<p>My son's school only allows AP classes for juniors and seniors, so we're pretty new to this part of the game - he's a junior this year. And they can only take two AP classes each year. I was talking to one of his teacher's today who seemed to think that getting a 4 on an AP exam is just fine.</p>
<p>I was appalled...for about five seconds, and then realized that I had no idea what I was talking about, or rather getting all upset about. Maybe getting all my info from board has jaded me a bit, but I was thinking that if a college can only see two APs, and they are both 4s, it's the kiss of death.</p>
<p>I should mention that the other stuff my son has going for him - GPA, SATs, ECs, recommendations, etc. all seem to have him headed toward HYPS eligible. So does he need to get 5s to stay on that track or would the colleges be happy just to see that he took the courses and got 4s (if, in fact he does get 4s)?</p>
<p>BTW, of course he hasn't taken the tests yet, and I have no idea what scores he'll get. And I doubt that there's anything else he could or would do about it now, anyway.</p>
<p>AP exams aren’t required for college admission, and they only help a tiny tiny bit. Since your son has a little over a month left for APs, you should encourage him to study as much as possible and aim for 5s. It’s not hard to get a 5, and 4s are good too as that means the student is well qualified.</p>
<p>I am a junior this year as well, and I took one exam last year, the AP English Language exam. Please note that a 4 is accepted for credit in most schools unless you get to the very top of the Ivies. If he gets a 4, most schools will be very happy to see that, even if they don’t accept it for credit.</p>
<p>Fours are fine for english, especially lit. But if he gets a five on Spanish that is excellent and admissions will love him! Foreign language AP tests are incredibly difficult. Good Luck!</p>
<p>With 5 years of honors Spanish, D got a 2 on the Spanish AP exam (not passing)…this was a couple years back before they changed to an easier format. So she took the foreign language placement test at her college, and was placed at exactly the same level as if she had passed the AP exam! so all is not lost even if you fail!
If you are concerned with getting 5’s, take the easier AP’s or the ones that are of greatest interest. Also some colleges recommend/require you retake certain classes in freshman year, even if you passed the AP! Generally these are chem & calc for engineers, so it may be a waste to take certain ones. Check college websites for AP credit given- there are surprises. This may have changed, but for instance, Duke did not give credit for AP Stats & some Ivies only take 5’s. Generally speaking, AP English will always get you credit and would be a good choice.</p>