AP Tests this week, how are we feeling?

[Anonymous]

My child has her first AP tomorrow as a sophomore: AP Pre-Calc. This is the first year this AP has been offered so old tests were not available. She has been prepping outside of class with a tutor I found. We’ll see?

(And, if I am understanding correctly from the discussion, I need to make sure she a) does not select the “free report” sent to colleges she will eventually designate? And b) check to see if school reports AP scores on the transcript sent to colleges?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has her first AP tomorrow as a sophomore: AP Pre-Calc. This is the first year this AP has been offered so old tests were not available. She has been prepping outside of class with a tutor I found. We’ll see?

(And, if I am understanding correctly from the discussion, I need to make sure she a) does not select the “free report” sent to colleges she will eventually designate? And b) check to see if school reports AP scores on the transcript sent to colleges?)

My kid is also doing Pre Calc test tomorrow. We SUPER regret signing up for it. It’s pointless, and no one has done it before so there’s very little information on it.

[Anonymous]

It's our understanding that the only point of AP Pre-Calc is to show rigor. At our school, you have to sit for the test if you want the weighted boost, so everyone is taking the exam. However, it's not like colleges are going to accept an AP Pre-Calc grade for class credit or to skip a level. It really is a no-pressure exam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's our understanding that the only point of AP Pre-Calc is to show rigor. At our school, you have to sit for the test if you want the weighted boost, so everyone is taking the exam. However, it's not like colleges are going to accept an AP Pre-Calc grade for class credit or to skip a level. It really is a no-pressure exam.

I am not trying to get into a fight about the prestige of certain colleges, but there are in fact colleges (yes, not top-ranked colleges) that only have pre-calc as the college requirement for certain majors and will accept an AP Pre-calc score as credit. Here was the statement from last year when AP Pre-Calc was announced:

"For students who aren't planning to go into STEM, some colleges have indicated that they will give credit for AP Precalculus to fill a general math requirement, something that might usually be filled by a class like College Algebra, in a liberal arts program."

Here is what Penn State says about AP PreCalc credit:

AP Exam:
Precalculus

Penn State Credit Evaluation:
For a grade of three, no credit is awarded.

For a grade of four or five, credit is awarded for MATH 41 (4 credits).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The college board site says they start releasing results on July 8th.

Given past experience, that doesn't mean ALL results will be available first thing on July 8th.

I have kids taking a few starting this week. One kid is really ill with Flu B so has anti-virals and anything else we can pump him with, to be well enough to take them.

There are make-up days at the end of the exam period. Don’t take it sick

Agree!

The make ups are not the same test and my kid heard they can have harder FRQs so be careful.

That would be deemed discrimination and not ethical.

One possibility is that they are telling your kid the FRQs are harder so he's motivated to do them on time. It's also obv true that the FRQs MAY be harder (for him) or easier.

But I have heard the AP exams are much harder for international students taking an alternative exam. I don't know if it's true or not, but it seems to be lore within the foreign service and my kids' school. They use the "basic" questions for the "real" test, alternative questions for the international exams, and the logic is that the alternative ones are a lot harder even though they are graded using US curves.

This makes no sense. The international exams are same difficulty. They just have to use different questions because they are done on a different date

Absolutely not true - AP teachers see samples of both. - AP teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has her first AP tomorrow as a sophomore: AP Pre-Calc. This is the first year this AP has been offered so old tests were not available. She has been prepping outside of class with a tutor I found. We’ll see?

(And, if I am understanding correctly from the discussion, I need to make sure she a) does not select the “free report” sent to colleges she will eventually designate? And b) check to see if school reports AP scores on the transcript sent to colleges?)

My kid is also doing Pre Calc test tomorrow. We SUPER regret signing up for it. It’s pointless, and no one has done it before so there’s very little information on it.

Don't regret it. The experience of taking the exam will help your child on future exams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's our understanding that the only point of AP Pre-Calc is to show rigor. At our school, you have to sit for the test if you want the weighted boost, so everyone is taking the exam. However, it's not like colleges are going to accept an AP Pre-Calc grade for class credit or to skip a level. It really is a no-pressure exam.

I am not trying to get into a fight about the prestige of certain colleges, but there are in fact colleges (yes, not top-ranked colleges) that only have pre-calc as the college requirement for certain majors and will accept an AP Pre-calc score as credit. Here was the statement from last year when AP Pre-Calc was announced:

"For students who aren't planning to go into STEM, some colleges have indicated that they will give credit for AP Precalculus to fill a general math requirement, something that might usually be filled by a class like College Algebra, in a liberal arts program."

Here is what Penn State says about AP PreCalc credit:

AP Exam:
Precalculus

Penn State Credit Evaluation:
For a grade of three, no credit is awarded.

For a grade of four or five, credit is awarded for MATH 41 (4 credits).

Having an AP Precalc credit makes sense if that is the highest AP math test a student takes in high school and if the two- or four-year college they attend accepts it. However, if the student intends to take AP calculus in high school, having the AP Precalc credit is not useful. Colleges will accept one AP math credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's our understanding that the only point of AP Pre-Calc is to show rigor. At our school, you have to sit for the test if you want the weighted boost, so everyone is taking the exam. However, it's not like colleges are going to accept an AP Pre-Calc grade for class credit or to skip a level. It really is a no-pressure exam.

Some colleges will give you 3 general math credits for it. W&M, VCU, VT etc will. There are over 300 that will.

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/getting-credit-placement/search-policies/course/44

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's our understanding that the only point of AP Pre-Calc is to show rigor. At our school, you have to sit for the test if you want the weighted boost, so everyone is taking the exam. However, it's not like colleges are going to accept an AP Pre-Calc grade for class credit or to skip a level. It really is a no-pressure exam.

I am not trying to get into a fight about the prestige of certain colleges, but there are in fact colleges (yes, not top-ranked colleges) that only have pre-calc as the college requirement for certain majors and will accept an AP Pre-calc score as credit. Here was the statement from last year when AP Pre-Calc was announced:

"For students who aren't planning to go into STEM, some colleges have indicated that they will give credit for AP Precalculus to fill a general math requirement, something that might usually be filled by a class like College Algebra, in a liberal arts program."

Here is what Penn State says about AP PreCalc credit:

AP Exam:
Precalculus

Penn State Credit Evaluation:
For a grade of three, no credit is awarded.

For a grade of four or five, credit is awarded for MATH 41 (4 credits).

Having an AP Precalc credit makes sense if that is the highest AP math test a student takes in high school and if the two- or four-year college they attend accepts it. However, if the student intends to take AP calculus in high school, having the AP Precalc credit is not useful. Colleges will accept one AP math credit.

Wrong. Many will accept pre-calc, calc AB, calc BC and stats - so possibly up to 14 credits. If you are math or engineering they may not accept them - check each schools policy before making blanket statements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has her first AP tomorrow as a sophomore: AP Pre-Calc. This is the first year this AP has been offered so old tests were not available. She has been prepping outside of class with a tutor I found. We’ll see?

(And, if I am understanding correctly from the discussion, I need to make sure she a) does not select the “free report” sent to colleges she will eventually designate? And b) check to see if school reports AP scores on the transcript sent to colleges?)

My kid is also doing Pre Calc test tomorrow. We SUPER regret signing up for it. It’s pointless, and no one has done it before so there’s very little information on it.

Don't regret it. The experience of taking the exam will help your child on future exams.

Students have a lot of practice with exams already. Adding on another AP test just adds to stress and reduces the time that students can spend preparing for other APs that do matter. If the AP Precalc credit was useful, that would be one thing. But for kids that intend to take calculus in high school, the AP Precalc credit is not useful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has her first AP tomorrow as a sophomore: AP Pre-Calc. This is the first year this AP has been offered so old tests were not available. She has been prepping outside of class with a tutor I found. We’ll see?

(And, if I am understanding correctly from the discussion, I need to make sure she a) does not select the “free report” sent to colleges she will eventually designate? And b) check to see if school reports AP scores on the transcript sent to colleges?)

My kid is also doing Pre Calc test tomorrow. We SUPER regret signing up for it. It’s pointless, and no one has done it before so there’s very little information on it.

Don't regret it. The experience of taking the exam will help your child on future exams.

Students have a lot of practice with exams already. Adding on another AP test just adds to stress and reduces the time that students can spend preparing for other APs that do matter. If the AP Precalc credit was useful, that would be one thing. But for kids that intend to take calculus in high school, the AP Precalc credit is not useful.

You may be correct...but there are plenty of kids taking AP Calc that major in humanities or other liberal arts. Perhaps they score a 5 on the AP Precalc but then don't even take the AP Calc BC test (or yes, score less than a 3). As PPs have mentioned, there are hundreds of colleges that will give credit for the AP Precalc score if you want to use that to satisfy the base Math requirement as a history major.

So, there is always potentially some use to a high AP score...just not at every college and not for every major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's our understanding that the only point of AP Pre-Calc is to show rigor. At our school, you have to sit for the test if you want the weighted boost, so everyone is taking the exam. However, it's not like colleges are going to accept an AP Pre-Calc grade for class credit or to skip a level. It really is a no-pressure exam.

I am not trying to get into a fight about the prestige of certain colleges, but there are in fact colleges (yes, not top-ranked colleges) that only have pre-calc as the college requirement for certain majors and will accept an AP Pre-calc score as credit. Here was the statement from last year when AP Pre-Calc was announced:

"For students who aren't planning to go into STEM, some colleges have indicated that they will give credit for AP Precalculus to fill a general math requirement, something that might usually be filled by a class like College Algebra, in a liberal arts program."

Here is what Penn State says about AP PreCalc credit:

AP Exam:
Precalculus

Penn State Credit Evaluation:
For a grade of three, no credit is awarded.

For a grade of four or five, credit is awarded for MATH 41 (4 credits).

Having an AP Precalc credit makes sense if that is the highest AP math test a student takes in high school and if the two- or four-year college they attend accepts it. However, if the student intends to take AP calculus in high school, having the AP Precalc credit is not useful. Colleges will accept one AP math credit.

Wrong. Many will accept pre-calc, calc AB, calc BC and stats - so possibly up to 14 credits. If you are math or engineering they may not accept them - check each schools policy before making blanket statements.

While some four-year colleges give graduation credit for AP Precalc, it would be unusual for one to give graduation credits for both AP Precalc and AP Calc to the same incoming student. Can you provide examples of some four-year colleges that award graduation credit for both AP courses to one student?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have quick resources (similar to Khan Academy) for AP French? My kid has been blowing off studying because their college doesn't have a language requirement (and because they had four other APs) but has not decided to try to go for it so they can get general credit. The Reading section is their biggest challenge, but any suggestions (now that there's <48 hours to go) would be helpful. Wherever you think the low-hanging fruit might be. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have quick resources (similar to Khan Academy) for AP French? My kid has been blowing off studying because their college doesn't have a language requirement (and because they had four other APs) but has not decided to try to go for it so they can get general credit. The Reading section is their biggest challenge, but any suggestions (now that there's <48 hours to go) would be helpful. Wherever you think the low-hanging fruit might be. Thanks!

Désolé. C’est trop tard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have quick resources (similar to Khan Academy) for AP French? My kid has been blowing off studying because their college doesn't have a language requirement (and because they had four other APs) but has not decided to try to go for it so they can get general credit. The Reading section is their biggest challenge, but any suggestions (now that there's <48 hours to go) would be helpful. Wherever you think the low-hanging fruit might be. Thanks!

You might phone Princeton Review and see if they have a tutor who can give you 2 hours. its unlikely as they tend to start with 10 hour minimums but you can ask.

Its a very difficult AP.