Yes! S didn’t need to take the AP Lit test, because he’d already been waived out of freshman composition with his AP English Language & Composition score of 5. He took the AP Lit exam, also, though, specifically to give his teacher that 5 for her records. (Yes, he got a 5.) He knew that that test was very similar to the AP English Language and Composition exam, though, and so didn’t require much studying. </p>
<p>I thought taking the AP exams was mandatory if you took the AP course, but that is not so in our school system. S took two AP courses without taking the corresponding AP exams. He was able to get back half of the money we paid for those two tests.</p>
<p>To the OP:
Since CalTech doesn’t offer any credit for AP courses, and that’s where your son will enroll, there’s no point to taking the tests. Unless he has some doubt about his preparation in physics, in which case scoring below 4 might motivate him to review the material before enrolling.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you’ve already paid, school loyalty might play a role. The number of AP tests students take factors into one of those rankings of high-schools (U.S. News gold, silver, bronze)…incredibly stupid ranking, but there it is.</p>
<p>I ended up taking the AP exams anyway even though I’m enrolling at a college next year that doesn’t grant AP credits. If you have already been preparing for those tests all year, why not take them anyway and see how you do?</p>
<p>Majority of the kids taking the AP classes in our HS do not take the AP test (only 30 of 90 calc AB students take the test and I think only a minority of those get 3 or above), and our HS is not in danger of making any HS lists (unless they award ‘lead’ level).</p>
<p>DS took Calc and Stats but skipped US Govt and English. No interest in the latter two and his college gives no credit for them. He decided to save the money. Received no encouragement from the school to take any.</p>
<p>momof3–at our HS seniors do not have to take final exams at all unless the grade is needed to pass the course (or raise the average to something acceptable.) So taking the AP exam doesn’t help/hurt that situation anyway.</p>
<p>But with most kids it’s a point of pride to take the AP exams and do well in them.</p>
<p>Plus you never know if/when you might need the credit or the prerequisite.</p>
<p>My son only took two AP classes, one as a sophomore, one in senior year. His college did not accept AP credits, and there are also only a couple subjects you could use a high AP score to move into a more advanced level class (and this AP wasn’t in one of those), so he skipped the test with my blessing. The kid had lived in a world of tests for a couple years, and it wasn’t going to do him a bit of good. He’d already been accepted into a super selective college and he was burned out on high stakes tests. So was I, vicariously. ;)</p>
<p>He was the only one in the class to opt out of the test. The teacher had told the class that all sutdents were expected to take the exam, but my son just told him that he really didn’t want to (he had an A in the class) and didn’t need it for anything, and the teacher told him it was up to him. The other students were dumbstruck when they found out after the test was given. “I didn’t want to take it, but I didn’t think you were allowed to not take it!” We did not have to pay far in advance, so that wasn’t an issue, and I was glad to save the money.</p>
<p>I encouraged my daughter to take the AP tests in the four AP classes she has this year for a number of reasons:</p>
<p>1)To avoid seniorits. Our HS has rampant grade inflation, so the final exam is not much of a motivation.
2) To have feedback how she is doing on a standardized test (see (1)).
3) To skip intro classes in college
4) I mentioned to my wife today that daughter will be a National AP scholar if she does well on the AP tests this week. I was surprised she said “who cares?” <em>MY</em> wife, who has collected every scrap of paper, plastic, and wood that has her childs name on it.</p>
<p>This is the main reason that I want S1 to take the AP exams.</p>
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<p>Actually, I have some doubt about his preparation in Physics and Calculus if he doesnt study for the AP exams. S1 completed the equivalent of Calc BC at a university in the Fall term. Because of his lab research, he did not continue with MV in the Spring term. Im concerned about this half year inactivity in calculus, even though he’s taking AP Stat at school. It is likely that many of his future college classmates have already completed third year college level math and second year college physics before they matriculate.</p>
<p>I mentioned stress because S1 has 7 AP tests this year. Only his AP Psych class gives students the option of either taking the final exam or the AP exam. S1 has to take the final exams in all his other AP classes, regardless of whether he takes the corresponding AP exams. </p>
<p>After recently missing many days of school due to college visits, he had to scramble to make up the missing assignments and tests. I can see why he wants a break. His only break thus far is not having to go to his research lab during the two AP exam weeks.</p>
<p>My son is one who saw the benefit of AP credits only when he transferred – at that point those AP credits were a real godsend, as the transfer college had a lot of general ed requirements that the first college didn’t. Without the AP’s, my son would have had to make up more intro courses as a junior, and probably delayed graduation.</p>
<p>To PaperChaserPop – since your son has already been accepted to a top college that does not offer AP credit, I think he can take the AP exams without stressing out too much. It doesn’t matter what he scores - he doesn’t have to report any of the scores to his college. </p>
<p>Encourage him to simply take the exams to see how well he will do. As others have pointed out, the scores may benefit him in unexpected way – it is also something that might be useful for him or his advisor to know at college if he has a choice between enrolling in similar classes with differing level of rigor. For example, a kid who scores 5 on AP calculus might feel confident about signing up for a more advanced level of math in college than a kid who only scores 3 on the exam.</p>
<p>To Bovertine – the AP credits certainly aren’t always about graduating early. In addition to enabling students at schools that recognize the credits to matriculate directly into more advanced classes, they provide something of a buffer that may give the student more choices, such as the ability to take time to study abroad, or to manage a double major – or to take a lighter course load some semesters, which might be particularly helpful if the student is trying to fit in an internship or simply needs to work part time for financial reasons.</p>
<p>The original question was about a student who has aleady been accepted to a college that will not grant credit for the AP test. Some folks think there are good enough reasons to take it anyway. I’m not one of them, but setting that aside, it really has nothing to do with what makes one school “better” than another or why one school might see more kids going to selective colleges than another.</p>
<p>Specifically, with regard to the situation the OP was discussing, where the AP tests would be of no value for college credit or advanced placement at the college the student will be attending:</p>
<p>In general, it pleases the high school if students take the AP tests. Most students have no particular reason to displease their high schools.</p>
<p>Therefore, if there is no great financial incentive to skip the test, why not just take it for the high school’s sake? Nobody says that you’re obligated to study for it. Just take it cold. There’s no pressure. If your college doesn’t grant AP credit or advanced placement, your score doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>My kids were not in this situation, but since they had to pay for their AP exams months in advance and could not get refunds, and since their school system cares hugely about how many students take the AP tests, they probably would have chosen the route I suggest: don’t study and don’t stress, but take the test.</p>
<p>“don’t study and don’t stress, but take the test.”</p>
<p>I suggested that to D. She was horrified by the idea. She has 5’s on all her AP’s so far and refuses to settle for less. She’d rather not take the test. But, for those of you with sensible kids, it’s a good strategy.</p>
<p>My son is of the study a little, don’t stress, but take the test frame of mind. Since our school profile lists the number of AP scholars, that’s another reason to keep taking them. (However the school requires them.) Interestingly, the APs taken mostly by sophomores and juniors - AP World, APUSH, AP Bio, AP Physics B - seemed to run a lot more review sessions than those taken by seniors.</p>
<p>My daughter’s high school requires that they take them, although her college won’t even see the scores. I have a son two grades behind, so I’m very interested to see how her grades in the AP classes correlate to her AP score. I’d like to know if the teachers covered enough of the material in class - this way we can gauge how much, if any, additional preparation my son will need when he takes the same classes. I would hope that the high school would like this information as well.</p>
<p>Paying3, you make a great point about taking the test (and doing well) to pay back the teacher.</p>
<p>My daughter’s AP Chem teacher fought the good fight to get this AP added at our small private school.</p>
<p>I have heard my daughter and her study-group mates say on more than one occasion that part of the reason they are working so hard for those 5s is "to make Ms. X look good.</p>