Hello!
I am quite concerned.
I took AP Lang, AP US History, and AP Environmental Science this year.
My scores:
APES: 2
AP Lang: 3
APUSH: 3
However, I scored a 91 in APES, 94 in AP Lang, and a 89 in APUSH!
So I did pretty well in the class and not too well on the tests. This is a result of my horrible test taking anxiety that I had learned to conquer in time for the exams, but have since figured out how to deal with this anxiety. Will these scores on the AP exams hurt me in college admission officers eyes? Because I had good marks in the classes and poor marks on the exams?
Definitely not. First of all, AP exams are generally fairly unimportant in admissions’ officers eyes. Also, you passed 2 of those exams, which shows that you understood the material. Colleges mostly use AP scores for determining AP credit–believe me, those scores will not hurt you. They just want to see that you bothered to take the exams in the first place.
@skgriffin Thank you so much! This really calmed my nerves! Do you have any sources? Just curious?
This isn’t really a source but demonstrates that, especially top colleges, don’t see AP scores as an indicator of future success: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/ap-exams-are-the-biggest-scam_n_2647647.html
https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/help#faq10
If you’re applying to extremely competitive HYPSM schools, the 2 could be a little bit of a concern, but on an otherwise strong record, it is just common sense that it won’t matter too much overall. In the broad majority of admissions situations, it will not matter. The only issue is the high grade you received in the class, which could indicate that you didn’t try on the exam (I’m sure you did) or that your school inflates grades for that class, but honestly that doesn’t seem a major concern and you can certainly reference your testing anxiety in your application, and that would alleviate all of the possible worries regarding that.
@skgriffin Yeah I literally studied so hard for the exam and excelled in the class, but my test anxiety was crippling before I learned to cope with it. I learned to cope with it before my June ACT and did so much better, so I might indicate that on my application, if they would care. Also, it is proven through the fact that on my finals in June this year I did much better than any other year.
Your grades and scores line up pretty well to me. If you got an A but scored 1 or 2, that would be a concern for grade inflation.
@billcsho Maybe slight grade inflation, but nothing major.
AP test scores are self-reported. If you don’t like your score, don’t report it. Frankly 3 or above isn’t bad and I wouldn’t worry about it.
I think colleges definitely would care about your test anxiety, especially considering you seem to have learned how to manage it now and it would explain your score without raising concerns about grade inflation in that class.