Must you take AP exams?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

Well if it's Physics 1 & 2, then it likely doesn't matter. If you require Physics credit in college most likely you need Physics C Mechanics. The scores are lower for 1&2 because that's the path kids who can't hack Physics C take. C is harder and the pass rate is higher, because that's taken by kids who are in Calc AB and Calc BC by senior year.

But if you need a FL requirement in college, I'd still take the Chinese lang and culture just to hope you get high enough score to not have to take anything in college

[Anonymous]

Definitely check whether the colleges look though for admissions purposes. Michigan looks. Anecdotally, kids who got a bunch of 5s as opposed to a bunch of 3s and 4s at our high school did better there this year. Everyone gets A's in the classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

Well if it's Physics 1 & 2, then it likely doesn't matter. If you require Physics credit in college most likely you need Physics C Mechanics. The scores are lower for 1&2 because that's the path kids who can't hack Physics C take. C is harder and the pass rate is higher, because that's taken by kids who are in Calc AB and Calc BC by senior year.

But if you need a FL requirement in college, I'd still take the Chinese lang and culture just to hope you get high enough score to not have to take anything in college

Most kids taking Chinese are taking it as a second FL. Mine is one example, as is most of her Chinese class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

The pass rate for AP Chinese Lang is high (84%/ 54% (5s) because most kids taking the exam are native speakers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

The pass rate for AP Chinese Lang is high (84%/ 54% (5s) because most kids taking the exam are native speakers.

It has been dropping year on year, since it started. I think its lower than 76% now. But yes, original that was the case, native speakers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

The pass rate for AP Chinese Lang is high (84%/ 54% (5s) because most kids taking the exam are native speakers.

It has been dropping year on year, since it started. I think its lower than 76% now. But yes, original that was the case, native speakers.

No, it was 85% last year. No evidence of dropping.

Source: https://www.totalregistration.net/AP-Exam-Registration-Service/AP-Exam-Score-Distributions.php?year=2023

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

AP Chinese Language & Culture has LITERALLY one of the highest pass rates of all AP exams, FFS, over 50% score a 5 on the AP test. The reason is that most students speak the language as their primary language at home, but your comment needed to be blocked into next week for being so blatantly incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

AP Chinese Language & Culture has LITERALLY one of the highest pass rates of all AP exams, FFS, over 50% score a 5 on the AP test. The reason is that most students speak the language as their primary language at home, but your comment needed to be blocked into next week for being so blatantly incorrect.

Yup!

And Physics C Mechanics has over 35% getting a 5, very high rate. Most likely because kids taking itare in calc bc or have already taken AB. Similarly BC has a much higher pass rate than AB. Why? Because those are the kids who are 2-3 grade levels ahead in math, so they've been ahead since ES most likely. In our district 99% have taken AB the year prior. So yeah of course it will have a higher pass rate than others---not everyone is taking it

[Anonymous]

Talk by the test is insurance against grade inflation. An A means nothing. Your teacher can give you the A. The test is an objective measure of your knowledge/ability. Same reason schools are returning to standardized tests. N

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

AP Chinese Language & Culture has LITERALLY one of the highest pass rates of all AP exams, FFS, over 50% score a 5 on the AP test. The reason is that most students speak the language as their primary language at home, but your comment needed to be blocked into next week for being so blatantly incorrect.

What is not incorrect is that it is a fiercely difficult AP exam. If mostly native Chinese students are taking it, that's a reflection on their abilities, not the abilities of the general US populace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

AP Chinese Language & Culture has LITERALLY one of the highest pass rates of all AP exams, FFS, over 50% score a 5 on the AP test. The reason is that most students speak the language as their primary language at home, but your comment needed to be blocked into next week for being so blatantly incorrect.

What is not incorrect is that it is a fiercely difficult AP exam. If mostly native Chinese students are taking it, that's a reflection on their abilities, not the abilities of the general US populace.

It's not a difficult exam if you are a native speaker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids didn't take one of his AP exams senior year. He had a B in the class and didn't feel he'd do well and I said sure, skip it.

That makes sense senior year. If you don't feel you've learned the material, you wouldn't take the AP credit in college (if needed for your major), you'd retake the course.

But if it's a Gen ed type course, by May you know where you are going, so if they'd take the AP credit take the test and you might get a 4/5 or whatever is needed for credit.

Its not just that, classes like AP Physics and AP Chinese Language & Culture are two of the absolute hardest AP exams with low pass rates. You could scrape an A in those classes and still struggle in the exams

AP Chinese Language & Culture has LITERALLY one of the highest pass rates of all AP exams, FFS, over 50% score a 5 on the AP test. The reason is that most students speak the language as their primary language at home, but your comment needed to be blocked into next week for being so blatantly incorrect.

What is not incorrect is that it is a fiercely difficult AP exam. If mostly native Chinese students are taking it, that's a reflection on their abilities, not the abilities of the general US populace.

I responded to the low pass rate comment - very clearly. There was nothing incorrect in my response. Thanks, though.

[Anonymous]

Well if it's Physics 1 & 2, then it likely doesn't matter. If you require Physics credit in college most likely you need Physics C Mechanics. The scores are lower for 1&2 because that's the path kids who can't hack Physics C take. C is harder and the pass rate is higher, because that's taken by kids who are in Calc AB and Calc BC by senior year.

Well my DS got a 5 in Physics 1, had no need to ever take another physics class in his life and was happy to get out of taking a GenEd lab science class.

For OP, if your kid is a junior with a ballpark idea of what schools they might target, they should look at how the school treats AP scores. I was surprised, for example, that VA Tech will give credit for a 3 on most tests and JMU requires a 4 or 5 on almost all of them.

[Anonymous]

No need to take it if your school does not offer it like ours