<p>A 5 at a crappy school is much more impressive than at a school where you actually learn the information. For example, at my school, we literally did one day of AP prep for Eng. Lang. This kind of information isn't in the Secondary School Report, so how do colleges know you had to study on your own for that good score?</p>
<p>They won’t, but they could get a sense if other applicants from that school tend to have poor AP scores.</p>
<p>well your ap scores are solely for credit. They don’t really help or hurt your chances of getting into college. So colleges don’t really need to know that stuff because that 5 really isn’t going to help you get into college especially since you don’t send AP scores in until after you are into college.</p>
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<p>No. AP scores are used to provide context to one’s high-school grades, that is, to discern grade inflation.</p>
<p>@silverturtle, at these kinds of schools (like mine), one kid every 5-10 years applies to a specific top-tier institution. So aside from other applicants, they won’t know it? Sad day.</p>
<p>@apples & bananas, I’ve heard AP scores count somewhat, especially a string of 5’s.</p>
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<p>That is correct.</p>
<p>Alright, thanks anyway.</p>
<p>But why would it matter? You don’t send them in until AFTER you are into college.</p>
<p>Like that is what I don’t get. There are so many threads about how AP scores are going to affect whether they get into college or not. AP scores are not required in the application process. They are meant to give students credit because they can’t look at actual grades because of grade inflation and other such things.</p>
<p>The problem with using AP scores as equalizers is that it is not the student’s fault that he received a poor score while earning a high grade in the class (e.g., getting a 2 on the AP and a A+ in the class); rather, it is the teacher’s fault, since he did not teach up to AP standards or employed significant grade inflation. Why should a college punish a student for having a poor teacher?</p>
<p>And–though I realize self-studying some APs is possible–when you have the class for the whole year and then learn that your teacher was not teaching you what is on the exam, finding motivation to learn the material on your own is difficult, and actually learning it all in that short span of time may be impossible.</p>
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<p>On the Common Application there is a space where you can self-report AP scores. Though you do not have to list them there, it would look slightly strange if the course appeared on your transcript, but you did not report the score.</p>
<p>And I agree: AP scores are an iffy means of measuring an applicant’s abilities. But colleges chose to look at them, so what can you do? I don’t, however, think they are as important as the SAT Reasoning Test or even SAT Subject Tests.</p>
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<p>They are not punishing the student. They don’t want to give credit to students who are not qualified to receive credit so they need a grade equalizer. That is schools fault not college board. If you get a 2 on the AP, even if it is because you have a crappy teacher, you don’t have the understanding of the material that is required to get credit. Yes it sucks balls but that is not college boards fault, it is the school’s for hiring a crappy teacher.</p>
<p>@apples & bananas: AP scores are self-reported on the Common Application.</p>
<p>@apples</p>
<p>I’m not referring to giving credit. I’m talking about admitting applicants.</p>
<p>Then don’t self report the 2. Easy as that. You can get it removed for the score report as well.</p>
<p>Even though they are self reported, a college isn’t going to reject you because you got a 2 on an AP anyway…and if they do, that’s your fault for reporting it.</p>
<p>“Though you do not have to list them there, it would look slightly strange if the course appeared on your transcript, but you did not report the score.” -bri1a4n</p>
<p>I don’t know how to quote, but this is a common misconception I see on these forums. Like, at my school, the majority of students do not take the AP test for the class, and the majority of those do not pass.</p>
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<p>It’s not a misconception. I have heard admissions officers explicitly say that they get suspicious if there are no reported AP scores for the corresponding AP classes.</p>
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<p>It depends on what school you’re applying to. The top top schools will be suspicious.</p>
<p>I was going to say the same thing jack. Also AP exams are really expensive. Some students cannot afford to take AP exams for all their AP classes.</p>
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<p>You would have been likewise mistaken.</p>
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<p>In such cases, admissions officers recommend having your counselor note this.</p>
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<p>Fee waivers are available for the exams, though. I understand your point, but I think some schools will be suspicious.</p>