I am in the San Francisco bay area, and I have contacted more than 50 high schools, both public and private. All of them replied they only allow their own students to take AP exams. I have also contacted the college board. They just replied with the standard answer that you need to contact the schools.
Any help is appreciated.
What are your reasons for taking AP exams at another high school? Are you or is your child a homeschooler?
My son is a 9th grader and he self studies for the AP test. His school tells him he cannot take the test at the school because there is no space available.
What is the thinking behind this?
Okay…
So the high school is telling you right now that there is no room for your son to take a self-studied test at his own high school, next May?
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I suspect they don’t think your child needs to take a self-studied AP test and they don’t want to encourage this. So they are telling you it’s full.
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Why would they tell you this? If indeed, this is what they are saying, it is correct. Self-studied AP tests for a 9th grader especially are pretty much a waste of time. If your child was homeschooled, that would be different. It seems your child is not homeschooled.
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Colleges will know what AP classes are offered to students at your son’s school and when students are allowed to take them. So if 9th graders at your son’s school are not able to take APUSH for example (that would be common) and your child decided to self study and take an APUSH exam as a 9th grader, no college is going to be impressed with that.
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Colleges always prefer to see the grade in the actual class if the high school offers that class. Using the same example, it is far better for your child to take APUSH as a graded class at school than it is for your child to try and self study for the exam.
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Colleges will know, again as an example, that 9th graders at your son’s high school can’t take APUSH. So let’s use a different example. Let’s say your son is self studying AP Human Geo. He could take this class in 10th grade at his high school. But he wants to make room in his 10th grade schedule for something else, so he decided to self study and take the APHG exam as a 9th grader. Colleges are not going to like that. Why? Because he could have taken the class and received a grade, which they will care much more about.
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Colleges care about grades more than AP test scores. In fact, submitting AP test scores is completely optional at most, if not all, colleges.
Tl;dr: If your child thinks he is going to gain an admissions advantage by self studying for AP exams, he is mistaken. Take the most rigorous courses available at school and get good grades, while still maintaining extracurricular activities and having a fun teenage life. Students should not sacrifice actual class grades and activities for self-studied AP exams.
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With the high school admissions scandal, the high schools are very, very strict about attendance and valid confirmation of identity at AP test sites.
Since the proctors typically aren’t teachers of the students, they are unfamiliar with the students that are taking the tests and are required to check IDs constantly.
And, as far as self studying for AP tests, the colleges really don’t look at that favorably. They want a student in a seat, in a classroom, with classroom performance, as noted by a grade on their transcript.
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What AP tests is this student self studying. At some point, maybe it would be better to take a CLEP test if the college he attends gives credit for these. But that is…a few years away!
This.
Now, if your child is home-schooled, your school district team, who supervises his requirements for a diploma, will provide documentation to the district area schools that will have him on a roster-it will be tough if he doesn’t have a California ID. Also, most AP tests are administered in late Spring. Why is it so imperative now?
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His school does not allow taking AP classes until 11th grade, so he self studies to take the AP test.
He wants to take the AP physics 1 test.
He’s a 9th grader. He just wants to challenge himself. That’s all.
This is why there are no seats available. He’s not on a timeline for seniors, to get his scores into the universities before this Fall’s university deadlines.
I was on staff at a local high school. This time of year is extremely busy for the counselors, registrars, SAT/ACT exams and university staffs. Your child is not in this timeline crunch for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. If he is self-studying now, it will be on his own timeline and the schools are NOT obligated to provide a space for him for testing in the Spring. Those spaces are prioritized for students who are currently taking an AP course.
Edited to add: I have two neighbors/friends in Admissions at a local UC and CSU. When I have asked them, they both have told me that they ignore AP self-study tests because it doesn’t tell them anything about the student, other than that the student has taken a test. Especially in California, they want to see a grade, in a classroom. They are extremely familiar with California area high schools rigor and performances.
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That’s fine, but most colleges don’t look at AP test scores at all (if he is thinking that will help with admissions). There are many other ways for your S to get academic challenges.
Generally, private and parochial schools are more likely to let in outsiders to take tests…have you tried those types of schools?
ETA: try connecting with some homeschooling groups, because they face this issue every year. There are many such groups in California.
All colleges will know that he is unable to take any AP classes until 11th grade. So there is no expectation for him to have AP scores before 11th grade. His application will be compared to those of other students at his high school, not other students at other high schools.
If 50 high schools have said no, you should listen.
Yes.
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As the parent of a hs junior who is taking an AP class and plans to take the AP test, I would be super mad and upset if my child couldn’t because there was no space because an underclassman not in the class wanted to take the test “for fun.”
There are many other ways for a student to challenge themselves without having to take up one of the limited spaces in a proctored test.
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This is very common around here - my daughter also graduated from a Bay Area public high school that did not allow AP classes until 11th grade, It’s fine. You can do other things and challenge yourself in other ways. Take AP physics in 11th grade and then take the test. it is really pointless to just take the test now. If school feels too slow for him, look into dual enrollment for a challenge. He can take whatever he likes and get credit for it - and if he attends a UC or CSU will get college credit for the classes. But just taking a random AP test without taking the class isn’t really a great idea. Colleges are not impressed by that, especially if they see that the school offers the AP class and he opted not to take the class and just take the test.
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This.
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IMO the high schools are doing your son a favor by NOT allowing him to take the AP exam. He is much better off taking the class in HS followed by the AP exam the same year.
As noted above, college admissions officers want to see students succeed/achieve in a classroom setting. They will not be impressed by the ability to cram for an AP exam.
If your child wants academic challenges I expect there are better ways to do that than taking AP exams.
Thanks for your reply. I have contacted all the private schools near me. Unfortunately, they either don’t off the AP test, or don’t take outside students.
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I am sorry but I don’t agree with you. His high school is not doing him a favor by not allowing him to take the AP exam.