How does Admissions look at failing AP courses?

<p>D1 got 2's on her AP history and English exams. How does that sit with admissions? I know it would be considered honors course instead...</p>

<p>I would say it depends on her college. I’m not aware of any college that gives credit for 2s. If she’s heading for a competitive school as a parent I’d be talking to my kids about notching it up abit on the studying but highly doubtful she’ll hear anything from the college. If she’s heading for a school where she’s firmly in the middle ranks nothing will happen. At both my son’s colleges the AP grades were sent to the respective registrar and if they met the college requirements both colleges mailed a transcript reflecting the credit granted.</p>

<p>She didn’t fail the course–just didn’t pass the AP test. Failing the actual school class would be really bad.</p>

<p>^^True and it is a great “moment” of discussion about how college is different than high school. One bad exam in a class that only has two exams in college can be killer. As a parent I guess I’d be curious how the each class did as a whole. The HS might be willing to tell you - how many 5s, 4s, 3s, 2s etc. if you’re really concerned. I’d probably call and ask that just as a gut check especially because AP history is pretty cut and dried but if the teacher doesn’t cover the material or the kids don’t cover the material then that could be reflected by the grade scores for the entire class to some extent. But take heart, if you look at the scores on the AP tests they are across the board…the entire country isn’t getting 5s. My kids took a few APs each and in general I just used them as a barometer of how they would handle a teach and test type of class.</p>

<p>I too would be interested in how the class did overall. If she’s taking any AP tests this year, I would be sure to buy her some extra prep material also.</p>

<p>At our local high school, the classes that prep for the test by doing practice tests and schedule after school reviews do pretty well. The chem teacher who takes pride in “not teaching to the test” --the kids do poorly on the AP test.</p>

<p>But the kids do have to do some studying on their own. If your D isn’t interested in doing her part, I wouldn’t pay for a test. I hope you aren’t required to take the test if you are in the class.</p>

<p>Your daughter does not have to submit her AP exam grades for admissions purposes. Just make sure that the grade for the exam is not listed on her transcript. IF it is you can petition to have the grade removed. </p>

<p>She will only have to submit her AP exam grades if she plans on getting credit for the course she took. A grade of 2 will not get her AP credit at most schools as 3 is usually the minimum grade and the more competitive schools require a 4 or 5.</p>

<p>If she is looking to get credit for an AP course and has a score that will give her credit, she can do this after she has been admitted. If she does not submit grades, no one is going to speculate how she did on the exam.</p>

<p>agree with sybbie: for U Washington, I only submitted my AP Calc score even though I passed all my tests. There’s a credit count issue there (tied in with budgeting) where they try to make you graduate early if you have too many credits. I don’t want to graduate early, and am planning on a double major and a minor. I submitted my calc score to get placement into calculus instead of taking the math placement test, which would have cost about 40 dollars.</p>

<p>It shouldnt be a requirement to submit AP scores to colleges. Don’t worry about the 2’s too much :)</p>

<p>It depends on your school. If the students who take AP classes are required to take the exam, if she omits a test result it is by default stating that they are not pleased with the test results.
If the AP exams are optional, I would agree that you want to make sure that the transcript does not list the test results. Make sure you understand the application requirements for each school. Some require all tests to be reported.
Most schools do not used the AP tests for admissions. They use them for placement. Elite universities may use the AP exams to put the grade in that class in context. If you received an A in the class, however a 1 on the test, the content or grading policy of the class may be questioned.
I would start with a call to your GC to see what is reported on the treansript and ask for advise.</p>

<p>I got a 1 on my AP Macro test and nothing happened to me. I got an A in the class, though. I didn’t even worry. I had always thought the AP tests were more of an optional, above-and-beyond thing anyways. The state of Florida buys all our AP tests…and I came from a high school in which most people fail the AP tests but pass the class. 2s are extremely common.</p>

<p>I am sure it depends on the school though, a more competitive/selective school may care more.</p>

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<p>This is absolutely not true. While at many schools if you take the course you must take the exam, if a person omits a test result it does not by default say that they were not pleased with the results. </p>

<p>Absolutely nothing happens, no one speculates anything. </p>

<p>On the college application scores are self reported and a college will never ask the student to submit their AP scores. The process is totally student driven; if they are looking to use the scores for placement or to receive credit once they have been admitted to a school they submit the scores. </p>

<p>Some students choose not to submit their scores because they know that they do not want to use the scores for placement or credit.</p>

<p>For selective college applicants in the United States the defacto high school curriculum has become one defined primarily by AP courses. And high schools large enough to stream in core courses have taken this to heart. So the AP scores matter. It’s only a matter of time that they’ll be expected.</p>

<p>So the issue I think is not whether or not to report the scores, but rather to understand why they are low, and how to respond. In AP English some 60% of the students receive 3 or higher; in AP US history the percentage is 50+%. So 1 2 score in a core subject is a concern and 2 2s suggests that the student may very well have serious problems in college.</p>

<p>I would respectfully disagree ONLY in the case where students are required to take the tests. In a hs that sends many applicants to elite universities, they are aware of the schools that require AP testing. If you receive a score you are not pleased with certainly you have the option to withhold it. If you have done well you are more likely to self report. If no score is given it leaves the reader with the opportunity to question the score. Why was it not reported? The do not know if it was a low score or the student simply does not intend on taking the credit.<br>
These scores are also on many school transcripts. If you choose not to have them included, contact your GC.
I concede that this may not be the thought process at all schools. It is the approach we have chosen to take during S2s admissions. Both may be correct choices at different schools for different applicants.</p>

<p>I want to echo the sentiment that you don’t have to report your scores. Also to add something: many students take all, most, or some of their exams long after decisions about college have been made, namely in May, senior year. Scores come back in the middle of the summer, long LONG after everything is settled for schools. So, it would not be fair for schools to consider scores in admissions processes. They use the scores for placement in courses in college. They do, however, consider the GRADES that students get in the courses, during the year in high school that they take the courses, and the fact that students are taking AP courses is important because it indicates the rigor of the students’ programs. As an anecdote, my daughter took all 4 AP courses that her high school offered, didn’t report a single score, although they were high, and is entering her senior year at Brown University. Her reason was that she didn’t want to place high in her freshman year. She figured the year would be intense enough without difficult courses at the start. Good thinking, in my opinion.</p>

<p>nitnat- The beauty of cc! Various opinions that reflect there may be no ‘right’ answer for all students, however each student should consider options and decide which will work best for their situation.</p>

<p>I agree with Sybbie. I’ve been a bit surprised at how little AP test scores in the overall picture at even the most selective colleges. My son’s gf did miserably on some AP exams and so she didn’t submit any of her scores. She went to Harvard. They did not care. The counselors at the school told her they would not care.</p>