Help a confused international? Please?

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
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<p>Alright, so I need a little help understanding the AP tests. Im from a private high school that follows the national syllabus of my country, so Id never even heard of the APs until last year. Im through with my application process (some ivies, some top liberal arts colleges and womens colleges) and i hope to get into a few good places. Now I know taking the APs in may wont help my applications but i want to take them (self-study) for credit and cost-cutting purposes, assuming i get into some of the colleges ive applied to. The thing is, Im not sure which ones to take. Im thinking of majoring in econ, so I thought taking Macro, Micro, Calc and English would be a good idea. My questions are:</p>

<p>1.Which AP subjects do most top colleges award credit too? Ive heard some dont give much importance to the supposedly easier ones (like psych and environmental ed i think?). is this true? if so, which would be the best ones to take in my case? is it a the-more-you-take-the-better scenario?</p>

<p>2.How much credit is it possible to get for a 5 on, say calc bc? </p>

<p>3.If I take Calc BC, is there any point in taking AB as well?</p>

<p>4.I need help understanding the differences between english lang and lit. What kinds of questions are asked on these tests and what kind of prior study is required? Is the lit test anything like the SAT II literature test, where you just have to read passages and answer related questions, or are there any prescribed books that have to be studied before the test?</p>

<p>5.will a good score on lang or lit make it possible to skip introductory english courses at college?</p>

<p>6.Do you think its possible to self-study both macro and micro econ in a month? i think i might already know some of the material</p>

<p>7.Will it help to take any history tests unless i plan on studying history/pol sci/govt at college?</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How much of each test is multiple-choice based and how much is essay-based?</p></li>
<li><p>Is it enough to just study one textbook (barrons maybe?) for each test?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Sorry for the huge post. Thank you SO much for hearing me out :)</p>

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<p>Okay, well I’m going to try to answer you as best as I can. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>You really need to check out the college’s website where they will list what grade is required to receive credit and which courses do actually receive credit. Each college is different and that is the problem. </p></li>
<li><p>Same applies to this question</p></li>
<li><p>No, AB only covers a part of BC. BC is like an extension. I would only self-study this if a. you are really good at math or b. you have already taken calculus </p></li>
<li><p>I’m not entirely sure about what the lit. test is like, but if you go to the college board site, you can see previous tests and also have a look at review questions. Language and composition focuses a lot on essay writing, style of writing etc. while lit is a lot of poetry and reading/book analysis. I think it would be wiser to take language. </p></li>
<li><p>Again, depends on the college but if you get a 5, most colleges should let you skip</p></li>
<li><p>Only if you spend at least two hours each day (probably even more) doing intensive study. Only I don’t think you should try both, especially if you are going to self study calc and lang/lit. What you can do, is have a look at previous year test questions and see how much you know. (again, found on the college board website) (also remember that these are college level courses so they are much more advanced than a regular course. most of the time) </p></li>
<li><p>for you it will not be worth it. self-study history is hard enough as it requires tons and tons of memorization ( a years worth) and if you are self study all those other courses and have never taken an ap course or test, it is going to be way way tough</p></li>
<li><p>The only tests that have essays are probably the non science related ones. </p></li>
<li><p>If you are trying to save money you can give it a try, but i do not recommend it. I would say two, at least for english. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>I hope I eased some of your doubts, sorry I couldn’t fully answer all of your questions!</p>

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<p>wow. thank you so much for responding so thoroughly, itsafunnything. youre awesome :)</p>

<p>Alright, so im pretty sure i can manage calc bc, since ive done intensive calculus at school and dont find it too hard…same with macro and micro econ…</p>

<p>but i also really want to do an english ap since i want to skip english classes at college…and i guess youre right, lang does make more sense. ideally, id want to do both but if lit requires loads of prior reading of novels/classics i guess it may not be possible :confused:
what kind of writing does lang require though, just essays on randomly assigned topics?
and thanks, ill look up those sample tests :)</p>

<p>Hmm, so that makes four APs, 5 if i do lit. i have finals all of next month so itll be impossible to start before april- that gives me a month, which i think should be okay…my school system has accustomed me to studying huge volumes in very little time :P</p>

<p>Thanks again! and please tell me if theres anything else you think i should knoww :)</p>

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<p>I have not taken the ap Lang course yet, taking it next year so I can’t really tell you what the exam is like. Once you look up those practice tests, I’m sure you can figure about what type of writing it is. </p>

<p>Glad I could help!!</p>

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<p>

You should also check if colleges may provide credit for your national exams. Common exams that can gain credit are A Levels, IB exams, French Baccaluareate, German Abitur and Swiss Federal Maturity Certificate. So if you’re from one of these countries, there really is no need to take the exams for the corresponding subjects.</p>

<p>Remember that AP exams cost money.</p>

<p>Which country are you from?</p>

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<p>Im from india, so nope, no credit for my national exams, which are actually pretty rigorous and credit-deserving, IMO :smiley:
Yup, i know theyre expensive. im just hoping good scores will help me save more than i spend.</p>

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<p>Yeah I do know some people who graduated in three years by having these credits, AP exams or other exams.</p>

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<p>Will taking an AP English test help if im an econ major?</p>

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<p>Bumpp :(</p>

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<p>

What do you mean by help? If you mean helping in getting you admitted, then all I can say about AP tests is that it shows interest in a particular area, English in this case.</p>

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<p>Oh sorry, i mean do students doing non-english majors usually have to take any intro english classes, in which case taking an AP can help them place out of it…or do they plunge right into their major, in which case AP English credit will be useless…?</p>

<p>And i know colleges differ on their distribution requirements…but just usually, is english a compulsory part of the coursework?</p>

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<p>bump again!</p>

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<p>I think AP English Language is quite accepted widely along with Calculus BC and a few others.</p>