<p>I know that colleges don't get actual official reports of your AP scores, but they are collegeboard exams, so how big of a role can they play in your admission decision if you have 4 or 5 5's, relatively speaking, compared to something else like ... oh I don't know SAT scores? By the same token, would 4 or 5 fair scores (2's, 3's) negatively impact your application, or just be passed over?</p>
<p>They're for credit purposes, so that you wouldn't have to take that class in college (depends on credit policy from school to school). I haven't heard of them affecting admission purposes.</p>
<p>well it ****ing should.</p>
<p>i get B's in AP classes and get 5's.</p>
<p>I know people who get A's and get 2's...</p>
<p>*** is this bullsiht</p>
<p>Most colleges don't care about your AP scores. I <em>think</em> there are a few that have spots on the application for AP scores, but they never explicitly state the weight placed on those scores (I assume it's not very much).</p>
<p>ScrewedHopeful, if you want your subject-area knowledge to count for college admissions, take the SAT II. Most APs have a similar one.</p>
<p>I disagree with the above posters; AP scores are taken into account for admissions purposes at many top-level universities.</p>
<p>Most apps have a place where you can voluntarily report AP scores. Schools only want the real reports once you have been accepted. </p>
<p>I suppose strong AP scores (read multiple 5s) could offset other minor weaknesses. On the whole, they aren't too important though--someone could feasibly lie about their scores herem so, colleges obvioulsy take them with a grain of salt</p>
<p>I don't think kids would blatantly lie about AP scores - if accepted they'll be expected to send the official report. Why would a kid risk it?</p>
<p>If you mean kids can leave off bad scores, that's true.</p>
<p>I suppose any institution that explicitly asks you for AP scores will consider them in admissions. </p>
<p>However, I would seriously doubt that they hold much weight. They wouldn't offset low grades or low SAT scores. Colleges are pretty open about what aspects of the application are most important to them (you can research this through individual school profiles on the collegeboard.com website), and I don't remember seeing any college that listed AP scores as an important factor.</p>
<p>In addition, many top schools don't ask for your AP scores. I guess if you really wanted to show off, you could list them under "Extra Info" or "Academic Achievements", but I think that's kind of unnecessary. Maybe just putting "AP Scholar With Distinction" in your Academic Achievements section would be more appropriate than listing each individual test.</p>
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<p>well aren't AP tests considered a form of standardized testing which is "very high" on many colleges admissions factors list? it's one of the few assessments outside of the SAT that give everyone an "equal opportunity" to show off their abilities, so why wouldn't they want to use this information to help them make decisions?</p>
<p>Hmm I suppose you could be right in that sense. However, I'd still consider APs of lower significance than the SAT/SATII/ACT, especially because 1) there are a lot of kids who don't take APs and still get in, and 2) colleges don't release/publicize their students' AP scores like they do for SAT/ACT. Again, you could just take the SAT II if you want to demonstrate your proficiency in a certain subject.</p>
<p>I've also heard criticism of AP tests saying that they favor richer students, because those are the students with access to AP study materials/classes and have the money to pay the pretty hefty $82 per test fee. Fee waivers exist but don't do much to nullify the general cost of the other factors involved in AP. Thus, while AP scores could be a plus, I don't think a university will look down on you if you haven't taken them.</p>
<p>the exact same bias is present for SAT testing.</p>
<p>the actual test fee may be less, granted, but the friggin prep courses cost 1000 dollars. I think, with enough time, someone could feasibly buy their SAT score just as easily as an AP score.</p>
<p>Eh, I think they're pretty different. The SAT is largely supposed to test reasoning abilities, while most of the APs test comprehension and knowledge. While I won't get into whether or not the SAT is completely successful in testing what it means to test, it seems like it would be easier to memorize and repeat facts than to gain reasoning skills. But yeah, you're right, colleges have been taking a warier stance on the SAT because they know that problems of economic inequality exist.</p>
<p>Essentially, the AP test is not supposed to be used for college admissions purposes. You are only supposed to send official scores to colleges after you have been admitted and decide to attend. A lot of kids take APs during senior year so those tests can't be a factor. There are too many school that either don't offer APs or offer limited APs for them to play too much of a factor in admissions. You may WISH they would play a bigger part in admissions, but they don't have that much impact.</p>
<p>I don't think they count too much since an official report isn't requested, but I think they should since somewhere I read of a study that said AP scores correlate more to success in college than do SAT scores.</p>