<p>I got my AP US History score back.</p>
<p>I got a 4. I am definitely proud of what I got. </p>
<p>But I've been thinking about it--- </p>
<p>So far, I've only had ONE AP class my entire high school career. That is all they have offered so far. Yet, I am taking the most challenging course load.</p>
<p>My grade in that class was a 97 for the year.</p>
<p>I got a 4 on the AP test, a 710 on the SAT IIs.</p>
<p>I'm a pretty bad test-taker (nervous, can't concentrate because of time limit, can't think, I start tearing at my hair, not thinking, etc) so my test scores are always not as hot as I'd like them to be, no matter how hard I study. Believe me, I studied for this one. :-D</p>
<p>But, will some of the higher-tier look at this lonely 4 AP score and then scoff at me because I only had one test to study for, yet I only got a 4 --- even though my grade in that class is a 97? Is this grade inflation?</p>
<p>Should I send this score to the top-ranked colleges or not send it at all?</p>
<p>Thanks for any advice that you might leave. :-)</p>
<p>Eh...</p>
<p>I'd send it in.
Several AdComs have said the actual ap test doesn't matter- it's the fact you took your schools ap course. Also, a 4 is a good score (ignore some of those crazy OMG I GOT A 4 WHAT WILL MY APP. LOOK LIKE WITH THAT COMPARED TO ALL OF MY 5'S!?!?!?! cc'ers).</p>
<p>I'm in the same boat- 2 ap's, one of which was self-studied.</p>
<p>Both scores were 4's, and you know what, I'm proud of them.
My APUSH class was a bunch of seniors and I was the only sophomore in the class, with other things going on as well...
My self-study psych- some may scoff at a 4, but I opened a prep book the week before and got what I got. All the schools I'm applying to that will accept ap psych credit will take a 4. Good enough for me.</p>
<p>The subject test, 710, can cover for the 4. I wouldn't worry about it. Chances are, you were close to the 5.</p>
<p>i was told that unless u get a 5, don't send it in.</p>
<p>In most subjects. that 710 equates with the 4. I think colleges will see you in the best light if you go beyond what your school offers and take classes that APEX APs or community college classes. A top tier school will have a hard time taking you at present because there's little to show you're competitive.</p>
<p>a 4 is excellent, a three is even good at most colleges. The only reason it seems that some colleges don't like 3s and 4s is because they hate that AP classes make it so you don't spend so much money on them. So they try to up their acceptance of scores, so that they assure you spend money on them and take their class. </p>
<p>You only send in AP scores when you actually get into the school and are registering for classes. Admissions wise, there is a spot to put your AP scores on the application or your high school sends it in on the transcript. Come to think of it, I bet you could even easily lie...</p>
<p>I was told by Cornell when I was applying that if you do not put a score on the app, they will assume that you did not take the risk to take the test. This brings down the image you want to convey as an applicant that challenges themselves. So no use in hiding scores. If it is a 4, you should even be flaunting it. Not many American high school students do that well.</p>
<p>The less than hundred bucks to take the test will give you credit for a college class with even a 3 (not at top schools obviously) which costs much more.</p>
<p>Honestly, a 4 is not a great score for a top school, it's just too easy to get a 5 if you really know your subject and many top students get all 5s.</p>
<p>^kid johnson was talking about.</p>
<p>4's are fine, dont sweat it. I got 2 4's on my tests. In higher schools, 4's and 5's get you credit, and at elite schools, 5's are more the standard (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, ect.)</p>
<p>^ so if I were to apply to Harvard, princeton, yale, then I should not include the score if say..... i got a 4 in psycology?</p>
<p>"even though my grade in that class is a 97? Is this grade inflation?"</p>
<p>A 97/100 at High School Class followed by 710 on SAT II and a 4 on the AP test certainly shows a grade inflation. This will put you in a bad sport as compare to other students from different school.</p>
<p>If your school don't send students to top schools regularly than this will be considered as negative. If your school do send many to top schools than your grades are first compare with your fellow student and if you rank well there then you still have a chance.</p>
<p>^ .... how much of a negative?</p>
<p>I think I will re-take the SAT IIs and try to get an 800 or 780ish. Will that counter the 4?</p>
<p>I come from a rural public school who sends students to ivy-leagues every once in a great while.</p>
<p>I still fail to understand how this test can accurately gauge my achievement --- considering that you can only take it once (it's very high pressure).</p>
<p>Hey, I've only taken 1 AP so far as well, AP U.S. History and I got a 5. It really doesn't matter how many APs you take so much as how many APs your school offers. My school only offers a couple to non-seniors so I've taken only one, then am doing 4 next year. This is much more than most kids at my school, but still less than plenty of other schools. That said, my school still sends kids to MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard, etc. just about every year.</p>
<p>Technically, AP scores do not need to be sent to colleges until you are accepted. But some HS include your AP scores on your transcript. What my D's high school does is to send colleges their students' profile. It will show x number of students in AP History, number of students got A, B, C... grades and number of students got 5, 4, 3... on their AP exams. It gives collegs a good picture of how you stack up relative to your peers. If most people from your class got 4s and below, it's an indication of how the class is taught at your school.</p>
<p>Find out if your schools includes AP scores on the transcript and then decide if you want to send your score in. That being said, most top tier colleges would expect you to take AP exams if you took AP classes. They may think it's strange not to see your scores.</p>
<p>Don't retake it if it's a 4 or 5. Don't you have something better to do?</p>
<p>"^ .... how much of a negative?"</p>
<p>I was not being negative. I was just trying to let you know how this will come to me if I'm the one who is looking at the application.
A 97/100 is an A+, you cann't be an A+ student and fail to get 5 on AP or > 750 on SAT II. It doesn't cut that way unless the A+ at your school is equivalent to a B+ at some other school.</p>
<p>^ Sorry. I was not calling you "negative."</p>
<p>You had said, "If your school don't send students to top schools regularly than this will be considered as negative."</p>
<p>I was wondering exactly how much of a negative my score would be considered. Like, how BAD does it look? Would it mean much, much lowered chances of admission at some of the higher colleges? Or not enough if the rest of my application was stronger?</p>
<p>^^^: The point was that as soon as your SAT IIs for any AP subject test falls below 750 with an A+ on the school grade for that class the adcom will think two things.</p>
<ol>
<li>If other students with A+ from your school in the same subject score > 750, then it is great negative to you.</li>
<li>If other students with A+ from your school in the same subject also score <= to your score, then it is small negative toward the school and if you are the top most student at your school then you still have good chance.</li>
</ol>
<p>Both of the above are small negative wrt to other students from different schools.</p>
<p>I agree with ParentOfIvyHope on this. I got an A- in APUSH with a 760 SAT II and a 5 on the AP test. Your average might be inflated.</p>
<p>"Several AdComs have said the actual ap test doesn't matter- it's the fact you took your schools ap course."</p>
<p>***!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>I would think the AP grade is way more important than the course grade, since some schools have easy teachers. I got a 93 FA in my European History AP class and a 5 on the AP exam itself, and my teacher was a hard-grader =</p>
<p>none of you are admins so how would you know send it in kid. It doesn't hurt, it'll only help it a 4 for goodness sakes. Gosh!</p>