<p>^ This can depend on the hs. Our kids have to have honors chem before AP chem. Honors physics isn’t a prereq for AP BUT AP Calc co-current is so most kids don’t take AP physics here until their Sr year. </p>
<p>As a side note, our kids did fine in AP Chem (B+/4 exam). They are thrilled to have it behind them and will gladly take the college credit and never look back! In contrast, one has done even better in AP Physics but wants to take it again in college as a aero/mech e major. It’s going to be important that he get it right at a high level of instruction. </p>
<p>It would be a mistake to force your daughter to take the class. You may want to point out since it will likely be a requirement she may be happier to take it now and not waste her time in college with it. Just a thought…</p>
<p>Even if you get 5’s on both mechanics and E&M, I would not accept the credit for college. Those two classes are more difficult in college than in high school, and I still think there is a lot to learn from them in college. When I was in my mechanics class, the professor asked how many people had taken the AP exam and received potential credit for the course. Almost half the room raised their hands. Well needless to say, not half the room will make an A in the course, and it must have been much much more difficult than they thought it would be judging by the exam grade distributions. Ultimately, I would take AP Chemistry. It is not so much about memorizing reactions as it is truly understanding concepts. The book is your best friend in that class, read it and understand it and you will receive a 5 on the AP exam which is 8 hours of credit at some schools. That is a deal nobody should pass up. However, unfortunately, they don’t teach this course calculus based, but neither do most universities as far as I can tell.</p>
<p>Has your daughter taken any AP tests yet? How has she scored on them?</p>
<p>I spent a lot of time beating myself up for not looking ahead and encouraging son to take AP Chem. He had a year of honors chem, hated the teacher, who ultimately made the decision who would be “allowed” to take his AP chem class. Since my son is interested in double majoring in biology, he took AP bio instead, with a great teacher, a much more relaxed class, where a 4 on the AP test gave him a full year credit.</p>
<p>At his college, for him to have gotten a full year of chemistry credit, he would have to have gotten a 5 on the AP test. Even his best class, he never got a 5 on an AP test. After four years of Latin, he “only” got a 4 on the AP Latin test. </p>
<p>In the end, I think it would have been a waste of time, AP credit wise, for him to have taken AP Chem. And it certainly would have made for a miserable senior year. The AP Chem class at his high school was filled with the competing valedictorians, who had their eyes set on high priced prestigious schools. After having to go through four years of honors classes with those kids, he wanted as little as possible to do with them and was happy to make new friends with his ambitious and studious, yet much more relaxed, AP bio friends.</p>
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<p>Some schools allow AP Physics C (not B) to fulfill introductory physics.</p>
<p>However, policies vary. Mechanics is more likely to be accepted than E&M, since E&M courses in universities often make use of multivariable calculus that is not used in AP Physics C. Also, if the introductory physics sequence bundles thermodynamics in the first few courses, AP Physics C may not be accepted because the thermodynamics content of the university physics sequence would be missing.</p>