<p>hey guys. my school doesn't offer AP, so i'm currently taking the IB diploma, which basically demands that i take some SL classes. but i noticed that a lot of colleges don't give credit or recognition to SL exams for IB, and since i really want those extra credits and a head start on things, i'm considering taking AP exams for my IB SL classes.</p>
<p>here's the list of the SL classes i'm taking and the AP tests i plan to take for them. i just wanted to get suggestions/opinions on</p>
<ol>
<li>which AP exams would best fit with the IB SL classes i took and </li>
<li>whether or not it will be doable, as i imagine AP may possibly be harder than the SL classes i took</li>
</ol>
<p>so:</p>
<p>IB American History SL --> AP U.S. History (? i think this will be a challenge...)
IB Psychology SL --> AP psychology (this seems the most probable...)
IB Business and Management --> AP ???? (macro/micro economics???)
IB Japanese SL --> AP Japanese (no clue on this one)</p>
<p>and if possible, any other suggestions on AP classes that are relatively easier to self-study for.</p>
<p>I attend an AP-only high school, but I can offer you the insight I do have and then wish you luck! As far as I know, the AP US exam is one of the most difficult and detailed; as a matter of fact, I was required to take it as a two-year course. Also, according to College Board, the percentage of students who achieve a 5 (the highest grade) usually hovers somewhere around the 11% mark, while some of the other exams climb as high as 20%. I’m not sure that the IB class would translate terribly well to the AP exam.</p>
<p>As for AP Psych, definitely give that exam a shot! I’ve heard that it is one of the easiest exams (although I’d caution you that, as such, many colleges don’t except AP Psych credit). I think there’s even a current AP Psych self-study thread floating around CC, if you wanted to give that a look for additional tips.</p>
<p>There really is no appropriate corresponding exam for IB Business/Management, so I think if I were you I would opt to save myself the $86!</p>
<p>If you feel moderately proficient in Japanese, then I would try that exam, as well! I know that non-native speakers often encounter considerable difficulty on AP foreign language exams, but you never know- maybe IB is actually better preparation than AP.</p>
<p>As for self-studying, I am trying for Human Geography this year after doing some online research. (Psych, unfortunately for you, seems to be the most frequently self-studied topic.) Feel free to write me if you have any questions and, of course, best of luck!</p>
<p>To be perfectly honest, none of them correlate. I had the same question as you, and IB vs AP class content is completely different. The preparation for tests are completely different as well…even the “easier” APs such as Psych are completely different tests. You might know bits and pieces…but to be perfectly honest, it doensn’t make a difference…</p>
<p>My daughter goes to an IB/AP school and took IB History of the Americas and made a 5 on the AP US History exam. Many of the IB kids take the AP US History exam and do well according to the teacher. He is a great teacher and also teaches the AP US History course. I have also heard of a few IB kids taking the AP Psych exam. I would use the
AP Prep books to fill in any gaps. Our school doesn’t offer the other 2 courses.</p>
<p>I take IB Spanish, and from what I’ve heard, the AP foreign language exams are much harder than the IB exams. I’ve heard that it’s not too bad to take the AP US History exam either but all the students at my school are required to take IB History of the Americas as an HL class. Good luck!</p>
<p>the only one that correlates well is japanese. i disagree with above poster. ap language exams are tough, but japanese and chinese are jokes, even compared to ib sl tests.</p>
<p>hmm i see some differing of opinions, but it seems like i’ll be taking ap psych for sure. since i am taking the ib sl class and just recently bought a self-study book for ap.</p>
<p>as for the rest of the subjects, i feel like i should clarify a little. when i say taking the ap exam with the sl course, i mean that i will take the ib class, and then buy some extra books or aids to self-study for the ap test format and any extra info that i didn’t learn in sl.</p>
<p>for micro/maco econ and apush, although i understand they don’t correlate well, would they be doable if i self-study with the addition of whatever info i can retain from my closest ib class?</p>
<p>i’m just trying to beat the college credit granting system, where they only award (high scoring) HL exams with credits. since i have to take sl no matter what for ib diploma, i just wanted to make up for whatever credits i couldn’t get and more if possible.</p>
<p>another thing is, i plan on doing a business major of some kind, and originally i was going to take ib business as an HL, but because of a schedule problem, i was unable to do this, so i got stuck with ib biology as an HL. i wanted to show colleges that i still value business a lot and can get a head start on it, so i was hoping that ap micro/macro econ would bring me up. but i don’t really know if it’ll actually do anything for me in terms of admissions to business schools?</p>
<p>^ Econ & business are not the same thing. Self-studying with an IB SL business class for micro/macro is like self-studying without the class at all. If you want to teach yourself all of micro/macro then go ahead. People have done it. </p>
<p>Business schools generally want to see a rigorous math course, not necessarily a business/econ course.</p>
<p>Oh…I see what you are doing! hahahah then we are in the same boat. I’m in IB at my school as well, and this is exactly what I plan to do!</p>
<p>But be prepared for a lot of studying…I think I am only taking max of 2 exams which I am really interested in, but they don’t offer the class at my school. </p>
<p>I think it is definitely do-able, esp. for History. The essays for AP I think will be difficult, but history is history and you should know (depending on where you are) quite a bit, I should think. To practice, take online Sparknotes exams. They have quite a few, it might tell you where you are.</p>
<p>haha yeah… for this year, i think i just going to do history and psychology. i looked through an ap history study book and found that a lot of the questions were on stuff that i knew already through IB. and as for essays, im prepared for that because that’s basically what IB tests are all about… its the multiple choice on some of the tests that i’ll need to prepare for.</p>
<p>so the economics test is studiable by yourself? i just kind of want to get ahead by waving some basic classes for if i want to go to business school… but i think i have the math taken care of. i don’t need to take calculus BC because i’m already going to take ib calculus HL.</p>
<p>AP Psychology covers more topics, but IB Psychology goes more in depth. Moreover, the course is designed for self-study. What I think you should do is buy a prep book and get ready for the exam, most of the course still overlaps with IB.</p>