<p>The APUSH exam is this Friday and I honestly don't feel prepared for it. So I was wondering, if I happen to fail my APUSH exam, will it affect my chances at getting into Duke? Has anybody been admitted into Duke with a 1 or 2 on an AP Exam?</p>
<p>I don’t think adcoms look at AP scores officially but I could be wrong.</p>
<p>I was hoping they don’t, but I’m still not sure. Isn’t there a section on the Common App that asks for AP Scores? So, if I did have a 1 or a 2, that would probably hurt my chances :(</p>
<p>They’re self-reported, so no it shouldn’t matter. Just don’t report them, and you’ll be okay. I suppose that it may look weird if you’ve taken the AP class, but you don’t have a score. However, I’m not sure that anyone would even notice such a small discrepancy.</p>
<p>This question has been asked a million times- and the general thought is yes- they ask for them on the common app, therefore it is part of the equation- though probably not the thing that will break you but definately part of the picture. It is important to do the best you can at.</p>
<p>I’m taking mine Friday too. I took a practice test today and got in the vicinity of a 5. I suggest you reread the chapters of your book you’re completely clueless on (one’s you failed the tests of and can’t remember a thing from) and look at the reviews in an AP study guide like the one made by Princeton Review (has a comprehensive review of the important concepts that are on the test that’s about 70 pages).</p>
<p>Also, on the practice test I took today (the 2006 exam) I found I benefited a lot from this set of 500 flash cards made by Barron’s that I bought at my local book store. Even just brushing over these while you’re watching TV will help you on the multiple choice section.</p>
<p>You probably can do well on the AP exam though, just buckle down and study while you can and you should be fine… assuming you didn’t sleep through EVERY class.</p>
<p>But to directly answer your question I’d say yes. From what I’ve come to understand prestigious schools like Duke would like to see your scores, but state schools don’t really care.</p>
<p>Some high schools automatically put your AP scores on your transcript. Ask your guidance counselor what your school’s policy is on that. </p>
<p>A lot of people go into testing thinking they aren’t prepared. But you’ve been studying this subject since last fall and really there is no excuse to get a 1 or 2 on any AP if you feel you are a strong enough candidate for a school the caliber of Duke. </p>
<p>I guess if you do poorly, you can write some excuse like you had ‘swine flu’ or something on your apps. There are all kinds of outs. But I don’t think you’ll need one.</p>
<p>Unless your school puts them on your transcript (most don’t), then it won’t matter. I didn’t report my AP Physics C scores, and apparently they didn’t notice/didn’t care.</p>
<p>I don’t know you personally, but I have a feeling you will at least pass the exam with a 3. I think you just need to get around 45% of the points available to get a 3… you could look it up on the collegeboard website. But it is not hard to at least pass the US exam. Don’t freak out about it… but at the same time, put as much studying as you can into it.</p>
<p>Tanking a test is never a good idea. Sure, it may not hurt you to get a bad score, but it could. And the flipside of that is that if you get a good score, it will certainly help you with your admissions. Duke is looking for the very best, and you need to show them that that’s where you fall.</p>
<p>From someone who just completed the 3 and a half year college search/admission process, I would also like to add that you should not pigeon hole yourself into getting one school and think that it’s the end of the world if you don’t get it. There are many excellent colleges out there (Northwestern, WashU, Pomona, Rice, Emory, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, etc.). I used to think that Duke would guarantee success in my life, but the fact of the matter is, it is up to you to get a good education. You might find that some of these other schools are better fits. I turned down Duke for Rice because it was a better fit for me, even though I never thought I would turn down Duke.</p>
<p>Anyway, from someone who used to freak out about doing well on ap exams and getting into my dream college, don’t worry about it. Just work hard the rest of this year and the beginning of senior year, and you will find yourself going to a college that you will be happy at.</p>
<p>Now if you really want to go to Duke, aim for Duke. But also keep your mind open to other equally good and sometimes better options.</p>
<p>Sorry for sounding like a counselor here… but I feel this is the philosophy more people need ot take in the college admissions process.</p>
<p>No. It will not make or break anything.</p>
<p>Counselors are very well aware of the fact that students are not necessarily amazing multiple choice test takers or great at dealing with stress–grades, on the other hand, are an indication of commitment and hard work (all those assignments, etc).</p>
<p>Of course it is something. Why? Because you took an AP course and a test goes along with it–if you didn’t feel confident in taking the test, but had a good grade, they would be confused. It’s preferable to report a score if your grade is decent/good because otherwise questions arise.</p>
<p>Other than that, there’s little or nothing else that’s necessary to know about it.</p>
<p>I know a lot of kids self-study APs and take those tests. In all honesty, it barely factors into the college application process.</p>
<p>This time last year I was in the same exact position; really worried that I would completely bomb the APs, over concerned about every detail of what would become my college apps. You need to try and consider everything about you as a whole instead of in parts, because an admissions officer won’t ultimately label you as mediochre here, mediochre there, advanced here, and qualified there. The parts of your whole application will come together to form the end result of your acceptance/denial/etc.</p>
<p>I’m on the waitlist at Duke, but I don’t think getting better AP scores (I had a 2 on APUSH) would have bumped me into definite acceptance. I think that what allowed me to even get that far were some of my other test scores (ACT, APs, etc.) so, if you know that your other scores will be stronger then getting a 2 or maybe even a 1 probably won’t be the single factor that ruins your chances.</p>