Which AP classes are harder/easier (STEM, social science)?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
HS sophomore is taking AP computer science and APUSH this year, says comp sci is easy and APUSH workload is awful. Student is not too motivated, not aiming for top colleges, will likely go to regular in-state public, but those are getting more competitive every year (in VA). Does not like reading and writing long papers, is more interested in STEM (will not do AP English or foreign language), math will be pre-calc. Has about a 4.0 weighted GPA with the current APs.
That said, choosing next year's classes, considering 1-3 APs from these choices: - Physics - Biology - Human Geography - Economics - Government - World History Are any of these known to be easier or super hard? Would choosing 3 be too many, or best to stick to 1-2? Do any of them look better to colleges? |
Anonymous
| Def not AP World. He will hate it. But as a junior, he really needs to take AP English. Not doing so reflects poorly. I would say AP Bio and AP English. He probably will need to take honors physics, since he hasn’t had physics yet and maybe AP Govt |
Anonymous
|
Please cease and desist from using the outdated term “STEM”.
The correct term is: STEAM. The addition of “A” denotes “arts.” |
Anonymous
| Human Geo and Econ are more like elective APS so not great for a competitive junior yr but good for senior. Bio and Gov are good for lighter workload. AP physics would be hard without the regular option first. |
Anonymous
|
This page has a graph that shows difficulty ratings and time requirements, based on reviews from kids who took the AP exam.
https://examstudyexpert.com/easiest-ap-classes/ My kid is taking AP econ this year and thinks the class is super easy. |
Anonymous
NP. Sorry, STEAM never really caught on. Please cease and desist from lumping the arts in there. |
Anonymous
lol no thanks. They’re completely different things. The arts kids are the ones who can’t do STEM. |
Anonymous
| What's the goal - strength of schedule/getting into college? Or trying to earn college credit? What major is your child considering? If your goal is college credit - go for opposite fields of study. |
Anonymous
And the STEM kids are the ones who have no artistic talent. Why did someone think that was a good idea. |
Anonymous
+1. I don’t want my kid learning arts. I want them learning stem. Go take your arts elsewhere. |
Anonymous
+2. I want my kid learning arts separately. |
Anonymous
|
What's the correlation between the study time and the pass rate? It looks like some of the "easier classes" means students didn't study as much but the pass rates aren't great either.
An "easy" or "hard" class shouldn't just be how much work there is and how much you studied. It should also include results. |
Anonymous
|
There's a couple examples where you've listed subjects that encompass more than one exam.
I believe of the ones you listed AP Physics B has the lowest pass rate (though C should be harder I think students who self select that one tend to have a stronger math/physics background so the pass rate is higher). I was a math oriented kid so I found AP Physics easier than AP Biology because it just fit my learning style. If your kid likes programming he may find Physics easier. Back when I took it people wouldn't really bother with the US Government exam because almost no colleges took it, but it was absurdly easy to get a 5 on it if you put in a bare minimum effort. Re: grades it just depends on the teacher. |
Anonymous
|
Difficult to answer this question because it seems it would be kid-dependent. My kid is like yours, more STEM-oriented and doesn't enjoy writing that much. He thinks AP Lang is a PITA.
From your list, my STEM kid's favorites would be Physics & Econ because he enjoys doing the work. You didn't mention Stats but that one has been a breeze. He knows AP Gov is supposed to be easy but has zero interest (to my chagrin) and doesn't want to take it. So I'd say whichever courses your kid thinks will be more interesting, where the work will be energizing rather than a slog. |