Test Scores VS. Classes Taken

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Do colleges care more about the level of your class or the standardized test scores?

For example, would it be better if I
a. took physics level 1, took AP Physics exam & took Calculus level 1, took AP Calc exam

OR

b. took physics honors, took AP Physics exam & took pre-calculus honors, no test

?
I am asking because I can either take pre-calc over the summer and move up to calculus 1 next year, but it will not be an honors class and I will not be allowed to take AP physics, OR, I can take AP Physics next year as well as pre-calculus honors. My tutor says that option A is better because since it will be my junior year next year, colleges like to see some AP scores before they see the application.

Thanks!

2

It sorta depends upon what you want to study in college. Certainly having calculus under your belt in HS is preferable to not having it, but if you’re saying calc as a junior vs. calc as a senior, I really don’t think that it will make that much of a difference.

The bigger issue is how you plan to take an AP Physics test without having an AP Physics class. Certainly it can be done, but 64% failed the AP exam last year, and presumably most of them had an actual AP class. Good luck.