If you want me to be honest with you, EVERYTHING MATTERS, and yes, even AP scores
For admissions? The Admissions Officer at CMU told us specifically “AP tests are for Placement. It’s in the name. Our admissions staff don’t even see AP scores in the admissions decision-making process”. Other schools have mentioned similar thoughts - maybe it’s just the schools we are looking at.
They can be useful in freeing up time for additional electives or advanced coursework. While it’s possible to “save money by graduating early”, this is available much less frequently than some may think.
With 5 million AP tests taken each year, you’re not really standing out by taking them. If you mean the AP Scholar Awards, those really aren’t worth much more than the paper on which they are printed, IMO.