<p>Difficulty of of AP and IB classes really comes down to which school you are taking the courses at. In some schools, AP is harder and in others IB is harder - it's all based on the teachers. So comparing classes doesn't help too much. What you can compare is the tests. In my opinion, AP tests are harder than IB SL tests, but IB HL tests are harder than AP tests. I have only officially taken AP tests, but have seen a lot of HL IB practice tests, especially from HL math, and I'd have to say they pretty much blew me away, even though I got a 5 on Calc BC. They're not easy.</p>
<p>As far as prestige, personally I believe IB should be more highly regarded as so much more work both in an outside the classroom is put into it, but colleges will tell you that IB and AP are pretty much the same. As far as difficulty, it varies from school to school. I had 4 AP classes this year, which wasn't really that difficult of a schedule, and I know IB kids who had an easier schedule than I did. At the same time, I also knew IB kids who had an insanely harder schedule than I did - it all depends on the classes you decide to take and the teachers that teach them.</p>