I was expecting a 5 on ap bio and chem, but got a 4 on both. Because of this, I took the subject tests for each. I got a 760 for each. Does this add anything to my application? I am planning on majoring in neuroscience, so I am trying to present science as my strong suit. I appreciate any responses, thank you!
AP Scores aren’t really used for admissions. Colleges are much more concerned about your grades in those classes as opposed to the AP tests.
Why is that?
- Doing well in a class shows you can learn over the year and work hard over a period of time. That is what they want in college.
- Not all HS have many APs.
- Many people take AP tests senior year which is too late for admissions
For example, Stanford says:
Students currently enrolled in AP courses are not required to submit AP scores as part of our admission process. AP scores that are reported are acknowledged but rarely play a significant role in the evaluation of an application. Grades earned over the course of a term, or a year, and evaluations from instructors who can comment on classroom engagement provide us with the most detailed insight into a student’s readiness for the academic rigors of Stanford.
http://admission.stanford.edu/basics/selection/prepare.html
Re: SAT 2 scores, you can look at the percentile your score is.
So your bio Score is at the 83%tile of students who took the Bio test. But who takes the bio test? Strong students who are good in bio and want to go to a school where they might require the SAT 2 tests. So of that self-selected elite group, you are at the 83%til.
tl;dr: You are doing very well in science and will find a great college!
@bopper Thank you so much for this reply!! I’ve been worrying about this for a while.
@culaccino Those are solid subject test scores. Many believe that any score above a 750 on subject tests are good enough for the tippy top schools that usually recommend them, with no real consideration given to the percentiles. Good job! And I wouldn’t worry about needing to offset those AP scores as 4’s and 5’s, for those that want to self report them, are fine as well.
To answer your question, yes, these subject test scores shed positive light on your ability to successfully master high school subjects. You can move onto to other aspects of your application (GPA, essays, SAT or ACT).