the teacher.</p>
<p>Can you imagine how frustrating it would be to be a motivated, hardworking, top quality h.s. teacher and see the best students laze out and not care enough to bring back some professional pride to the teacher him/herself? Sometimes it’s political who gets chosen on faculty to teach AP’s. It’s a “plum.” If your child has any care for the teacher who spent a year teaching him, it’s a way to pay it back. It’s an attitude thing.</p>
<p>I mentioned my daughter is skipping 2 but she is taking 3 and has 5 from last year. Even if she transfers, she does not want credit for those two classes and she wants to take intro courses offered in those subjects.</p>
<p>At D1’s school, the issue for graduating seniors heading to schools which don’t offer AP credit is studying for AP tests or not. I suspect not studying might mean sliding down one notch, from a 4 to a 3, say. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that many high school profiles include the number of AP tests taken, and the percentage of AP test takers that score 3 or above. That’s a benefit for future graduates of your kid’s high school.</p>
<p>It’s a very round about argument, but the quality of the public school system influences local real estate values, and AP test results are one way parents who are homebuyers evaluate the quality of schools. So you could argue that your kid taking the AP test will boost the value of your house…(I did say it was round about).</p>