I’m not signing my daughter up for the AP Physics 1 test - we took a look at her schools and almost none give credit for it. On the off chance it makes sense in the spring, we’ll eat the $40 late fee.
I would recommend taking it…AP scores aren’t used for admissions, they are used to place students/get credit in college.
If she does poorly, it doesn’t matter. If she does well, she may get credit for a college science.
Of course AP scores can be used in admissions. They’re another data point.
The difference is that OP’s kiddo, so far, is looking at a “sensible range of sensible colleges,” (my phrase,) some of which may not be as nitpicky as tippy tops can be.