So my 11th grade schedule just came and I already have enough credits because they didn’t put AP Psychology on my schedule. (Would I be able to do 9 credits in a year or do I have to have a lunch??) If they won’t change it, and I self study psychology and take the AP exam in May 2016, will colleges look at it or will it make no difference because I didn’t actually take the course at school? I have also read that you send AP test scores after the college has accepted you so any scores in senior year will be included. In your opinion is it better to test as a junior or take the class and THEN test as a senior?
Why are you taking AP Psych? If you’re taking it for the sake of just making yourself look better, it won’t help at all. Colleges prefer for you to actually take the class and the AP exam.
Okay…I wasn’t sure. I just really wanted to take that class and they didn’t put it in so I’ll just try to change it
Agreed. AP scores carry little to no weight in the admissions process; they are primarily used for credit and/or placement. And, personally, there was no way I was not scheduling time for lunch. 
Why do you want to take an extra class?
Why do you specifically want to study Psychology?
If you take a class, a grade appears on your transcript. Anyone who wants to shell out the money (even your mom or grandmother) can take any AP exam. If you like your AP exam score, you can self-report it on your college applications. Some colleges are interested in that kind of stuff. Others aren’t.
After you are admitted to college and know where you are going to attend, if you know that your AP scores are going to be useful for credit and/or placement, then you can have the scores sent. No one will care about them at that point except the people in the Registrars Office who will need to include them on your transcript (if they count for credit) and/or your advisor who can use them to help sort out your future class schedules (if they count for credit and/or placement).
Unless you have a lot of self-discipline and are good at studying things on your own, it makes more sense for you to take an AP class. That will give you the best chance to earn a score that might be useful for credit and/or placement once you hit college.
If the college you end up attending also gives credit for CLEP exams, consider taking that exam if your AP score isn’t quite good enough to get you credit. The CLEP exams are shorter, can be taken at any time in the year, and are easy to re-take if you only need to raise your score by a tiny bit.