Do you recommend taking an AP test without the class ?

<p>I'm interested in taking the AP Physchology and computer science test, both which aim to have the highest passing rates. I'm taking regular physchology because ap is not offered at my school. If i bought a study book and just studied from that would that help me pass ? I'm just trying to save money in college. On one hand i feel that since i got a 2 on all the other ap tests i taken like ap lit and apush with the class, i will get a one without it. But then im actually interested in these subjects. anyone ever do this or have an opinion ?</p>

<p>I took the APUSH exam without taking the class when I was a junior. I was a late bloomer in high school and did not take a full AP-Honors course load until Senior Year. Anyway, when I found out you could an AP Exam without taking the class; I decided to take the exam and test myself to see how I fare up since I was planning, and now pursuing, a Political Science major. </p>

<p>I found out non-AP students can take an exam w/o the class two days before the registration deadline. I spoke with my Honors US History teacher about the idea and recommended me to give it a shot. He also said he had several students who managed to pull a 5 on the AP Exam. I brought myself an AP Prep book, but couldn’t start preparing until after the March SAT’s. I had to teach myself half the curriculum within that time period and knew getting a 4 was a long shot. I managed to reach the Civil War the morning before the exam. The Honors class only covered from 1900-present. One of the big essay questions covered during that timeframe so that was my downfall. If I had another week, I might’ve had the chance to pull-off a 4. </p>

<p>If you are capable of balancing your time to squeeze in extra AP-Exams w/o taking the class, take the test and see where you fare up. No one is going to stop you and some AP Students might even admire you for pulling off this large of a task. My class rank was a bit-below the top-half line at the time and the eventual valedictorian gave me props, telling me it inspired her to exceed her own expectations. Another classmate who was around the same class-rank said watching me study gave him the extra spark and motivated him to achieve academic success. He eventually got accepted and planning to transfer to a prestigious engineering program this fall. </p>

<p>**P.S. - I wrote about this experience on my college application essay. I got accepted to all the colleges I applied to. ;)</p>