How rare is it to get all 5s on APs?

[Anonymous]

DD has only 5s so far, but that puts a lot of pressure on next two years. She’s a Junior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just wondering how rare this is and if helpful with T25 admissions? All 5s across disciplines - like BC calc, APush, lit, foreign language , chem ….if you report all 5s for exams taken through junior year

It helps with schools in the U.K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The AP exams are a test. All of the information is there. Study groups, flash cards, YouTube videos, etc.

My overachieving kid, started studying and pacing herself in January for each of their exams. She scored 5 across the board - even though up until the date The actual scores are released, she’s convinced that it’s probably a 3-4.

OTOH, her brother scored 4s in English and history and only a 5 in calculus.

My sons did no outside prep (absolutely zero) and scored all 5s.

Great teachers, great school.

[Anonymous]

The only value I see is Oxford/Cambridge admission, but you also need high SATs. My kids at a large, mediocre public have some 5s and 4s and one 3 in Spanish. That teacher is excellent and prepared them well. The exam was just difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's discontinued, but there was the "National AP Scholar: Granted to students in the United States who receive an average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams." (https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/scores/awards/scholar-awards)

There were about 39,000 students at that level in 2020 (last year they reported it) - https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-scholar-data-2020.pdf

So I'd guess the number with all 5s would be much smaller - but whether it's, for example, 3,000 or 15,000, I don't know.

Is it discontinued? They still have the AP Scholar distinction and all the levels of it (with honors, etc).

From the first linked page: "AP has discontinued awards that encouraged students to take a large number of exams. " https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/scores/awards/scholar-awards

There are 6 types of awards listed as discontinued.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Common.
Inflation here too.
Check out YCBK podcast. There was a recent segment on this.

Wildly incorrect.
5's still only account for roughly 10% of all AP test takers (sometimes as low as 8% or as high as 13%)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My college Freshmen did on every single one of his AP exams.

Younger brother, Junior in HS, is all 5s so far.

You can see the stats online:

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/about-ap-scores/score-distributions

For my kids, their private HS has a really good AP profile exam score. They are required to take the AP exam or fail the class. They have a very high number of 4-5s.

Also, the numbers are deceiving. AP Environmental Science is one of the easiest AP courses, but has a low amount of '5s'---only 9%, whereas 45% of AP Cacl BC takers score 5. This has more with the TYPE of student taking the test than the test/subject matter itself. Then with languages you have native speakers in the mix, etc.

A more thoughtful take is that they are totally different subjects so there absolutely no value in comparing them.

Perhaps, but a more realistic take is that there are certain APs that are not known to be as rigorous and for students that do not meet the prerequs (which some schools require) to get in the higher level math, science, english, etc., they are the subjects more general ed and not honors/ap kids take. There is nothing bad about analyzing data this way. I know people like to be all 'everyone gets a trophy, everyone is capable', but some kids are more intellectually capable. No harm in saying that. These other kids may be much more gifted in a variety of other things and ways---artistically, emotionally, socially, etc.

Or maybe the kid is more interested in taking AP Environmental Science rather than taking a second year of Biology, Chemistry and Physics (you have to take the honors version before the AP version at my Dc’s school)…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The AP exams are a test. All of the information is there. Study groups, flash cards, YouTube videos, etc.

My overachieving kid, started studying and pacing herself in January for each of their exams. She scored 5 across the board - even though up until the date The actual scores are released, she’s convinced that it’s probably a 3-4.

OTOH, her brother scored 4s in English and history and only a 5 in calculus.

My sons did no outside prep (absolutely zero) and scored all 5s.

Great teachers, great school.

My son got all 5s with no prep. My daughter had a teacher leave mid year and this person was replaced with a teacher who had never taught the subject before. She got a 4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My college Freshmen did on every single one of his AP exams.

Younger brother, Junior in HS, is all 5s so far.

You can see the stats online:

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/about-ap-scores/score-distributions

For my kids, their private HS has a really good AP profile exam score. They are required to take the AP exam or fail the class. They have a very high number of 4-5s.

Also, the numbers are deceiving. AP Environmental Science is one of the easiest AP courses, but has a low amount of '5s'---only 9%, whereas 45% of AP Cacl BC takers score 5. This has more with the TYPE of student taking the test than the test/subject matter itself. Then with languages you have native speakers in the mix, etc.

A more thoughtful take is that they are totally different subjects so there absolutely no value in comparing them.

Perhaps, but a more realistic take is that there are certain APs that are not known to be as rigorous and for students that do not meet the prerequs (which some schools require) to get in the higher level math, science, english, etc., they are the subjects more general ed and not honors/ap kids take. There is nothing bad about analyzing data this way. I know people like to be all 'everyone gets a trophy, everyone is capable', but some kids are more intellectually capable. No harm in saying that. These other kids may be much more gifted in a variety of other things and ways---artistically, emotionally, socially, etc.

Or maybe the kid is more interested in taking AP Environmental Science rather than taking a second year of Biology, Chemistry and Physics (you have to take the honors version before the AP version at my Dc’s school)…

You missed the point. Yes, some highly intelligent kids take AP Enviro sci. But, the reason the pass rate is so low compared to much, much harder courses is because the MAJORITY of kids taking environmental science are looking for an easy class and the other AP courses are too tough. I know smart kids very interested in climate that take environmental science, but the vast majority of kids looking to fill their schedules with the most rigorous courses (not just taking an easy one to inflate the gpa with a 0.5 bump) don't have room for environmental science. Less intelligent kids taking the exam means low pass rate. Understand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My college Freshmen did on every single one of his AP exams.

Younger brother, Junior in HS, is all 5s so far.

You can see the stats online:

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/about-ap-scores/score-distributions

For my kids, their private HS has a really good AP profile exam score. They are required to take the AP exam or fail the class. They have a very high number of 4-5s.

Also, the numbers are deceiving. AP Environmental Science is one of the easiest AP courses, but has a low amount of '5s'---only 9%, whereas 45% of AP Cacl BC takers score 5. This has more with the TYPE of student taking the test than the test/subject matter itself. Then with languages you have native speakers in the mix, etc.

A more thoughtful take is that they are totally different subjects so there absolutely no value in comparing them.

Perhaps, but a more realistic take is that there are certain APs that are not known to be as rigorous and for students that do not meet the prerequs (which some schools require) to get in the higher level math, science, english, etc., they are the subjects more general ed and not honors/ap kids take. There is nothing bad about analyzing data this way. I know people like to be all 'everyone gets a trophy, everyone is capable', but some kids are more intellectually capable. No harm in saying that. These other kids may be much more gifted in a variety of other things and ways---artistically, emotionally, socially, etc.

Or maybe the kid is more interested in taking AP Environmental Science rather than taking a second year of Biology, Chemistry and Physics (you have to take the honors version before the AP version at my Dc’s school)…

You missed the point. Yes, some highly intelligent kids take AP Enviro sci. But, the reason the pass rate is so low compared to much, much harder courses is because the MAJORITY of kids taking environmental science are looking for an easy class and the other AP courses are too tough. I know smart kids very interested in climate that take environmental science, but the vast majority of kids looking to fill their schedules with the most rigorous courses (not just taking an easy one to inflate the gpa with a 0.5 bump) don't have room for environmental science. Less intelligent kids taking the exam means low pass rate. Understand?

Colleges know this too^^

[Anonymous]

DC who is now a first year college student

10th grade: comp sci A (5), world hist (5)
11th grade: us hist (3), chem (5), calc bc (5), eng lang (5)
12th grade: music (5), biology (5), physics C: mech (5), physics C: elec/mag (5), stats (5), micro econ (5), macro econ (5)

SAT = 1530

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC who is now a first year college student

10th grade: comp sci A (5), world hist (5)
11th grade: us hist (3), chem (5), calc bc (5), eng lang (5)
12th grade: music (5), biology (5), physics C: mech (5), physics C: elec/mag (5), stats (5), micro econ (5), macro econ (5)

SAT = 1530

How did he do in admissions? Where did he get in and where was he rejected?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC who is now a first year college student

10th grade: comp sci A (5), world hist (5)
11th grade: us hist (3), chem (5), calc bc (5), eng lang (5)
12th grade: music (5), biology (5), physics C: mech (5), physics C: elec/mag (5), stats (5), micro econ (5), macro econ (5)

SAT = 1530

How did he do in admissions? Where did he get in and where was he rejected?

at Cornell engineering with air force rotc hssp. applied all engineering.

Accepted: Northwestern, UVA, VaTech, GaTech, Case Western, UIUC, Delaware, Rose Hulman, Rensselaer
Rejected: Rice, Columbia, Princeton, UPenn, Duke
Waitlisted: UMich, Brown, Carnegie, Vanderbilt

[Anonymous]

My kid got 5s on 10 APs. Including Physics mech and Physic elec/mag. Had to do a bit of self studying for most since school doesn’t have APs. 1580 SATs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It gets murky in here with the way some use terms like “top scores” without clarifying exactly what that means to them. In the context of the SAT and ACT, I’ve come to expect that most don’t mean 1600 or 36 (much less in their child’s first attempt).

With respect to AP tests, I’ve never seen definitive data, but I’d estimate that 10+ AP tests with scores of 5 (with nothing lower) probably occurs as often as a super scored 1600 or 36. 14+ probably as often as a one-and-done 1600 or 36.

What I can say with confidence, however, is that a wall of 5s definitely DOES seem to matter to most T25 schools.

I'd say the 10+ AP tests with all 5s is most likely higher than the percentage of 1600/36.
AP tests measure what you learned over the course. A good AP teacher teaches the material but also ensure the students will do well on the test.
My own 1480/8 AP kid got all 5s and one 4 (and that was on AP CS principles, which did not matter as they already had a 5 on CS A---so they chose not to do the "project work" for the test as they were a senior and it literally did not matter). Otherwise, they would of had all 5s.
I suspect there are many other "smarter" kids who could have easily gotten all 5s as well.