Should I self-study for the APUSH exam?

Test Preparation AP History & Social Sciences
1

Next year as a junior I will be taking an Honors American Studies course, which is a cohort of US history and English with a coordinated curriculum. Up until the grade before me, it was a combination of APUSH+Honors English, but starting my year it’s Honors US History+Honors English, the only difference being we don’t take the AP exam (difficulty and WGPA is the same for honors and AP at my school).

Should I self-study for the APUSH exam so I have two AP exams to submit to colleges? (I’m taking AP Chem) I’ve heard conflicting info on self-studying for AP exams, but if I’m taking a course that was previously at the AP level would it show that I’m pushing myself academically?

2

Would it be worth it to self-study, or would there be better ways of using my time and energy (ex. SAT prep)?

3

the answe,r of course, is it depends.

If you are planning to apply to universities outside the US that use standardized testing for admission, for a relevant course? yes

If you are looking to rack up college credits inexpensively, sure

If you are hoping to impress adcomms so they will admit you, nope

4

would it not improve my application even if this class was previously an ap?