Hi everyone.
I am just wondering if there is a way for me to register for AP tests on my own. My school won’t let me register for the AP tests that the school doesn’t provide, but they are kind of important for my major, and I definitely mastered the knowledge. Some people told me that there is a way to register on my own and take the exams in a nearby high school. Could someone tell me if this is possible? If so, how can I do it? I really need to start figuring things out, and I would really appreciate your help. Thanks.
I found this in one minute on College Board. You can call them if you need more info.
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Not a fan of self study - but forgetting that, the answer is easy to find on the AP website:
Yes. You can’t order AP Exams directly, but you should be able to arrange to take exams at a nearby high school that administers AP Exams. Here’s how.
Your first step is to search the AP Course Ledger. The AP Course Ledger is the official, up-to-date, comprehensive list of schools that have passed the AP Course Audit. You can search by country, state/province, or city to find a school where you might be able to test. After finding schools near you that offer the courses you want to take exams for, do an internet search for the school’s phone number. Then call and ask to speak with the school’s AP coordinator to learn if the school is allowing students from other schools to test there this year.
Look for and contact schools as early in the school year as possible. Note that schools may have their own local deadlines and policies for receiving requests from outside students to test at their school, so you’ll want to give yourself as much time as possible to contact schools. Updates will be made to the AP Course Ledger every November, so if you still need to find possible schools, you can check the Ledger again in November to see if any schools in your area were added. The exam ordering deadline for schools is November 15.
When you find an AP coordinator able to administer your AP Exam(s), they are responsible for ordering your exam materials, telling you when and where to report for the exams, and collecting the exam fees.
Note: If you’re unable to find a school by November 15, you can keep looking. At their discretion, a school could add you to their order after November 15, and they could request that the late order fee be waived in that circumstance. But because schools can set their own deadlines and policies related to ordering and fees, start looking for a school as early as possible.
EDIT - I see @Lindagaf already posted the same.
And here’s the big policy that many schools have - they are not obligated to register outside students. And since COVID, many don’t. So prepare to contact many schools
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No college is going to expect that you have taken AP tests for classes that your school doesn’t have, even if they are related to your major. If you have the knowledge, that is great and it will help you in college.
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I think the exception to this is you are applying to selective UK schools.
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And be prepared to drive at least an hour away from where you attend private school…because the high schools near you might not allow you to test there.
In Washington D.C., kids have had a terrible time registering for AP exams outside of their own school. There’s a small crisis at one private that’s refusing to offer AP exams but has high-achieving students desperately looking to register.
The APs really matter for kids applying to UK, or those seeking course credits—public colleges are usually generous with credits.
My kid’s D.C. school did say that college board requires a flat floor for all computerized AP tests. So large auditoriums with tiered seating cannot be used for any AP exams. The school is actually going to remodel the floors of tiered seating areas, to create a level surface. But this sudden lack of seating may be way schools now refuse outside AP testers.
It may ba a reason, but I doubt it’s the main reason.
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AP exam access is a huge problem for the homeschooling community. Families often contact dozens of schools without success.
To the OP, your best bet is to convince your own school or find a private school already administering the exams you want to take. At least within California, public schools almost never accept outside students (at least in the past few years) and it’s a hassle and requires extra resources for schools to administer an exam for 1 student (so they have no incentive to do so, especially for an outside student).