Taking the AP class but not the exam?

[Anonymous]

My child is likely to take AP Euro or AP World History over summer before 10th or 11th. This will allow an academic elective spot in the schedule for a class in their deep, genuine area of interest.

However, taking the AP exam next spring makes little sense as it will be 8-months later, and conflict with their full schedule of exams and their intense sport season.

Is this approach a red flag to colleges, assuming excellent grades and SATs? Does everyone submit scores? If credit is not needed, is an AP class but no exam an acceptable way to complete the academic requirement?

Will apply T20-60ish if not recruited for sport. T1-30 of recruited. Has not yet decided.

Thank you.

Bonus: we are looking at the various online asynchronous options. Feel free to suggest one that your child felt was excellent.

[Anonymous]

Just take the exam in the spring. My child forgot to register the year they took APUSH so they took the exam 12 months later and got a 4. Just get a study book.

[Anonymous]

I understand and appreciate that that’s an option, but it does not answer my question.

If anyone has insight into whether choosing not to test is a red flag, or has a class to recommend, I’d be grateful.

[Anonymous]

Yes it is a red flag and suggests grade inflation/ suggests kid did take the exam and scored below 3 and as such did not report the score.

[Anonymous]

Yes, take the exam. Class with no exam score is a red flag, other than senior year.

For online asynchronous ap courses, some colleges offer them - Johns Hopkins CTY, Northwestern CTD, Stanford and Duke have in the past but I'm not sure if they do now.

But you need to check with the high school if they'll accept the credit for the high school transcript. I'd start by asking high school counselor about this.

[Anonymous]

An AP class without a 4 or 5 score on the exam will receive (and should receive) zero credit from admissions officers.

If you don’t take the AP class (and do well on the exam), well, you haven’t really taken an AP class have you?

AP tests are virtually the only mechanism left to control for the absurd and rampant grade inflation in America’s public high schools.

[Anonymous]

Ha! At our Catholic HS you have to take the AP exam or you will fail the class. It’s required.

[Anonymous]

My son reported all 5s on all of his exams and I do think that helps at the top schools. It’s another indicator you are ready for the work and your “A” in the class was real, not inflated.

[Anonymous]

It is a red flag. It's an even bigger problem if all the grades are really good and there are no AP exam scores. Then they're sus of your whole application/transcript. The college influencer Ivy Roadmap just did a reel on this.

[Anonymous]

OP said their DC is not trying for top schools. In that case I think missing one AP score is perfectly fine. I am also assuming that they will have AP scores for other courses, including other social studies or history courses by the time they submit.

[Anonymous]

DS is at a HYP. His HS didn’t have AP classes- they called them Advanced Subjects- some of the teachers taught to the AP tests and others didn’t. He was in every AS class available but only took 3 of the tests, AP World, APush and Calc BC. Scored 5s.

DS viewed his admissions file and all it said about his academics was “highest rigor and test scores.”

I think this board looks to the minutia to explain why a student was deferred or rejected, but at these top 10 schools the explanation is more tailored to what the school is looking for and not your kid. No admissions officer is going to think that a kid who got a few 5s on AP tests isn’t capable of doing college work because they didn’t submit every score (or didn’t take the exam).

BTW- DS was accepted to two 10 schools and rejected by two.

[Anonymous]

I think a classroom/school year AP without the exam might not be a red flag, but an online/asynchronous class and no exam? AOs will see that grade as totally bogus. Not taking the exam 100% raises the suspicion of cheating/extra help while doing the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a classroom/school year AP without the exam might not be a red flag, but an online/asynchronous class and no exam? AOs will see that grade as totally bogus. Not taking the exam 100% raises the suspicion of cheating/extra help while doing the class.

Agreed. There is rampant AI use / cheating in the online asynchronous APs.

[Anonymous]

Summer AP asynchronous course will be viewed as what it is, just a desperate attempt to recover GPA. If offered, take the course during the year, get the easy grade, and they will never know the AP exam wasn't taken. If the asynchronous course is not allowed during the year, and current gpa is really bad with no course rigor, then go with best of worst option, i.e, do the summer asynchronous and let them interpret it whichever way they choose.

[Anonymous]

Easy red flag. With so many other competitive students why bother with your app when you have this red flag.