In sophomore year, I decided to take AP physics 1. Unfortunately, when i took the exam I got a 2. Will this damage me applying to colleges? I want to major in computer science but I am not a bright bulb when it comes physics. Honestly, I thought the class was just going to be easy plug n chug math and knowing the equations, but I was wrong. Am I done for when colleges see that I failed the physics 1 exam??
You don’t need to report the score to colleges. Only report 4 and 5 AP scores.
A few colleges require you to report all scores. Just avoid applying to those universities. Ask your guidance counselor if your high school reports test scores on your transcript. Most don’t, but some do.
@Groundwork2022 Which colleges require students to report AP scores? I’m not aware of any. SAT and ACT scores, yes. AP scores, no.
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You’re correct! (I’m still asleep) Do check with your GC, though, as your score might be on your HS transcript. Physics 1 is a difficult exam, and statistically there aren’t a high percentage of top scores. Colleges know this.
That was problem #1. And if your teacher taught it that way, s/he did the students a disservice. AP Physics 1 is more conceptual, and it’s the understanding of the concepts that results in a high score. That said, AP Physics 1 has the highest fail rate - ~60% - so you are in good company.
For the application, the answer is simple: don’t report the score.
Data point of 1: Younger son also only got a 2 on his AP Physics exam but got an A- in the class. He was accepted to several CS programs and ended up getting solid A’s in his college Physics courses. You do not need to report any AP scores let alone the 2. His teacher did not have a good pass rate to begin with and as stated above, the AP Physics exam is a high failure rate. How you do in the class, is more important since the grade is what your will be submitting.
Yes, just don’t report the scores. My D got a 1 on an AP and is starting her Junior year at a T10 Engineering school.
out of curiosity - what hoops do you have to jump in order to exclude a score? In my case, IIRC the only time AP scores were sent was when my kid bubbled in the school(s) during a given AP test, and in that case all scores are sent.
Fill out and send in a form
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-score-withholding.pdf
Which is a waste of time and money, IMO. One self reports scores on the application. The official score report only needs to be sent to the college the student will be attending for credit/placement, and the clerical processing will not care that the student got a 2.
Ok thanks…I’ve been involved in so many arguments about whether to send in a score or not, but never thought about how someone actually excludes a score lol.