My standardized testing section is all perfect SAT and SAT IIs and AP 5s except for an AP Calculus BC score of 4. (I did report that my AB subsection score was a 5.)
I’m applying as a Biology/Biochemistry major to several highly selective schools and I was wondering if I should report the 4 at all.
I know getting a 5 on BC is one of the easiest 5s to achieve on an AP exam, and the 4 is the only deviation from my perfect testing record. However, I feel like leaving off my AP Calculus score would seem suspicious since it’s such a commonly taken test and it has some relation to my indicated major.
Report it. It’s a very difficult class, and that is a strong score.
The reason scores tend to be high in that particular exam is because relatively few teens take it, not because it is an easy test. The self-selection plays a big role.
Calculus BC takers earn a lot of 5 scores because they are self selected to be the strongest students in math in most US high schools, not because it is easier than other tests like calculus AB (which covers only a subset of the material that calculus BC covers, but whose test taker cohort is not generally as strong in math).
Definitely report it, you can’t be expected to be perfect in everything. It will probably even look a little suspicious that a perfect achiever such as yourself didn’t take the BC exam. Also, believe it or not, a 4 is really good.