Hi, I am currently a rising senior doing some college research. I took the AP bio exam this year, and I think I bombed it. If I did fail, should I not send my scores to competitive colleges?
Also, things to consider would include that I hope to major in biochemistry, and the fact that I ruined my bio exam kind of looks bad. I’m not really sure what to do!
AP scores are self-reported on college applications. If you don’t like your score, don’t report it. It really, truly, is that simple.
If you get a bad score, don’t report it - problem solved. Regardless, one AP score will not make or break an application.
Okay as a fellow rising senior, here’s what I would do. I would just not sent that one AP Bio score if you get a 1 or a 2. However, I’m pretty sure this costs money. So if you can afford it do that. But, if you have a reason why you got a 1 or a 2, then you should probably explain it to the college, I think they can be forgiving. If you get a 3, then I think you should send it either way, because if that’s the only one that has a three then it could be seen as a fluke.
But also, I’m pretty sure some colleges require that you send all scores no matter what. Like I’m pretty sure Yale does this, so there’s no hiding from them. If you’ve taken all your other exams for your other AP classes this might look suspicious though. So I would just be careful. Hide the score from the colleges you can. But if you have an excuse, explain yourself in the application.
If you can talk to your guidance councilor about this.
Good luck.
No US college requires official AP score reports with the app. They are self reported on the app.
Hi, thank you for the reply. What I mean is that since I’m majoring in biochem, would the fact that I took AP bio but not submit a score implicate that I’m not good enough to the college?
No.
Especially with how the APs were administered this year, I wouldn’t be too concerned.
They may infer it, but what can you do?
Some schools don’t use AP scores in admissions, and it’s not a major input for any of them. Send or don’t send, depending on the score, but don’t waste time/effort worrying about it.
Fret not…colleges are much more concerned about your grades in those classes as opposed to the AP tests.
Why is that?
For example, Stanford says:
Students currently enrolled in AP courses are not required to submit AP scores as part of our admission process. AP scores that are reported are acknowledged but rarely play a significant role in the evaluation of an application. Grades earned over the course of a term, or a year, and evaluations from instructors who can comment on classroom engagement provide us with the most detailed insight into a student’s readiness for the academic rigors of Stanford.
http://admission.stanford.edu/basics/selection/prepare.html
Let me state clearly: we do not admit students solely because of their AP courses/scores. There is no minimum or recommended number of AP courses. AP scores are not part of an admission formula… What we are saying is that, despite what you may have heard, college admissions isn’t a game of whoever has the most APs, wins.
https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/on_aps_1/
Where does this leave you?
This video can be very helpful for you:
Thank you so much everyone! I actually got a 4, so I think I’m satisfied 
Yay congrats?
For future applicants with the same question reading this thread, yes, while it costs money to withhold one of your AP scores when you send them via the College Board, it does not cost any money to completely delete the score (which is permanent.) However, you should only do so if you get below a 3 (and maybe not even then, as some schools will give placement, even if not credit for a 2 like UW.)
Note: There’s a specific deadline every year to cancel a score if you chose to use your one free score send and don’t want that score sent to that college, however, you can always cancel scores at any time (unless they’re archived, which happens when your most recent AP exam was 4+ years ago.)
Link here: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/score-reporting-services
@skieurope Some US Colleges do require official test scores, such as the University of Central Florida. For future applicants, make sure that you thoroughly read through the college’s admissions website/check your applicant portal, because you don’t want to be automatically rejected for not turning in official scores!