AP Test Results

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We are surprised too about the 3. We thought she’s score a 4/5 based on prep tests. Anyways, I’ve always told DD study first for school (get As) next is prepare for SAT and third priority is APs.

These are probably the best priorities for most kids. Doing well in school is probably the most important task. There is no need to take too many AP courses. You can signal academic rigor and ability to handle AP exams without taking tons of APs. A couple in sophomore year and three or four per year in 11th and 12th should be plenty for a high achieving kid.

You are kidding, right? That is 10 APs!! Is that a normal average amount?

high performing kids (like magnet kids) take ~16 or more APs.

And are popping Adderall to pull all nighters and have high anxiety, stress, and depression. But it’s all good!

I took 10 APs in high school - 5 in junior year and 5 in senior year. I got a 5 in every one for which I had an actual class, but got lower scores in the ones for which I self-studied. I got 1 3 (European History - taken the day after prom and in the afternoon on the same day as another exam), 3 4s (Spanish, Physics Mechanics, and Physics EM), and 6 5s (US Hist, Eng Lang, Eng Lit, Calc AB, Calc BC, Comp Sci A). All I got at the college I chose were 27 general humanities credits (not helpful for engineering major), Calc I credit, and I got out of the writing test given during orientation. No adderall, and I didn't drink coffee back then, but I was definitely a depressed, nervous wreck until my mid-20s.

I think I will tell my kids (currently in elementary school) to only take the AP exam, at least during their senior HS year, for classes for which they would get actual credit in college, (good AP scores in junior year may boost resume for applications).