Is 4 bad for top schools? how do the top schools think about 5,5,5 vs. 5,5,4,4?

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
1

<p>Is 4 bad for top schools? how do the top schools think about 5,5,5 vs. 5,5,4,4?</p>

2

<p>5 5 5 is much better.</p>

3

<p>AP scores don’t matter for admissions. All that matters is the grade you got in the class. If you listen to the instructions that they read to you before the AP exams, college board even tells juniors not to send the scores to any college (suggestion). </p>

<p>And when you are a senior, you know what school you are going to by the time AP comes around, and there is no college in the country that will revoke admission based on AP scores.</p>

<p>Just relax.</p>

4

<p>That’s so annoying. So the other chem class at our school which is a cake walk will get the same recognition as my class, despite a difference in AP scores?</p>

5

<p>AP classes are marked AP on the transcript that is sent, so the higher level class is recognized.</p>

6

<p>Actually AP Scores do matter, but in a different way than you might think. If you are getting straight A’s in an AP class but got a 1, 2, 3 on the exam, colleges see that you didn’t really learn much and there is probably grade inflation going on. This can also work the other way around for people with lower class grades and higher AP scores - it suggests a tough class but a higher intellectual intake. Although self-reported AP scores aren’t going to drastically increase or decrease your chances, it isn’t a good idea to say they don’t matter. But a 4 isn’t going to downplay grades in a class, so 4s are fine.</p>

7

<p>^The fact that colleges make require SAT IIs even if AP has been taken shows where the admissions focus is when it comes to testing knowledge of a subject. AP exams are generally harder than the SAT IIs, but the SAT II gives a more precise breakdown. </p>

<p>Chances are that if you go to a college that doens’t require SAT IIs, they won’t care about AP scores either for admissions purposes, and if they do require SAT IIs, they look at those. The main thing is that you are challenging yourself by taking the class, and making a good grade in it.</p>

8

<p>Getting A’s and failing APs is not good. Getting A’s and 4/5’s is excellent.</p>

9

<p>to apn00b,
why is 3 5s better? this guy only takes 3 APs, but the another one takes 4 APs, more work load.</p>

10

<p>to An0maly,</p>

<p>How about these 2 people? which one is better?
One gets A’s in the class and 4 in the exam, the another one gets B’s in the class and 5 in the exam.</p>

11

<p>Top colleges only take 5s anyways, so they wouldn’t care about your 4 scores. I’d say Bs and 5s are better, since it shows you know the material and that you probably had a hard class, while As and 4s shows that the class was easy and probably had some grade inflation.</p>

12

<p>I don’t think it really matters. Why don’t you move on to something
more important in your life instead of worrying about what top
schools care about.</p>

13

<p>It doesn’t matter AT ALL because colleges don’t see AP scores UNTIL YOU ARE ALREADY ACCEPTED unless you are using them in place of sat IIs or something like that.</p>

<p>and most of the top college also accept 4s for placement.</p>

14

<p>^What do you mean? The term “top” is subjective.</p>

15

<p>Harvard only accepts 5s, MIT and Caltech only accept AP credit on one or two tests (calculus I believe), and Yale and Princeton accept 4s in certain subjects.</p>

16

<p>

Actually, many top colleges can see AP scores before acceptance, if they want to</p>

17

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</p>

<p>That’s impossible because you have to declare a college by May 1st, while your AP scores return in July.</p>

18

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</p>

<p>A and 4 is better. An A shows work done over the entire year, whereas a 4 shows a score on one exam. Your transcript is the most important document in college admissions. </p>

<p>Also, a 4/5 is comparable to getting an A, and although you might not get credit for a 4, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad score.</p>

19

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</p>

<p>I’m talking about APs taken before senior year. Of course the actual AP exams you take in senior year have no importance for college apps.</p>

20

<p>^Only if you send the college the AP score report, which college board advises non-seniors not to do in the instructions on how to fill out the bubble sheet.</p>

<p>They cannot call up the college board and say “give me Tony’s AP scores.” </p>

<p>Again, most top universities use the SAT II to determine subject competence when it comes to admission, and some don’t even require that. It is the High School transcript that is the most important thing when it comes to admissions.</p>