<p>I took the AP US History exam and, despite good grades in the actual class, scored less than "awesomely" on the exam. I'm thinking of getting it erased and doing the subject test. Bad plan?</p>
<p>What do you mean by 'get it erased'? You mean, not self-report it in your college applications? I don't think bad AP scores will hurt your chances. AP tests are more for credit and placement than for admission.</p>
<p>Well, it certainly does make sense to cover any blemishes, whatsoever, on your record. After all, even when those top colleges say that AP tests are for credit and placement, and even when that is something of a mantra on this board, why risk the admissions offices actually seeing that maybe for once in your life you didn't perform at the zenith of your abilities.</p>
<p>After all, the real world totally lets you sweep any and all mistakes under the rug. Once you hit college and grad school and the work force, your professors and bosses will totally be willing to ignore mistakes that you made, because they expect nothing but perfection, and are so desperate to see this that they will gladly turn their eyes aside at less ideal performances. </p>
<p>Oh wait. That's not how the world works.</p>
<p>Take the subject test. Study hard and kick ass and let this be your second chance to prove you actually do understand the history of the United States. Don't screw up this time around... but if you do, that's life. One score will not make or break your chances at getting into an Ivy, and I know you hate to hear this, but there is a lot more to life than test grades. Take responsibility for your actions, be mature about the whole situation, and do better next time.</p>
<p>Yeah you're pretty much boned. Study Communications at some community college and prepare for a low-paying cubicle job for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you good ma'am!</p>
<p>So then, is the general consensus "leave it in?" I don't know, guys...</p>
<p>I would agree with scuba. take the USHist subject test and get a high score, and you can use as that as a counter-argument for your low AP score. Also, I'm not sure if you could retake AP exams. Could you? anybody.... anybody..... bueller..... bueller......</p>
<p>Every reply here, and the answer to every similarly themed question on this board, is that AP scores matter far less than Subject Tests for admissions purposes. And let me reiterate that beyond the admissions games, seeking and allowing for "easy" fixes to less-than-perfect results is a terrible, terrible habit to develop.</p>
<p>What are you expecting us to say? "Well, ordinarily we tell kids to just accept the results, but you seem special -- you obviously wanted success much more than anyone else who took the test and did more poorly than expected, so our standard response doesn't apply to you." Is that what you wanted to hear? </p>
<p>You want a chance at earning the credit? Take it again next year. You want to prove you know US History? Take the subject test. But do yourself a favor and don't take the easy way out of all of this.</p>
<p>I don't usually spend a lot of time on this part of the board so I don't know the "standard response." Thanks for helping, scuba, but you didn't need to be so prickly about it. A more polite response would have worked just as well. But I do get your point.</p>
<p>One bad AP score won't affect you much in the long run. Forget about it and move on. Don't try to cover it up.</p>