Do we think AP scores of 4 are worth reporting?
I would report 4s and 5s, personally, but not expect it to move the needle.
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Yes, definitely report 4s! A 4 is an excellent score. In many cases it makes sense to submit 3s. When you do not report scores, you run the risk of the AO assuming they are 1 or 2.
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Ok, S23 was disappointed by the 4 in Lang, but Iāll tell him to report.
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At many colleges (though no idea about UCs which I think you are focusing on?) a 4 on Lang will place you out of the dreaded required first semester ācollege writingā or similar class.
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Thatās helpful! Yes, UCs are his primary focus.
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For UCs, you can satisfy the lower division writing requirement with a Lang/Lit AP score of 3, 4, 5 taken in your junior year. Testing out of writing at UCs.
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4 is a fantastic score! He should not feel bad about that score and I agree with others to include it.
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Studies differ in their findings, but everything Iāve seen with data from the past five years has found the average unweighted GPA at anywhere from 2.59 to 3.00. Even if you take the high end of that, and recognizing that these are unweighted rather than weighted GPAs, I donāt see how you can make the claim that the median high school graduate earns a weighted GPA of 4.0 (or even just below)āthereās no way those numbers match anything Iāve ever seen.
What is your source for that claim?
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Common sense. At the highest level, everything mattersā¦
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thatās an outright disgrace.
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Itās refreshing to hear a story similar to that of my D23. She got 2 As and a B+ in her 3 AP classes, but didnāt fare particularly well on the exams. Didnāt really do any independent prep outside of class, so it is what it is:
AP US History: 3
AP English Lang/Comp: 2
AP Bio: 3
Sheās also struggling to get her SAT score out of the low 1200s; waiting for June scores to arrive.
She works hard and does well in her classes (4.4 GPA), but the standardized tests have been tough for her. Also an eye-opener for her that in order to perform, sheāll need to do a lot of independent work; the teachers arenāt going to get you more than 50% there with the curriculum. Comes down to the question of āhow badly do you want that 4 or 5?ā
Itās interesting to watch a member of the trophy generation realize that not everyone is a top performer after all; a 4 or a 5 on an AP exam is not a participation award - it takes a lot of work!
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I got both sides a S23 1 and done on ACT (33)
all 4s on APās, only studies in class and a D25 that puts a lot of work and struggles with standardized tests. I think at the end the struggles are going to prepare my D25 for her future.
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Agreed. D23 has a work ethic, leadership qualities, and interpersonal skills that I wouldnāt trade for a test score.
Itās been an interesting process figuring out where she wants to go to school. She is an athlete and might be able to ride her GPA along with her athletic ability to a small ivy (NESCAC or similar), but not sure thatās the right academic environment for her and not sure we can even afford it. We are coming to the realization that a slightly less competitive academic environment, where she can also participate in athletics and use her GPA to achieve some merit $$$ might be the best bet - test scores be damned.
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My Dās scores were somewhat of a surprise.
Bio 4
English Lit 4
US Hist 3
She attended multiple prep sessions for US History, got an A in the class, loves her teacher.
She also got Aās in Bio and Lit (barely, they were tough classes) but did zero studying/prep.
Makes no sense to me.
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Believe you can request the tests to see what happened on APUSH. Wonāt change anything of course. Sometimes it is just unlucky what the question happens to beā¦
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You can request the booklet for a fee. But there are no comments or score included. But the AP teacher could look it over, I guess
Some of the AP disparity between grades and scores may be how it is taught?
Our school has 90% 4/5s in some of the hardest AP classes(phys, chem), and overall 90% 3/4/5 for all APs. Mine never did any work outside of class preparation (but practice tests were part of the class, and the final one counts as a final exam for the course). Their AP classes require about 1-1.5 hrs of homework most nights, more before big tests, which is somewhat more than most honors classes. There just is not time to do any prep outside of class requirements, especially when a large group take six honors/ AP courses junior year. The way it is structured, for the vast majority, if they get the A or even a B in the class, the 4/5 is highly likely to happen without extra prep.
However, the school does heavily restrict who can take most APs based on math and science levels and previous grades, and the few AP classes that are available to almost everyone at some point tend to be the ones that have lower pass rates.
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My kid got a 4 on AP Lang and a B in the class, his only B of the year. Heās a little bitter 
I agree that disconnect with scores and grades is highly related to how the classes are taught. I also feel like APs are a bit of a money grab by the college board (surprise, surprise).
At my daughterās suburban public HS, there is a push to offer more AP courses and a push to lower the requirements for AP course eligibility (so more kids can take them). This is being done to look better inā¦drum roll pleaseā¦ school rankings/ratings, and not for the benefit of those legitimately qualified for AP level cousework. 
In my daughterās experience, she was very challenged by her AP bio class and did well, getting an A, but didnāt study for the AP exam outside of class and got a 3. She struggled a bit with a first-year AP US History teacher, getting a B+ for the year and a 3 on the exam. Lang. was a bit of a surprise. She did well in class but I suspect the teacher didnāt teach to the exam, and she didnāt prep outside of class. She was caught flat footed on the Colin Powell quick/timely decisions prompt. I donāt think she really understood what was being asked. Iāve seen other criticism of this prompt as well, but not sure how much better she would have done with something different to write about.
Not sure how many AP exams sheāll take next spring as a senior if sheās already into school, unless thereās a class sheās really dialed into and wants to spend some outside-of-class time getting ready for it.
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