I have taken four AP classes this year: AP STAT , Physics C mechanics, Calc ab, comp sci A
My school runs on block scheduling so I havent take AP Stat and Physics since mid January.
I am planning on taking Comp Sci and Calc because I am currently taking those classes.
What I am wondering is whether I should take Stat and Physics exams or not. I am worried that if I don’t then colleges will think I am not challenging myself, at the same time I am not too confident in my abilities to get a 5 on the Stat and Physics exam.
If you are a senior, then your AP test grades will come back after you are accepted. So if you do poorly it won’t matter.
Even if not, colleges generally don’t take AP test scores into account as many AP tests are taken senior year.
Look at the Common Data Set for your favortite college, Section C7. It talks about what is taken into account for admissions. GPA? SAT/ACT? ECs? all there. AP tests are not.
It is good to get as much credit as you can. So it may be worth taking all the tests in case since it doesn’t matter if you do well.
Does your college give credit for those AP tests?
If they do, what would you take instead? Do you want to start in Calc 2 and Physics 2?
Are you pre-med? Medical schools don’t want AP credit for Physics and often Calculus.
You could also think it a good idea to concentrate on the AP tests you think you will do best on.
If you can afford the $90 test fee to try, you might as well. You don’t have to send the scores to colleges if you don’t like what you get. If you are majoring in engineering you might want to give it a shot (a good score boosts your creds), but most colleges don’t require the tests and won’t look at the absence of a score as a negative.
Colleges will see the AP classes on your transcript. You don’t need to submit scores until after you are accepted, so if you don’t make a 5 it won’t hurt your admission chances.
^^ This. AP scores are self-reported and you only report the scores you want to share. (Our CC advised reporting only 4 or 5 scores.) There is no downside to taking the exam beyond the fee and prep for it. If you do well, you may get credit or placement from it. This can be a great way to avoid a distribution requirement and to spend your college tuition dollars on new material. And if you don’t do well, you are exactly where you’d be if you didn’t take the exam at all.
AP Classes
Fret not…colleges are much more concerned about your grades in those classes as opposed to the AP tests.
Why is that?
Doing well in a class shows you can learn over the year and work hard over a period of time. That is what they want in college.
Not all HS have many APs.
Many people take AP tests senior year which is too late for admissions
For example, Stanford says:
Students currently enrolled in AP courses are not required to submit AP scores as part of our admission process. AP scores that are reported are acknowledged but rarely play a significant role in the evaluation of an application. Grades earned over the course of a term, or a year, and evaluations from instructors who can comment on classroom engagement provide us with the most detailed insight into a student’s readiness for the academic rigors of Stanford. http://admission.stanford.edu/basics/selection/prepare.html