At my school, if you get a 3 on the AP test, your grade automatically gets changed to an A (even if you have an F in the class). I find this policy extremely unfair because kids who do no work throughout the year and pass the AP test with a 3 get their C’s and D’s changed to A’s. I work extremely hard to only get the same GPA as other kids who rely on passing the AP test. I’m also concerned that colleges will not view my school as rigorous because so many kids who get 3’s on the AP tests get A’s in the class. I find this policy not only unfair to kids who actually work hard throughout the year but also to kids at other schools. Can colleges tell that kids get their grade bumped? Do you guys think this is fair?
I don’t love that policy but get over it – don’t worry about things out of your control. Your focus should only be on being the best “you” you can be – academically, ECs, socially etc.
No
Well, nobody ever said that life was fair. But no. If I were running a school that had an AP grade change policy, I would limit it to a 5 on the AP exam and at least a C in the course. But their school, their rules.
I personally had a lot of issues that was out of my control such as not having an AP course or my counsellor giving me a B for my AP Physics which I received 4 on. Most colleges takes each student’s environment and positions into account so you will have no problem in getting into your dream school if you work hard enough.
At my kid’s school, for AP Chem and AP Physics the school will bump you to an A- only if you get a 5, and you had some sort of B (a C will get you to a B) for your grade.
My daughter’s school gave no bump for taking the AP test.
IMO, don’t worry about the other person. They are short changing themselves by having a poor work ethic during the class and not doing their best. There is more to school than just grades. HS is where you are establishing good study habits, time management, etc… Those skills will serve you well in college.
I want to go to your school… lol well the thing is, If the teacher is good enough and you try your hardest yous should have a A in the class. Those people who get 3’s and get an A are going to struggle in college and later life so don’t worry about it 
OP, A grade or no A grade, that 3 isn’t going to change. Hope you got better than that.
Really strikes me what a meaningless policy that is. It’s he ultimate padding.
Funny, because CC is often so worried about real experiences kids have, real extras they take on and commit to, and whether that’s padding.
While this not likely to be listed as part of the school profile, AOs are often familiar with the schools from which they get multiple applicants. If they accept some of these students, they will then see how “well” they are prepared. That 3 often gets them credit, though not at some of the more selective colleges.
Yes, it seems unfair, but turn it around. Three students both got A’s in AP Chemistry. One learned a great deal, and got a 5 on the AP exam. The second worked hard, learned almost as much, but didn’t do quite as well on the exam. The third student floundered in class, and at the last minute scrambled to “learn” enough to score a 3 on the exam - getting an automatic A. All 3 end up at State U, the first with credit for 2 semesters of Chemistry, the second and third with credit for Chem 1, skipping onto the required Chem 2. What do you suppose is going to happen next? Student 1 will progress to whatever classes are next in sequence (or avoid having to take Chemistry in college). Student 2 will be prepared to do well in Chem 2. But student 3 will take Chem 2 and be at a disadvantage - that 3 and that A don’t provide the necessary foundation. That A isn’t fair to student 3! Student 3 is the one that has been cheated out of an education, without even recognizing it!
The students who rely on this sort of stuff that you’re talking about will probably not be successful in the long run… so don’t sweat it. You know you worked hard to earn your A, and that’s more than enough
At my school, in only one AP class, the teacher will bump your grade 1/2 a letter grade if you get a 3 on the exam (so, a B+ would be an A-) and would bump your grade 1 letter grade if you get a 4 or a 5. I really like this policy because it’s not giving everyone perfect scores (an F student would still only have a D) but it shows that even if you weren’t demonstrating your best work, you were still learning. Your school takes this policy to an extreme level and tbh, I wouldn’t like it either but as long as you know you’re doing your best, that’s all that matters.
Uhhh excuse me, what? I got a 5 in APUSH and Lang, and I sure as heck wish I got that. Are you really sure you want to change that, though? It is unfair, but many of the students in my APUSH class struggled to keep up in class, yet did well on the AP exam, so I think they’d deserve a little reward for working hard. As for your question about if whether colleges would know, I don’t think your school reports that kinda stuff. If they do, and you think it might affect your admission, try and get a rec letter from the teachers in the AP class that matters most to you or your major. That’ll let them know you actually succeeded, and they will be pleased.
At my school, some AP teachers do grade bumps, but none of them would bump the grade of a 3 to an A. For example, our AP Euro teacher adds 5% to a 3, 10% to a 4, and 15% to a 5, so if you had a 75 in the class and gets a 5, then she would add 15% to your 75%. For AP bio, our teacher bumps all 5s to As in both semesters and a B and an A for the two semesters for a score of 4 and 2 Bs for a score of 3. The other classes don’t have a specific rule of how the grade bumps are, so you really have to plead the teacher to do it after the test if you end up scoring higher than what your grade reflects. One of my friends got a D in AP calc but got a 4 on the test, he had to plead the teacher to bump him up and he did at the end to a C-, so at least he doesn’t have a failing grade in his transcript. So yea that’s it.
A “3” lololol. The corresponding % correct would be an F on a college course. The AP’s are a scam. A 3 is simply terrible. They should bring the grade down. And yes, When a school routinely has students who have A’s but 3’s broadcasts it’s a low level school.
Seems like if the teacher wants to include consideration of the AP test score in the course grade, the way to do it would be to allow the AP test score replace the final exam grade if it is better (rescaled to whatever grading scheme is used in the course), with the course grade being recalculated to account for the new final exam grade derived from the AP test score.
An AP test score of 3 for most tests is supposed to be like a C grade in a college course covering the same material, so the most optimistic view of it as a high school grade is probably no higher than a B (since high school students in the A-B range go to college and earn grades in the A-C range).
Closing old thread that should not have been bumped.