AP Exam Question and College

[Anonymous]

If a student takes AP class, are they required to take AP exam? If they fail the AP exam do, they still maintain credit for high school completion of the class? Do colleges frown on not taking the AP exam or not passing? DD has a learning disability and struggles with standardized testing. We are not certain how she will do on AP exams. For the career she is considering she would benefit by doing AP Math and Science classes. Should we avoid AP or give it a try? Would like to avoid any strikes against her related to college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a student takes AP class, are they required to take AP exam? If they fail the AP exam do, they still maintain credit for high school completion of the class? Do colleges frown on not taking the AP exam or not passing? DD has a learning disability and struggles with standardized testing. We are not certain how she will do on AP exams. For the career she is considering she would benefit by doing AP Math and Science classes. Should we avoid AP or give it a try? Would like to avoid any strikes against her related to college admissions.

If a student takes AP class, are they required to take AP exam? No, they are automatically registered when they sign up for AP classroom but they can choose not to take it. If you cancel the test before mid october, there is no fee.

If they fail the AP exam do, they still maintain credit for high school completion of the class? Yes, AP scores aren't released until July. Transcripts are done and printed by then. The AP grade is a 3rd party score that has no bearing on high school requirements.

Do colleges frown on not taking the AP exam or not passing? You'd need to talk to individual colleges.

DD has a learning disability and struggles with standardized testing. We are not certain how she will do on AP exams. For the career she is considering she would benefit by doing AP Math and Science classes. Should we avoid AP or give it a try? Would like to avoid any strikes against her related to college admissions.

[Anonymous]

No, yes, and no. Selective colleges do expect straight As, or for AP classes, Bs. The question is whether a student has better choose an easier class where they can get an A, or a harder class where they might get a B or C.

My son with LDs, ADHD and ASD took a dozen AP classes, but maybe 9 exams, of which maybe 7 were reported to colleges, because he had mostly 5s. He did not report anything 3 or below, and he did not take any senior-year AP exams except 2: he had already picked his university by then, and he knew that they would allow him to skip the introductory class for those, but not the others.

So essentially taking AP classes, and reporting the best scores, was mostly to maximize his college admission chances, and secondarily for college advancement/credit. He tried to take as many AP classes as possible, and take as many exams that he thought he would do well on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, yes, and no. Selective colleges do expect straight As, or for AP classes, Bs. The question is whether a student has better choose an easier class where they can get an A, or a harder class where they might get a B or C.

My son with LDs, ADHD and ASD took a dozen AP classes, but maybe 9 exams, of which maybe 7 were reported to colleges, because he had mostly 5s. He did not report anything 3 or below, and he did not take any senior-year AP exams except 2: he had already picked his university by then, and he knew that they would allow him to skip the introductory class for those, but not the others.

So essentially taking AP classes, and reporting the best scores, was mostly to maximize his college admission chances, and secondarily for college advancement/credit. He tried to take as many AP classes as possible, and take as many exams that he thought he would do well on.

How did your child do with admissions?

[Anonymous]

OP, I suggest letting your child take the exams, especially because MCPS is covering the costs of exams ($98 each) this year.

The AP exams are not like most standardized test, e.g., SATs and ACTs. Most kids don't run out of time or experience the same type of pressure when taking other high-stakes tests. The AP exams are multiple choice and free writing/essay format. The curve in many AP classes is generous. See for example, AP Bio: https://www.albert.io/blog/ap-biology-score-calculator/

As the PPs stated, you don't have to submit or disclose any low scores, and your child may do well if they study and keep on top of the material each week during the school year. My child with ADHD did really well on his first AP exams (2) last year (10th grade).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, yes, and no. Selective colleges do expect straight As, or for AP classes, Bs. The question is whether a student has better choose an easier class where they can get an A, or a harder class where they might get a B or C.

My son with LDs, ADHD and ASD took a dozen AP classes, but maybe 9 exams, of which maybe 7 were reported to colleges, because he had mostly 5s. He did not report anything 3 or below, and he did not take any senior-year AP exams except 2: he had already picked his university by then, and he knew that they would allow him to skip the introductory class for those, but not the others.

So essentially taking AP classes, and reporting the best scores, was mostly to maximize his college admission chances, and secondarily for college advancement/credit. He tried to take as many AP classes as possible, and take as many exams that he thought he would do well on.

How did your child do with admissions?

Well enough. He only had academics, not anything else to speak of, because of his low processing speed. He got into one of his 3 reaches, and all the rest, which included his safety, UMD, which offered him a spot in an Honors college. He ended up declining the reach and going to George Washington instead, because he wants to major in International Affairs and they guaranteed 20K in merit aid every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I suggest letting your child take the exams, especially because MCPS is covering the costs of exams ($98 each) this year.

The AP exams are not like most standardized test, e.g., SATs and ACTs. Most kids don't run out of time or experience the same type of pressure when taking other high-stakes tests. The AP exams are multiple choice and free writing/essay format. The curve in many AP classes is generous. See for example, AP Bio: https://www.albert.io/blog/ap-biology-score-calculator/

As the PPs stated, you don't have to submit or disclose any low scores, and your child may do well if they study and keep on top of the material each week during the school year. My child with ADHD did really well on his first AP exams (2) last year (10th grade).

No no no. Some AP exams are very difficult, and like any test, students can have difficulty finishing on time. This PP has no idea what they're talking about - their kid has only taken two so far. AP Bio and AP Psych are relatively easy, but you can't say the same for AP History, AP physics, or AP Calc, and varieties thereof. Also, the AP teacher has to train the kids to answer in the proper format, which can pose issues for students who are not used to it. Please do not take AP exams lightly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, yes, and no. Selective colleges do expect straight As, or for AP classes, Bs. The question is whether a student has better choose an easier class where they can get an A, or a harder class where they might get a B or C.

My son with LDs, ADHD and ASD took a dozen AP classes, but maybe 9 exams, of which maybe 7 were reported to colleges, because he had mostly 5s. He did not report anything 3 or below, and he did not take any senior-year AP exams except 2: he had already picked his university by then, and he knew that they would allow him to skip the introductory class for those, but not the others.

So essentially taking AP classes, and reporting the best scores, was mostly to maximize his college admission chances, and secondarily for college advancement/credit. He tried to take as many AP classes as possible, and take as many exams that he thought he would do well on.

How did your child do with admissions?

Well enough. He only had academics, not anything else to speak of, because of his low processing speed. He got into one of his 3 reaches, and all the rest, which included his safety, UMD, which offered him a spot in an Honors college. He ended up declining the reach and going to George Washington instead, because he wants to major in International Affairs and they guaranteed 20K in merit aid every year.

Sounds like he did very very well and got in very good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, yes, and no. Selective colleges do expect straight As, or for AP classes, Bs. The question is whether a student has better choose an easier class where they can get an A, or a harder class where they might get a B or C.

My son with LDs, ADHD and ASD took a dozen AP classes, but maybe 9 exams, of which maybe 7 were reported to colleges, because he had mostly 5s. He did not report anything 3 or below, and he did not take any senior-year AP exams except 2: he had already picked his university by then, and he knew that they would allow him to skip the introductory class for those, but not the others.

So essentially taking AP classes, and reporting the best scores, was mostly to maximize his college admission chances, and secondarily for college advancement/credit. He tried to take as many AP classes as possible, and take as many exams that he thought he would do well on.

How did your child do with admissions?

Well enough. He only had academics, not anything else to speak of, because of his low processing speed. He got into one of his 3 reaches, and all the rest, which included his safety, UMD, which offered him a spot in an Honors college. He ended up declining the reach and going to George Washington instead, because he wants to major in International Affairs and they guaranteed 20K in merit aid every year.

Sounds like he did very very well and got in very good schools.

+1
These are great results PP! You should be really proud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, yes, and no. Selective colleges do expect straight As, or for AP classes, Bs. The question is whether a student has better choose an easier class where they can get an A, or a harder class where they might get a B or C.

My son with LDs, ADHD and ASD took a dozen AP classes, but maybe 9 exams, of which maybe 7 were reported to colleges, because he had mostly 5s. He did not report anything 3 or below, and he did not take any senior-year AP exams except 2: he had already picked his university by then, and he knew that they would allow him to skip the introductory class for those, but not the others.

So essentially taking AP classes, and reporting the best scores, was mostly to maximize his college admission chances, and secondarily for college advancement/credit. He tried to take as many AP classes as possible, and take as many exams that he thought he would do well on.

How did your child do with admissions?

Well enough. He only had academics, not anything else to speak of, because of his low processing speed. He got into one of his 3 reaches, and all the rest, which included his safety, UMD, which offered him a spot in an Honors college. He ended up declining the reach and going to George Washington instead, because he wants to major in International Affairs and they guaranteed 20K in merit aid every year.

Sounds like he did very very well and got in very good schools.

+1
These are great results PP! You should be really proud.

PP would you consider hopping over to the SN board and providing some advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I suggest letting your child take the exams, especially because MCPS is covering the costs of exams ($98 each) this year.

The AP exams are not like most standardized test, e.g., SATs and ACTs. Most kids don't run out of time or experience the same type of pressure when taking other high-stakes tests. The AP exams are multiple choice and free writing/essay format. The curve in many AP classes is generous. See for example, AP Bio: https://www.albert.io/blog/ap-biology-score-calculator/

As the PPs stated, you don't have to submit or disclose any low scores, and your child may do well if they study and keep on top of the material each week during the school year. My child with ADHD did really well on his first AP exams (2) last year (10th grade).

No no no. Some AP exams are very difficult, and like any test, students can have difficulty finishing on time. This PP has no idea what they're talking about - their kid has only taken two so far. AP Bio and AP Psych are relatively easy, but you can't say the same for AP History, AP physics, or AP Calc, and varieties thereof. Also, the AP teacher has to train the kids to answer in the proper format, which can pose issues for students who are not used to it. Please do not take AP exams lightly.

I didn't say take the exams lightly. I said the curves in many, not all, classes are generous. MOST exams are not very difficult if you know the material. I doubt the OP's child is taking APUSH, AP Physics, and/or AP Calc this year.

I also assumed that the OP's child had testing accommodations, which would negate any time issues.

[Anonymous]

There aren't curves in AP tests, if anything they're getting progressively more difficult. Did you not see any of the stats that came out this year? 52% of takers failed APUSh for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There aren't curves in AP tests, if anything they're getting progressively more difficult. Did you not see any of the stats that came out this year? 52% of takers failed APUSh for example.

My kid got a 2. It was shocking. It's his favorite subject, and he's like a walking encyclopedia with sharp insights. Teachers say "best paper I've ever read in 20 years of teaching the subject" kind of comments. No idea what happened. I wish they would let you see you test afterward just so you could figure out what happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There aren't curves in AP tests, if anything they're getting progressively more difficult. Did you not see any of the stats that came out this year? 52% of takers failed APUSh for example.

Or the students are getting progressively worse or unprepared. APUSH coursework and exams went through a major revision in 2015. 52% also failed in 2021 and 2022 (COVID). No evidence that the exams are getting more difficult.
Source: https://www.totalregistration.net/AP-Exam-Registration-Service/Compare-Score-Distributions.php?id=15&year=2023

You are correct--I shouldn't have used the term curved. Not sure what the correct term is but I was trying to explain to the OP that a 5 on the exam isn't equivalent to a 100-point grading scale. Some of the harder exams only require students to get 52% of questions correct to score a 5 whereas easier exams a 5 is closer to 80% correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There aren't curves in AP tests, if anything they're getting progressively more difficult. Did you not see any of the stats that came out this year? 52% of takers failed APUSh for example.

My kid got a 2. It was shocking. It's his favorite subject, and he's like a walking encyclopedia with sharp insights. Teachers say "best paper I've ever read in 20 years of teaching the subject" kind of comments. No idea what happened. I wish they would let you see you test afterward just so you could figure out what happened.

Did you ask for a rescore of the multiple choice section? Also, in the past, my son requested to see his free responses to review: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/score-reporting-services/request-free-response-booklet