Hello everyone! So recently the AP scores came out, and the Physics 2 score (and probably also the physics 1 score which is still “in process”) was very disappointing to me and I was shocked when I saw the score. My parents have spent a lot of money on tutoring physics at a tutoring center, but I still got a 3 on the AP exam. I don’t know how that is possible, since on the practice exam that they gave me at the tutoring place, I scored a borderline 4/5. That gave me a confidence boost, and I was extremely confident when I took the Physics 2 Exam, not so much with the Physics 1 (which I most likely will cancel the score of). Knowing that my dad has spent a lot of money on tutoring me and me still getting an awful grade, I am extremely nervous and very scared to tell my parents about this AP score. I am disappointed in myself, and my parents will also be disappointed in me. I can’t say “next time i’ll do better” anymore, because I will never do Physics again in my life (I plan to do something in Linguistics / Foreign Relations). My other AP Exams were US History which I got a 4 on and Chinese which I got a 5 on. I will be taking AP Econ (both) next year. So I just don’t want to disappoint my parents. Does anyone have had something similar happened to them and how did you deal with it?
I think that if they know you did your best prepare and studied hard, they will understand. its not like you slacked off or just didn’t study. You tried your best, and that’s all they can ask of you. You can always retake the test too.
I was kind of in your same boat, I was getting borderline 4/5s on the Calc BC practice tests and I ended up with a 3. Honestly, there isn’t anything you can do about your score now, and it seems like you worked very hard. Sometimes you have a bad day, sometimes life isn’t fair, all you can do is own it. Just tell your parents, and be happy with your other scores.
I’m not sure why it matters. If you aren’t going to need the college credits, don’t worry about it.
If you are Chinese as a first language, it is doubtful any college will care about your 5 on the AP Chinese test.
My son got 2s on two AP exams, and this year got two 5s. You should first, before you talk to your parents, think about why you might have done poorly on the AP Physics tests, and have a game plan for future AP tests.
To be honest, I think your parents should be more mad at the tutoring center than you…
You just need to frame it differently. “Dad, thank goodness you had me take all those tutoring classes or I would have completely bombed the AP test. Thanks for sending me, you really saved my bacon.” A 3 is solid score that shows competency. Check that box as done and done, and move on and no worries.
First off, don’t beat yourself up. You did your best. The curve on the Physics 1 & 2 was very tough. On Physics 2, only 8.4% of test takers got a 5. 14% got a 4. 32.8% got a 3. 34.9% a 2 and 9.9% a 1. So as you can see, you’ve got lots of company. On Physics 1, it was even worse. 4.1% with a 5, 12.8% with a 4, 20% with a 3, 30.2% with a 2 and 32.9% with a 1. They were both very tough exams. Be happy with your US and Chinese exams. Share the stats above with your parents when you break the news.
I have the same fear of disappointing my parents like you do, but you will have to tell them eventually. However, a 3 is not even a bad score and you shouldn’t worry too much. You just need to toughen up and just tell them that you tried your best and you got an average score. Worst case they get mad and forget about it after a couple days, but most likely they will understand.