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

[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

Rare to-get straight 5s in difficult APs ,7 or more, by the end of junior year, for seniors graduating 2023 or earlier: many tests had 4-9% with 5s. Less than 3000 per year did that . 2024 now has the same tests with 10-20% 5s. Much easier now. As with everything, inflation devalues success.

[Anonymous]

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.

Must be a rather small percentage, specially for ones with 10+ APs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Helpful, yes. Rare, not really, no; not as rare as, say, 1550+ SAT.

5s on 5 APs, common, 5s on dozen plus APs, not so common. Ones who do, almost always score higher than 1550 on SAT.

[Anonymous]

It probably is more common among Asians and not as helpful for them, not so common among others and can make one stand out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's relatively common in this area, with so many high-achieving kids, but of course it helps. Presuming high stats across board, plus good ECs and leadership.

Don’t forget you are not just competing against the small DMV area. It’s even more common in many parts of the country. The states that are always on top are Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York. They have the highest percentage of AP scores of 3-5.

Here is a site that shows some details on level of difficulty , how many students got a perfect score on every subject. English literature and composition has the lowest rating of 5s across the country.


https://prepory.com/blog/list-of-ap-classes-and-highest-passing-rates/

[Anonymous]

Can we at least agree on this? The percentage of individuals receiving an A in all of their AP classes is at least 10x the percentage receiving a 5 on all of their AP tests?

Grade inflation is insane atm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we at least agree on this? The percentage of individuals receiving an A in all of their AP classes is at least 10x the percentage receiving a 5 on all of their AP tests?

Grade inflation is insane atm.

It doesn't parry that's for sure, but not 10 x
Normally its roughly 10% get 5's but about 30-40% are getting A grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we at least agree on this? The percentage of individuals receiving an A in all of their AP classes is at least 10x the percentage receiving a 5 on all of their AP tests?

Grade inflation is insane atm.

yes this is because colleges care more about gpa - if there is a hint that colleges care way more of AP scores, this will change.

[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?

+1

If interested in ES, you need Chem, Bio and Physics as major reqs in college, so most will take the harder APs in hopes of getting college credit. Not that hard to understand. Easier APs will have more "not as smart" kids trying it out to say they took AP course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we at least agree on this? The percentage of individuals receiving an A in all of their AP classes is at least 10x the percentage receiving a 5 on all of their AP tests?

Grade inflation is insane atm.

yes this is because colleges care more about gpa - if there is a hint that colleges care way more of AP scores, this will change.

You don't do the AP test for admissions, you do it for rigor and for college credit

[Anonymous]

It is rare. The people whose kids did it don't give their kids enough credit. It is rare.

Now, people claiming their kids did it without showing the receipts -- common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is rare. The people whose kids did it don't give their kids enough credit. It is rare.

Now, people claiming their kids did it without showing the receipts -- common.

My daughter had 11 5’s. Went to TJ. 2400’on the SAT’s. Got in everywhere she applied except for Yale. Well rounded - cheerleader and on the state champion crew team.


I never hovered over her or even asked for her grades (I knew what they were). I think a handful of her friends did the same. I think it is largely a maturity issue. Once informed the AP courses were at the introductory level at a reasonably rigorous university, my guess is that she sized these exams up as very doable. Don’t get me wrong - as a relatively lazy parent I knew I was lucky to have a kid who did this well with very little effort on my part but in hindsight I had a bright kid who was unusually mature. Plenty of time for bright kids to catch up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is rare. The people whose kids did it don't give their kids enough credit. It is rare.

Now, people claiming their kids did it without showing the receipts -- common.

My daughter had 11 5’s. Went to TJ. 2400’on the SAT’s. Got in everywhere she applied except for Yale. Well rounded - cheerleader and on the state champion crew team.


I never hovered over her or even asked for her grades (I knew what they were). I think a handful of her friends did the same. I think it is largely a maturity issue. Once informed the AP courses were at the introductory level at a reasonably rigorous university, my guess is that she sized these exams up as very doable. Don’t get me wrong - as a relatively lazy parent I knew I was lucky to have a kid who did this well with very little effort on my part but in hindsight I had a bright kid who was unusually mature. Plenty of time for bright kids to catch up.

What was your daughter’s IQ? Probably over 150, right? She had a very rare cognitive profile. 99.99% of kids cannot achieve 11 5s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is rare. The people whose kids did it don't give their kids enough credit. It is rare.

Now, people claiming their kids did it without showing the receipts -- common.

My daughter had 11 5’s. Went to TJ. 2400’on the SAT’s. Got in everywhere she applied except for Yale. Well rounded - cheerleader and on the state champion crew team.


I never hovered over her or even asked for her grades (I knew what they were). I think a handful of her friends did the same. I think it is largely a maturity issue. Once informed the AP courses were at the introductory level at a reasonably rigorous university, my guess is that she sized these exams up as very doable. Don’t get me wrong - as a relatively lazy parent I knew I was lucky to have a kid who did this well with very little effort on my part but in hindsight I had a bright kid who was unusually mature. Plenty of time for bright kids to catch up.

I don't know if its a cultural thing, but people here have not learned that you can be naturally intelligent or intelligent by school culture and not have parents beating you into education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It probably is more common among Asians and not as helpful for them, not so common among others and can make one stand out.

+1. Most Asians can get all 5s, so it doesn't mean anything.