take the AP exam anyways and get a 5 |
with no AP classes? would the exams help? |
No. There is no reason to self-study and take AP exams outside of school unless your child wants/needs credit or placement for them. Or for the handful of schools that are test-flexible and accept AP scores instead of SAT/ACT. Colleges care about taking the highest rigor available - if that’s honors for your HS, that’s great. |
| OP, you need to educate yourself if you want to get your kid into a T20. Where do you live? Is your kid coming from a public or private. How many AP classes can your kid take? Some kids at T20s will have taken 12+ AP classes others will have taken 0. This is a completely useless thread without more information. |
Colleges recognize going above and beyond what is available. |
30 AP classes? GTFO. That is crazy |
Exams, not classes. The crazy numbers are from people who are self-studying for a lot of these. |
| my kid was at a private with no APs. self studied (a bit) and took two exams in 10th and two in 11th. Got 5s. Submitted. Accepted at HYP (when some similar applicants were not). Can't tell you what helps on margins, but didn't hurt. |
If the private school does not offer any classes labeled AP, do they still do the AP testing in May? How did your kid take the exams ? |
Those taking 15+ exams are usually international students self studying. There was a massive scandal last year showing the sheer number of cheaters taking the AP exams. I understand why international students feel the need to take 20 AP exams, but it really is bad advice. A high achieving stateside student only has enough room for max 12-15 AP classes. To college admission offices, the classes are much more important than the exams. So a typical middle/upper-middle class student should aim for 12-15, with each of the core science, English, math, history, and foreign language. That comfortably gets you a "highest rigor" checkmark. Any fewer, there should be some extenuating reason proffered. |
You have to contact local public schools to work with their exam coordinator for a spot in their testing schedule. |
lol |
Proof of this? FWIW I only know of a fews kids from our public magnet HS that tried this self study thing. Based on results, I don't think it helped. |
Why would colleges give points for doing sports outside of school sanctioned teams, and other activities outside of what the school offers, including things like olympiads, but not do the same for AP exams? |
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7 APs.
Is at Brown. |