<p>I know that the AP exam probably looks more impressive because it has a free response section in addition to a difficult multiple choice one, but if you take the SAT Subject Tests in subjects Biology, Chemistry, Physics, US History, World History, and Math II and get 800's in them, would they carry somewhat the same weight on your application as getting a 5 on the AP exam?</p>
<p>Actually, with respect to admissions, you are on more certain ground with Subject tests than AP exams. Many competitive schools require, recommend, or at least consider Subject test scores, but very few of these have any acknowledged policy regarding AP scores–it is often not even clear if they look at them during admissions. (I believe a very few will accept AP scores as an alternative to other testing requirements, but this is rare indeed.) It would make sense to me if schools were also to consider, or even prefer, AP exam scores, but none *prefer *them and it is difficult to get a definitive answer from most schools as to how much, if any, role they play in admissions decisions (unless the answer is a clear “No, we don’t look at them.”) It is true that the AP scores the colleges know about are likely to be self-reported on the Common App (or other applications) and perhaps because of this they are less likely to trust them.</p>
<p>So, since I’ve taken both AP Chem and SAT Chem, which will have more weight? Also, since I’ve not taken AP Bio, but got an 800 on the SAT subject test, will colleges still think I had the level of preparation required to get a 5 on the AP exam in biology?</p>
<p>800 SAT II’s are much more impressive than AP 5’s. APs have much more lenient curves.</p>
<p>I have no idea why some people take zillions of AP exams. Does that help in terms of admissions?</p>
<p>^ The courses themselves help a lot. Course rigor is a key factor in college admissions. The exams, though less important regarding admissions, can gain students college credit.</p>
<p>There are three ways in which AP exams can influence the college experience.
– Admissions: competitive colleges (in particular) look for challenge and rigor in high school transcripts, not just GPA. Taking AP-branded courses is one way of demonstrating to colleges that your coursework has been at done at a high-level.
– Placement: many schools will place successful AP students out of introductory classes based on their AP exam scores
– Credit: many schools will generously extend college credit towards a degree based on AP exam results. This can save the time and cost of several college semesters or allow more flexibility in course decisions because some degree requirements have already been met.</p>
<p>Subject tests, in contrast, can also influence admissability and are sometimes used for placement. As far as I know, however, credit is not extended for Subject test scores of any type. This is most likely because Subject tests are written to test high-school level knowledge of their topics whereas AP tests, which require a large component of analysis and synthesis in their essays, are generally aimed at the first-year college level. Thus it is difficult to compare what high scores would be “more impressive”. Certainly 800 subject tests are rarer than AP 5’s but they demonstrate somewhat different types of accomplishment. And, of course, it is usually not clear at all whether or not a given school is even considering AP exam scores in their decisions, whereas it is often clear that subject test results are considered.</p>
<p>To the OP: it is not possible to give a definitive answer to your question. It is clear that many competitive schools require Subject tests and will look favorably on strong scores, it is quite unclear how AP exam results are viewed. But it is also clear that AP courses appearing on a transcript (apart from test results) are also a strong point for admissability. The optimal thing to do is to do all three: score well on Subject tests, take AP (or IB) courses if available, and score well on AP exams.</p>
<p>One more piece of advice for the OP: some schools either require or recommend that both quantitative (science and math) and qualitative (humanities and social science) tests be submitted. You might consider taking a test from the qualitative side if you have all-science results.</p>