Yale and Stanford require all AP scores now. Will other colleges follow?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you consider 4s a high score?

No. Not with the implicit curve that equates to a 5. Imagine if colleges gave a 4.0 for a 70% average. Although that's pretty much how hs gpa has become.

4s and 5s are great. 3s are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stanford announced it in 2024 for 2025. What I believe is new(ish) is that all AP test scores must now also be submitted.

https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/first-year/testing.html

“ACT or SAT scores are required for first-year and transfer students.

AP/IB/A-Levels:

AP exams are not mandatory; however, if you have taken any AP exams, you are required to self-report all your AP scores in your application.

Students currently enrolled in an IB Diploma program outside the U.S. are required to have a school official send us their predicted IB marks (including TOK/essay bonus points).”

It’s meaningless, there’s no way to enforce the reporting, scores can be permanently deleted. Verification happens in the fall for official scores. Only thing is, if you took the AP class and don’t send the score, they’ll assume the worst.

They can't assume that, as the tests are expensive and at most high schools, the test is not required for the class. Many students decide to not take an AP exam here or there. And there are always bunch of posts on reddit of students worried because they didn't realize or forgot to include AP scores in the Common App.

They will assume that and they do assume that because they don't trust the rigor level of courses in many cases. I know an AO at one of the 5C schools and she said flat out that they don't trust the rigor of coursework at many schools especially from certain regions of the country. She said flat out that an 'Honors' class from many states is meaningless and that they treat AP classes without corresponding tests the same way.

+1. This is why they are requiring the scores

[Anonymous]

If you cancel a score, the official AP score report will state that the test score was cancelled by student. So the college will know you took the AP exam but chose to cancel the score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you cancel a score, the official AP score report will state that the test score was cancelled by student. So the college will know you took the AP exam but chose to cancel the score.

I don’t think that’s right for the score report the colleges see. Once cancelled, it’s permanently removed from CB records. But if you used the free score report, you need to cancel it before a set date.

[Anonymous]

Test optional is a joke.

With so much grade inflation, and high schools varying so much in quality and people making up transcripts and letters to get into Yale and being escorted off campus, test scores are a helpful element to see if the student can handle college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you cancel a score, the official AP score report will state that the test score was cancelled by student. So the college will know you took the AP exam but chose to cancel the score.

I don’t think that’s right for the score report the colleges see. Once cancelled, it’s permanently removed from CB records. But if you used the free score report, you need to cancel it before a set date.

CB says: “The Student Datafile and Student Score Report both contain the full AP Exam taking history for a student across multiple exam administrations. If a score is delayed or canceled, the student exam record in these two reports will include any event codes and event descriptions indicating either a delay or cancellation. All other reports only include scores that have been released, that is, not delayed or canceled.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you consider 4s a high score?

No. Not with the implicit curve that equates to a 5. Imagine if colleges gave a 4.0 for a 70% average. Although that's pretty much how hs gpa has become.

That's pretty common in the UK and in engineering colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stanford announced it in 2024 for 2025. What I believe is new(ish) is that all AP test scores must now also be submitted.

https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/first-year/testing.html

“ACT or SAT scores are required for first-year and transfer students.

AP/IB/A-Levels:

AP exams are not mandatory; however, if you have taken any AP exams, you are required to self-report all your AP scores in your application.

Students currently enrolled in an IB Diploma program outside the U.S. are required to have a school official send us their predicted IB marks (including TOK/essay bonus points).”

It’s meaningless, there’s no way to enforce the reporting, scores can be permanently deleted. Verifican happens in the fall for official scores. Only thing is, if you took the AP class and don’t send the score, they’ll assume the worst.

They can't assume that, as the tests are expensive and at most high schools, the test is not required for the class. Many students decide to not take an AP exam here or there. And there are always bunch of posts on reddit of students worried because they didn't realize or forgot to include AP scores in the Common App.

This is Yale and Stanford. The students heading there are likely not struggling terribly with AP exams or with being organized enough to make sure they take them and submit a complete application.

Not true. We know a Yale student with a decent hook, not an athlete, who brags about never submitting AP scores or SAT, because she did not get a single 4 or 5 and got a 1320 on her SAT. She has not done that well there but found an easier major and has a faculty connection as part of the hook--got an amazing summer opportunity through that.
Yale like hooks like every other top school, and now they realize they have to raise the bar even for the hooked kids.

Which major?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you cancel a score, the official AP score report will state that the test score was cancelled by student. So the college will know you took the AP exam but chose to cancel the score.

I don’t think that’s right for the score report the colleges see. Once cancelled, it’s permanently removed from CB records. But if you used the free score report, you need to cancel it before a set date.

The colleges see the full score report and it will indicate score cancelled by student (without showing the score) whether or not student cancelled the test before or after the score release date. So the college will know the kid took the exam. For Stanford and MIT that require ALL AP test scores, kids should report them all even if they cancelled the score and it no longer appears on their test record.

[Anonymous]

Oxford for a long time has stipulated that ALL scores for every kind of exam need to be reported. From their website:

We are aware that students taking APs can apply to College Board to have their scores cancelled or withdrawn. However, it is a requirement of the UCAS application process for students to declare all results, including any that have been cancelled or withdrawn, so that tutors are able to consider students' full educational profile. Failure to declare all qualifications could result in Oxford withdrawing any offer made to you.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/for-international-students/international-qualifications

[Anonymous]

I assume this requirement is for freshman, soph, and jr. scores? Seniors are already admitted by the time scores come out.

[Anonymous]

I wish this was the case all along….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you consider 4s a high score?

No. Not with the implicit curve that equates to a 5. Imagine if colleges gave a 4.0 for a 70% average. Although that's pretty much how hs gpa has become.

4s and 5s are great. 3s are not.

Keep telling yourself that to make above average kids sound smarter. Compare the AP pecentiles (for scores below a 5) with SAT scores. The percentile range for a 4 (i.e., 1-3) starts somewhere btw 50-60%ile.

2025 Score Distribution - %ile that got a 1-4 score
• Lang 87%, Lit 84%
• APush 86%, Euro 87%, Gov 76%
• Micro 81%, Macro 82%
• AB 80%, BC 56%
• Bio 81%, Chem 83%, Phys E&M 77%, Phys M 80%
• Foreign Lang btw 60% and 92%

SAT
• 51% 1020
• 60% 1080
• 70% 1150
• 80% 1230
• 90% 1359
• 95% 1430-1440

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you cancel a score, the official AP score report will state that the test score was cancelled by student. So the college will know you took the AP exam but chose to cancel the score.

I don’t think that’s right for the score report the colleges see. Once cancelled, it’s permanently removed from CB records. But if you used the free score report, you need to cancel it before a set date.

CB says: “The Student Datafile and Student Score Report both contain the full AP Exam taking history for a student across multiple exam administrations. If a score is delayed or canceled, the student exam record in these two reports will include any event codes and event descriptions indicating either a delay or cancellation. All other reports only include scores that have been released, that is, not delayed or canceled.”

That’s different than what the colleges see:

From CB: “Your score report includes all your scores from all the AP Exams you took in the past. Your entire score history will be sent to your designated college, university, or scholarship program unless you choose to withhold or cancel any of your scores.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you consider 4s a high score?

No. Not with the implicit curve that equates to a 5. Imagine if colleges gave a 4.0 for a 70% average. Although that's pretty much how hs gpa has become.

4s and 5s are great. 3s are not.

Keep telling yourself that to make above average kids sound smarter. Compare the AP pecentiles (for scores below a 5) with SAT scores. The percentile range for a 4 (i.e., 1-3) starts somewhere btw 50-60%ile.

2025 Score Distribution - %ile that got a 1-4 score
• Lang 87%, Lit 84%
• APush 86%, Euro 87%, Gov 76%
• Micro 81%, Macro 82%
• AB 80%, BC 56%
• Bio 81%, Chem 83%, Phys E&M 77%, Phys M 80%
• Foreign Lang btw 60% and 92%

SAT
• 51% 1020
• 60% 1080
• 70% 1150
• 80% 1230
• 90% 1359
• 95% 1430-1440

It is a normed test not a straight % correct score. They design it this way so a 70% is a 5 or whatever. You sound low IQ.