<p>I did a little bit of research on this question, but all I found were a few conflicting opinions that all lacked sources.</p>
<p>Does anyone know (even better with a source) whether colleges work AP scores in your favor? I have many (10) exams that I've scored exceptionally on, yet I've heard my school counselor insisting that "by law colleges cannot weigh AP scores into consideration" because of some 'equal opportunity/equal access' spiel that I thought sounded very questionable. Perhaps it's just because I'd hate to see all that effort going to waste.</p>
<p>No, they do not work in your favor. They could work against you if your transcript shows you received an A+ but received a 1 on the exam (sign of grade inflation). </p>
<p>That equal opportunity spiel is a sound argument since not every school offers the same amount of AP’s. </p>
<p>All the effort will not go to waste - they allow you to skip out of classes in colleges, if you score exceptionally, which you said you have.</p>
<p>Most schools do not use AP scores for evaluation at all. Harvard does consider AP scores just as additional SAT2 subject test score, that means a very low priority.</p>
<p>The will, but indirectly. Your counselor will fill out a form that asks how rigorous your course schedule was. If you didn’t have those AP’s, your schedule wouldn’t be rigorous. And if you made all A’s but scored badly, it will make your GPA seem like a joke. This may not affect you, but will affect your competition so be happy about that</p>
<p>some public colleges do not weigh honors or APs – this is what your guid counselor is referring to. But schools that evaluate holistically – love the fact you’ve pushed yourself and succeeded. It’s not gone to waste .</p>
<p>check <a href=“http://www.fairtest.org%5B/url%5D”>www.fairtest.org</a> for test flexible colleges that may use AP exams instead of SAT/ACT. Those colleges are marked with a 5 (e.g. Bryn Mawr, Trinity College, CT). There aren’t very many. I suspect each college differs in which AP exam they will take in lieu of the SAT/ACT. </p>
<p>In general, admissions look at AP as a sign of rigor.</p>
<p>If you get poor AP score, simply don’t report them. Then it would not have any potential negative effect as you do not submit AP score for application.</p>
<p>This really varies depending on where you are applying. Some schools with holistic admissions processes do take AP test results into consideration. They can also help if you go to a HS from which one of your schools doesn’t get a lot of applicants. In that case strong AP scores can help show that your AP classes were truly rigorous.</p>
<p>IME, of course we look at AP scores, if they are there. They validate the grade in your class- or not. Just taking AP isn’t enough. My experience is with a most selective private. No law prevents us from this part of holistic. Some publics may operate differently.</p>
<p>The equal opportunity argument is not correct. There is no law that prohibits their consideration. However, most colleges do not consider AP scores for admission. High ranks do not require such scores for admission but may consider them along with everything else but don’t assume they will be given any significant weight and you can just self-report the scores on your applkcation or essay for that purpose.</p>
<p>The exception is that there are a few schools, e.g., NYU, that accept AP scores for admission in lieu of other test scores (for NYU you can submit three AP scores instead of submitting SAT, ACT, or SAT subject tests), and if you choose to do that, you need to submit official scores from College Board.</p>