How do colleges look at pass/fail classes?

<p>Specifically, the pass/fail credit I have is in physics and I want to major in a STEM field.
(Basically, I tried to test out of it and got a grade I didn't want but was required to take some kind of credit for it.)</p>

<p>Bump. I realize it’s a boring question.</p>

<p>Eh, I’ll try again.</p>

<p>I think a Pass/Fail class is looked down upon.</p>

<p>Probably depends on the college, but one pass/fail is not likely to be a deal breaker.</p>

<p>They expect you to pass…</p>

<p>Pass/Fail physics is kind of unusual, but a Pass would look good and a Fail would look bad.</p>

<p>IMHO there’s a difference between “I took a high school class on a pass/fail basis” and “I got credit by exam for a high school class.” FWIW, our district treats all credit by exam as pass / no record.</p>

<p>Presumably, you tested out of it in order to free up room in your schedule for some other course. I see no downside to that.</p>

<p>I passed, and it was credit by exam, but it wasn’t required to be pass/fail. I have other credit by exam courses on my transcript, but they have letter grades with them and it’s not indicated on the transcript that I tested out of any of them.</p>

<p>Ah, our district doesn’t reflect any grade for credit by exam. But you don’t get credit for an exam score lower than a B equivalent (and the attempt doesn’t appear on your transcript - it’s as if it never happened).</p>

<p>If not balanced by a good grade in a higher-level class, I do think that a “pass” notation doesn’t look great.</p>

<p>One of my kids had a p/f class on the high school transcript (Physics) and at least one college admissions office called the guidance counselor and asked about it (along with other questions). From what I can tell, it didn’t hurt my kid but I believe it was seen in the context of the course load. That year (senior), my kid took three credits of science-- two credits were AP and one was p/f Physics. So the courseload was fine. Kid was accepted at several top-20 and at least one top-10 lac.</p>

<p>I took Pass Fail for my concert choir class. This was because any sort of grade in that class would lower my weighted GPA. I passed of course both semesters.</p>

<p>Do you think this could negatively impact me?</p>

<p>^^ No. I think it can raise questions when it’s in a core class (English, math, science, social studies or foreign language) but not for concert choir.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I won’t be taking another physics class. (We don’t have AP Physics or even honors…just that one class.) But I’ve taken AP Bio/AP Chem and gotten As in them.</p>

<p>My kid didn’t take another physics either but did have plenty of science credits, through AP.</p>