I am taking 5 ap classes this year as a senior, but I really don’t want to take all 5 ap exams at the end of the year. It is really overwhelming. I want to take 2 or 3 only.
In the UC application, they ask what ap exams I plan to take, and if I only put down 2 or 3 ap exams, will that hurt my chance of admission for UC schools? Will they think i am not trying hard in my senior year?
Or should I just sign up all 5 ap exams and don’t care about what scores I get for some of them?
I am really worried about this, and I am not sure what I should do.
Could someone please give me some advice about this situation? Thank you so much
Only UCB and UCLA state they consider AP scores in their application review. For Senior year courses, you will be given a decision prior to taking the exams so if you do not want or will not get credit for the AP classes, then do not take. However, if you report that you plan to take specific AP tests in the application, the UC’s want to notified if do not end up sitting for them.
On UCB’s provisional admission there is a box to check of you do not take the AP’s listed and there will be no repercussions.
Thank you for your time to reply.
So it seems like I shouldn’t say I am going to take it if i don’t mean it although people say they never rescind just because of that.
Will that put me in disadvantage if I dont’ say i plan to take the ap exams though when I submit application in November?(it is actually a lot of money for 5 exams)
Will they think I am not trying hard in senior year?
Sorry I know I have a lot of question and maybe i am overworried.
Here is the Instagram post regarding AP exams for Undergrad applicants for last year and the year before. AP exams reported as planned are part of the provisional admission so most likely, the statement will be true for 2023 admits.
You will not be at a disadvantage for not planning to take all the AP exams but I would not list them on the UC application, if you do not plan to follow through with the exam.
This was the statement on the UCB provisional admission contract:
“If you will not meet your Conditions of Admissions or are reporting changes to your schedule, select all that apply and indicate the reason(s) below.
_ I will not be taking the AP or IB exam as reported on my application”
Grades in the AP classes are more important to the UC’s than the AP exam scores.
Piggybacking on this - D23 has one AP exam from junior year (out of 4) that was a 2 (APUSH), the others are 3’s and 4’s.
She was told she should report the 2 because it would look ‘odd’ not to, but I think I disagree. She is applying to UCB and UCLA, although they are long shots. Thoughts?
No reason to report a 2 especially since there will be no credit for that score. UC’s will not ask for official AP score reports until the student enrolls so leave off any scores where the student will not get credit.
In most cases, having an AP score that may give you credit, subject credit, or advanced placement is better than regretting not taking the AP test and having to take the course again in college that you could have fulfilled already. (A possible exception would be for certain science AP tests if you are a pre-med intending to repeat those courses in college.)
If you are doing well in the AP courses, and they cover the intended material, you should be able to do well on the AP tests without additional work beyond doing well in the AP courses.
