<p>hey all, i'm a junior in honors precalc and AP chemistry. let's say i have a B in honors precalc and a C in AP chem. those are decent grades (especially for chem). if i score close to an 800 on the SAT 2 level 2 for precalc, and a 4/5 on the AP exam and in the low 700's for SAT 2 in AP chem, will that help make up for just ok grades in those classes, since i demonstrated good knowledge of the courses? honestly, take the role of an admissions officer to answer this question. thanks, peeps!</p>
<p>Doing well on both standardized tests will definitely offset any “mediocre” grades you earned in that subject. It might even be considered a plus, since it would show that your school isn’t suffering from grade inflation, and that your teacher is actually challenging you beyond the normal class syllabus.</p>
<p>I kinda have an opposite opinion. I think that it will be a red flag to admissions people. They might think that you are smart you are just lazy. Cause if you can get an 800 and a 5 on an AP exam, you should be getting an A in the class. Cause if you can do that, you clearly know your material.</p>
<p>Of course it is best to get an A and a 4/5 on the AP exam and in the 700s on the SAT II of that particular subject.</p>
<p>But yes, doing very well on the college board tests will somewhat make up for a B in an AP class. I don’t think getting a B in an AP class shows that you’re lazy; instead, it shows that the class is challenging and prepares you well…</p>
<p>Case in point: I got a B in my APUSH class last year, yet got a 5 on the AP exam and a 780 on the SAT II test.</p>
<p>this really depends. if you go to a relatively “easy” public school, then i have to agree with zfox001 that low grades coupled with high standardized test scores might show that you’re lazy. however, if you go to a “harder” public school or a top ranked private school, the high standardized test scores will offset the low grades to a certain extent. however, i think its better to have high grades and lower test scores just b/c admissions officers usually place more emphasis on high school grades and transcript.</p>
<p>that said, your calc grade with your precalc math sat ii scores are fine. but, a c in ap chem does not seem like a decent grade. try to raise that ap chem grade and get a 5 on the ap. a 4 on any ap translates into upper 600s on most sat ii tests, so thats not exactly a high test score.</p>
<p>just my two cents =))</p>
<p>It really isn’t better to get an A in a class and do poorly on the AP/SAT II tests because all that shows is that your class was a joke…</p>
<p>a college usually knows a tad bit about the school you’re from so they know whether the classes you take are easy or hard. even if you’re from an academically grueling school and take a hard class and get an A and then get a low test score, colleges won’t be thinking, that class was a joke.
again it comes down to the type of school you go to.</p>
<p>Yes they will. If you do extremely well in a class at a (relatively) highly-regarded high school, there’s no reason why you should do poorly on an AP exam or an SAT II in that respective class.</p>
<p>You got an A in the class, which obviously shows that you know the material well. What are colleges supposed to think when you do poorly on a standardized test? That you’re a bad test taker? I think not…</p>