Hi
My son is in Junior year, taking 5 AP classes. He has good GPAs. He is decided not to take one of his AP exams, since he finds struggling for that subject in the class and not confident enough to get good score. Moreover, he wants to take that subject again in the college since he loves that subject. My question is " Is it going to affect on college application since he does not take AP exam for that Subject?
Thank you
KK
Unlikely to but he should take the exam. He might score well.
That does not preclude him from taking the class again as many do.
2 Likes
Thank you.
IMO it is fine not to take an AP exam if the HS allows that option without a negative impact on the student’s final grade in the class (the guidance counselor and/or teacher should know the school’s policy). My D did not take one AP exam for a course she planned to (and did) re-take in college. Her time and energy were better spent elsewhere.
1 Like
My oldest daughter skipped one AP exam senior year of high school. Senior year can be a stressful time, and she was just overwhelmed with everything else.
As far as I can tell the only downside was that she did not get AP credit for that one particular class. She was still 6 for 7 on university admissions, got into her #1 choice, went there, did well, and graduated on time.
5 APs is a lot.
It shouldn’t matter for colleges, but it wouldn’t hurt to take the test anyway. It’s the beginning of the year and he might improve greatly by May. $100 is cheap for college credits! Just let him know that there is no pressure from you guys.
1 Like
Lots of students take AP classes and don’t take the exam. My daughter is not a high stakes exam fan, so she skipped them. I don’t think it made a huge difference in college admissions. My understanding is that in most cases colleges are more interested in your grades in the class than in your exam grade. The exam grade can be helpful for placement or skipping some intro courses, but if you don’t want or need that, the I don’t think taking the exam is critical.
I agree it doesn’t matter much for admissions although the other year, one school mind applied to honors allowed 3 AP tests instead of an SAT.
I think it gets tricky when parents say - I had 5 APs but only 3 to submit and they panic.
Many kids retake classes. The student panel at school of mines recommended it for core classes, even with a 5. I wish my son had heeded.
To me it’s a why not. Worst that can happen is one bombs it.
Remember if the student is a senior, they will have long committed to a school b4 they even know the score. Really it’s whatever is comfortable to OP in the end.
I am really confused by this statement. As others have said you can always decide later to not submit the score or just retake it. But often the class that an AP test satisfies are some of the most non interesting classes offered at colleges.
2 Likes
Sometimes when coursework is sequential it is recommended to restart the sequence at college to be certain no topic was skipped, was not taught in the same depth etc. in HS. YMMV.
And IMO time is an important consideration. If a student will definitely re-take a class there may be better uses of his/her time.
It’s the beginning of September. AP exams aren’t until way later in this academic year. How does he know he is struggling and will continue to do so with only a few weeks of the course under his belt.
3 Likes
In this case, the college would not allow AP for advanced placement, allow advanced placement only for a 5, and/or explicitly state that on its web site.
My big concern for a Junior is the many recent posts we’ve read - I’m applying with 5 APs but am submitting less.
While I think it’s a non issue, these families panic. A year from now, will OP panic too ?
Worst that could happen in taking the exam, you bomb. You are going to sit through the last weeks of class - all prep.
If you don’t bomb, you’ll, at least in your mind, strengthen your app.
Most assume - possibly rightly so - if I didn’t submit, they think I bombed. I’m speculating but I believe the grade holds 99% of the weight But you never know what the AO thinks.
There’s no downside. They’re going to prep regardless just by taking the class.
Just another view.
A few things:
- Most colleges (some exceptions) don’t require seeing AP scores and won’t cross check that scores were submitted for classes taken.
- Even if he did take it and didn’t do well, he can pick which scores to send and most colleges don’t require you to send them all.
- Most colleges don’t force students to take credit for AP courses or skip classes, so even if he took the test he could still take the college class.
- Every HS is different in how they regulate encouraging kids to take tests if they took the class, so make sure you know the rules at your HS. At my kids school, the school didn’t penalize kids if they skipped a test and it was routine for seniors to do so as they usually know if the test would help them in college by then. But some schools will withhold or lower grades as a disincentive to skip the test or alternatively offer higher weighted credit if you do take it as an incentive. Just know your school
1 Like
Lets agree to disagree on this one.
Has nothing to do with taking AP exam or not!
For one, most colleges will require students to REQUEST credit for each individual AP class, and will not outright eliminate entry level classes, unless the student REQUESTS to opt into a higher-level class based on exam score.
1 Like
My kid is taking 4 APs and only taking 3 tests this year. The school has a notorious low passing rate for the one test, so my anxious kid is going to gleefully skip it. Even though it would only cost $100, I don’t want my kid to be distracted with another BIG TEST that she could likely fail. Her confidence is worth more to me. But she’s also not applying to elite colleges though.
2 Likes
Agreed. Unless it’s reported on the transcript or something of the sort, not taking the exam or taking it and not submitting it looks exactly the same as APs are usually self reported anyways.
At our school, the only AP exam that is optional is English Lang as you don’t have the option of a different English class. Lost of kids skip it, which I think is a mistake.
My son said he wasn’t planning on taking it since he is STEM focused. I used the “what do you have to loose” argument. While he didn’t knock it out of the park, he got a 4. That will confirm to colleges that even though Eng is not his highest grade, he is doing just fine. And as it turns out, a 4 will get you out of Freshman Writing at some of the schools he is looking at.
Also, AP classes are pretty hard at our school, but kids do well on the exam. A good score, if you have it, can give context to the rigor of the teaching.
4 Likes
Respectfully disagree. Time is a person’s most precious commodity. I the OPs case the student is taking 5 AP classes and is considering skipping the exam in the subject that is a “struggle”.
I think it is fine to skip the one AP exam (out of five) and use the time to study for the other four exams, excel in coursework, do ECs, and even just relax with friends and family.
Good to get different thoughts/opinions. In the end it is the OPs choice of course.
3 Likes
I’m still not sure how this poster knows they will struggle all year in this one AP course since high school just started.
2 Likes