Will Colleges Overlook a B in an AP Class if I Get a 5 on AP Test

Might get a B in ap euro second semester but only because of what to believe some BS on my teacher’s part. I’m pretty confident that I can get a 5 on the AP test tho.

No

Pretty sure is not the same as actually earning a 5. Admissions committees look at transcripts, gpas, class rank, scores on ACT of SAT. Test scores on AP exams is farther down the list of information considered. Citing BS of a teacher does not explain or excuse why you earned a B in that class. Further, you are responsible for your learning and grades, not your teacher. Your snarky comment about a teacher does not serve you well.

@AsianTemptation What did you earn in that class first semester? Does your high school transcript list semester grades or only final course grades?

Will they “overlook” a B? No. Will one B be the determining factor in an admissions decision? No.

Grades are used for admission, AP tests are used for placement/credit.

@zannah bro, I was just saying I was a tad bit upset with my teacher’s teaching style and grading, calm down. @EveryoneElse, thanks for your responses. I will strive to improve my grades and work ethic.

@hudsonvalley51 my school lists semester grades, and yes I did get an A. Hopefully they may take pity on my soul for that

Schools won’t give a rat’s ass about your AP score. They are generally only used for placement only. Most importantly, they don’t care about your " bad teacher." If all kids used the I had a bad/unfair teacher excuse, well you know where that’s going. Not well. Bright, motivated kids figure out how to navigate those classes, they don’t blame the teacher.

@CottonTales that is an often repeated fallacy on CC. UCLA and UCB explicitly state that they consider AP/IB scores. I have heard many other AOs say that they read and consider everything that is submitted. We don’t know the weight that the scores are given, but to say they are not used at holistic schools is false.

Some teachers will change your grade to an A if you get a 5. My kid has that deal for his AP Physics C, which he could definitely use since he got a B in the first semester. But since he already got into his #1 school, it really doesn’t matter much either way. By the time he finds out his score, he’ll have graduated and in UCB already so he probably won’t even bother asking for a change LOL.

My D2 got a C and got a 5 on AP Bio. She applied ED to her top choice and was admitted, so I don’t think it had any effect except maybe a positive one. She took the credit for sure!

Very few, though, unless it’s individual school policy. Grades are generally locked by the time AP scores are released in July. I question the wisdom of a policy that would allow students to skate for 9 months and have less-than-olptimal performance overridden by a 3 hour exam. If I wanted that I would have gone to Cambridge. :slight_smile:

Our APHug, AP Euro and APUSH policy is a one semester one grade bump for a 4 and 2 semesters for a 5. Only for students who got a B.

So a student who got B/B and a 4 moves to B/A and a student who got a 5 to A/A. An A/B student can move to A/A with a 4 or 5

Since these are in 9th, 10th and 11th grade it can definitely help. It is like the social studies department views the test as an externally scored final that is worth a certain percentage of the grade.

My son had to suffer and endure this particular “BS” teacher at his high school, as well. To my son’s deep bitterness, he came to conclude that the teacher’s grading was based on his personal bias for reasons unknown and not merit-based. On the “College Day” when its customary for the graduating seniors to show up to school wearing the shirts of their college destination, this teacher, upon seeing my son’s shirt, told the class: “Is anyone here not wearing the right college shirt?”

The point to the OP: a B certainly won’t hurt your chances. Channel your anger at the BS teacher toward working harder, instead, and forget about what’s not under your control or what’s already done. The same advice I gave to my son.