What are the downsides of doing poorly on an AP test after self studying?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does an 8th grader even know about AP tests?

Older sibling

There is no upside to this, none whatsoever.

Have him take practice tests for entertainment, if he wants. But it's absurd for him to take the actual test.

I don’t know. Colleges like quirky things like this. Getting a 5 in 8th grade (if that’s what happens) would be something unique and noteworthy. I don’t see a downside. Even a 2 in 8th grade might look precocious but like an interesting kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He can cancel the test in I think June if he thinks he did poorly...but he has to do it before knowing the score.

There is no benefit to scoring high on tests at an early age...so there is little bang for the buck to trying to take it on your own in 8th grade vs. taking in HS. If he is truly doing well on the practice AP tests, then he should be able to do well on the actual test.

All I can think is make him sit for a full practice test and then you do the scoring. Of course, if you aren't a CS person you can only score the multiple choice questions vs. the freeform coding questions.

My June 15

[Anonymous]

See, this is unhealthy to me.

I am not a huge fan of high school kids taking college courses (what is the rush?), but I can see that some schools use that metric to make sure that kids can handle advanced coursework.

If you have a middle schooler who is already on this track, I would be very concerned.

He is still a child. Encourage him to enjoy that (the sports, the friends, acquiring social skills). Somewhere, he got the idea to jump on the elite train, and I suggest you help him with balance because this is not really a good sign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a hassle to exclude the score when sending scores to college. You pay a fee and fax a form—for whatever reason we couldn’t manage it.

But you don’t need to send official scores until you’ve been admitted and have enrolled, so there’s still no real downside other than not getting any credit for that exam. When applying, AP scores are, at all colleges I can think of, self report if the student even wants to mention them.

Some high schools include AP scores on the academic record they send to colleges. So, a student would have to take it off there too if they didn't want to submit it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any upside to him taking the test now, unless he is certain he will get a 5.

My concern would be that once he applies to colleges (3+ years from now), policies may have shifted at some schools to require *all* AP scores.

He's hoping to use it to advocate for skipping some of the earlier CS courses in high school.

I assume you checked with the high school first. What score did they tell you he needs?

[Anonymous]

I bet I know who OP is. She has a kid at MIT and another she's been forcing to take SAT tests since the child was in 6th grade. Third kid is a son. This is him. Poor child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any upside to him taking the test now, unless he is certain he will get a 5.

My concern would be that once he applies to colleges (3+ years from now), policies may have shifted at some schools to require *all* AP scores.

He's hoping to use it to advocate for skipping some of the earlier CS courses in high school.

Who on earth put this idea in his head?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bet I know who OP is. She has a kid at MIT and another she's been forcing to take SAT tests since the child was in 6th grade. Third kid is a son. This is him. Poor child.

Nope, that's not me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet I know who OP is. She has a kid at MIT and another she's been forcing to take SAT tests since the child was in 6th grade. Third kid is a son. This is him. Poor child.

Nope, that's not me.

You sound equally crazy. You sure?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any upside to him taking the test now, unless he is certain he will get a 5.

My concern would be that once he applies to colleges (3+ years from now), policies may have shifted at some schools to require *all* AP scores.

He's hoping to use it to advocate for skipping some of the earlier CS courses in high school.

What courses are beyond that AP class? Our high school doesn't offer any

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any upside to him taking the test now, unless he is certain he will get a 5.

My concern would be that once he applies to colleges (3+ years from now), policies may have shifted at some schools to require *all* AP scores.

He's hoping to use it to advocate for skipping some of the earlier CS courses in high school.

I assume you checked with the high school first. What score did they tell you he needs?

No, he didn't check. He decided that asking with the score in hand would be more persuasive. He's already registered for other classes for next fall, the core 5 subjects and then art and PE which he needs for graduation, so his goal is to skip over CSA and take a higher level class in 10th.

I'm actually not at all sure that they will allow it, but he's got a track record for convincing schools to allow him to do similar things, so I may be wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet I know who OP is. She has a kid at MIT and another she's been forcing to take SAT tests since the child was in 6th grade. Third kid is a son. This is him. Poor child.

Nope, that's not me.

You sound equally crazy. You sure?

Are you asking if I'm sure that I don't have an older kid at MIT that I forgot about?

No, I am fully aware of how many kids I have and where they go to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any upside to him taking the test now, unless he is certain he will get a 5.

My concern would be that once he applies to colleges (3+ years from now), policies may have shifted at some schools to require *all* AP scores.

He's hoping to use it to advocate for skipping some of the earlier CS courses in high school.

I assume you checked with the high school first. What score did they tell you he needs?

No, he didn't check. He decided that asking with the score in hand would be more persuasive. He's already registered for other classes for next fall, the core 5 subjects and then art and PE which he needs for graduation, so his goal is to skip over CSA and take a higher level class in 10th.

I'm actually not at all sure that they will allow it, but he's got a track record for convincing schools to allow him to do similar things, so I may be wrong.

Sounds like he's self-directed and motivated and knows what he wants. I'd let him be, not worry about bad scores, but keep an eye on whether there are any downsides to his being so driven that you can help him balance while he's young.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see any upside to him taking the test now, unless he is certain he will get a 5.

My concern would be that once he applies to colleges (3+ years from now), policies may have shifted at some schools to require *all* AP scores.

He's hoping to use it to advocate for skipping some of the earlier CS courses in high school.

I assume you checked with the high school first. What score did they tell you he needs?

No, he didn't check. He decided that asking with the score in hand would be more persuasive. He's already registered for other classes for next fall, the core 5 subjects and then art and PE which he needs for graduation, so his goal is to skip over CSA and take a higher level class in 10th.

I'm actually not at all sure that they will allow it, but he's got a track record for convincing schools to allow him to do similar things, so I may be wrong.

Sounds like he's self-directed and motivated and knows what he wants. I'd let him be, not worry about bad scores, but keep an eye on whether there are any downsides to his being so driven that you can help him balance while he's young.

Maybe. Or maybe this was the parent's idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet I know who OP is. She has a kid at MIT and another she's been forcing to take SAT tests since the child was in 6th grade. Third kid is a son. This is him. Poor child.

Nope, that's not me.

Poor child, nonetheless...