AP tests—why??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, anonymous forum. For those in private that no longer have AP classes, why are you having your kids take a bunch of AP tests? What does it get you?

The private schools are selling a lie on the lack of need for the tests. My son ended up taking 7 and getting 10 college credits which saves us major money at his top ten school. Plus it is a great challenge.

[Anonymous]

AP environmental science, AP psychology, AP research - colleges don’t care.

However, if you take AP US History or AP Language and get a 5, it shows on a proctored reading and essay test you are in the top 12% of everyone who is taking that test. It is meaningful comparison.

If you take AP chemistry and get a 5 you scored in the top 10-18th percentile rank compared to your peers. This student probably isn’t going to have difficulty in a pre-med major.

These tests are different than multiple choice tests that do not involve any writing like the SAT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, anonymous forum. For those in private that no longer have AP classes, why are you having your kids take a bunch of AP tests? What does it get you?

The private schools are selling a lie on the lack of need for the tests. My son ended up taking 7 and getting 10 college credits which saves us major money at his top ten school. Plus it is a great challenge.

Major money because he doesn’t get to go to college for 4 years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP environmental science, AP psychology, AP research - colleges don’t care.

However, if you take AP US History or AP Language and get a 5, it shows on a proctored reading and essay test you are in the top 12% of everyone who is taking that test. It is meaningful comparison.

If you take AP chemistry and get a 5 you scored in the top 10-18th percentile rank compared to your peers. This student probably isn’t going to have difficulty in a pre-med major.

These tests are different than multiple choice tests that do not involve any writing like the SAT.

I agree. To try to take every AP exam possible is dumb and a waste of time and money, unless AP courses are just part of the standard "advanced" curriculum at your school. To take a select few to demonstrate mastery is smart, especially because we are in an era of rampant grade inflation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only for the college credit. I really don’t think AP test scores matter for admission. The senior year ones arrive too late so it would only be the ones before that in an application. The class grade matters obviously but 4/5s are not going to impress anyone.

This doesn't sound like an informed opinion. Many public school students start taking APs in grade 9. By end of junior year, they could have 10 AP scores registered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private schools in the DMV collectively did away with AP classes because they wanted to distinguish themselves from public schools. They wanted to be able to market themselves as being "special," and they couldn't do that if they were offering the same classes as the public schools. Not only that, because they're smaller than publics they couldn't offer the full variety of APs that the publics can.

In other words, they did away with APs because they couldn't compete.

The problem is that private school parents both like APs and are Uber competitive. They worry that without taking AP classes and exams their kids are at a disadvantage. So they want their kids in private schools AND they want them taking AP exams.

That's what they do it.

This. Why would people pay $60k a year for something that public schools are offering for free? So private schools sell the myth of their customized special curriculum and talk about how "too much testing" is bad for learning. And many drink the kool aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only for the college credit. I really don’t think AP test scores matter for admission. The senior year ones arrive too late so it would only be the ones before that in an application. The class grade matters obviously but 4/5s are not going to impress anyone.

This doesn't sound like an informed opinion. Many public school students start taking APs in grade 9. By end of junior year, they could have 10 AP scores registered.

You should read through the rest of this thread rather than fixate on one post which doesn’t include the details.

If your school’s advanced track of coursework is designated AP, then of course anyone taking advanced coursework will rack up lots of APs. That isn’t the point of this thread.

The question is not about taking the most advanced coursework at your school, but do the AP exam scores matter for college admissions?

Does including 10 AP exam scores help or hurt you? If you got less than a 5 on any of these exams, doesn’t that open you up to scrutiny? For example you got an A in the class but a 3 or 4 on the exam, that looks weak. Anything less than a 5 is a red flag for a competitive application.

The issue at private schools without AP classes is that they are not required to take these exams.

My own kids did not include the exam scores in their college application but later used them to get college credit.

If you have a strong college application the AP exam scores are not going to help you and could hurt you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private schools in the DMV collectively did away with AP classes because they wanted to distinguish themselves from public schools. They wanted to be able to market themselves as being "special," and they couldn't do that if they were offering the same classes as the public schools. Not only that, because they're smaller than publics they couldn't offer the full variety of APs that the publics can.

In other words, they did away with APs because they couldn't compete.

The problem is that private school parents both like APs and are Uber competitive. They worry that without taking AP classes and exams their kids are at a disadvantage. So they want their kids in private schools AND they want them taking AP exams.

That's what they do it.

This. Why would people pay $60k a year for something that public schools are offering for free? So private schools sell the myth of their customized special curriculum and talk about how "too much testing" is bad for learning. And many drink the kool aid.

If you want your high school experience to essentially just be AP exam prep courses, then public high school is the way to go. All public schools can do this and it is about as standardized as anything can get. The whole high school experience is focused on preparing for AP exams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only for the college credit. I really don’t think AP test scores matter for admission. The senior year ones arrive too late so it would only be the ones before that in an application. The class grade matters obviously but 4/5s are not going to impress anyone.

This doesn't sound like an informed opinion. Many public school students start taking APs in grade 9. By end of junior year, they could have 10 AP scores registered.

You should read through the rest of this thread rather than fixate on one post which doesn’t include the details.

If your school’s advanced track of coursework is designated AP, then of course anyone taking advanced coursework will rack up lots of APs. That isn’t the point of this thread.

The question is not about taking the most advanced coursework at your school, but do the AP exam scores matter for college admissions?

Does including 10 AP exam scores help or hurt you? If you got less than a 5 on any of these exams, doesn’t that open you up to scrutiny? For example you got an A in the class but a 3 or 4 on the exam, that looks weak. Anything less than a 5 is a red flag for a competitive application.

The issue at private schools without AP classes is that they are not required to take these exams.

My own kids did not include the exam scores in their college application but later used them to get college credit.

If you have a strong college application the AP exam scores are not going to help you and could hurt you.

So basically private school kids shouldn't do AP exams, because they can't hack the competition and won't stand out compared to their national peers and private school is a haven that allows you to say that your special snowflake is the biggest fish in a tiny pond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only for the college credit. I really don’t think AP test scores matter for admission. The senior year ones arrive too late so it would only be the ones before that in an application. The class grade matters obviously but 4/5s are not going to impress anyone.

This doesn't sound like an informed opinion. Many public school students start taking APs in grade 9. By end of junior year, they could have 10 AP scores registered.

You should read through the rest of this thread rather than fixate on one post which doesn’t include the details.

If your school’s advanced track of coursework is designated AP, then of course anyone taking advanced coursework will rack up lots of APs. That isn’t the point of this thread.

The question is not about taking the most advanced coursework at your school, but do the AP exam scores matter for college admissions?

Does including 10 AP exam scores help or hurt you? If you got less than a 5 on any of these exams, doesn’t that open you up to scrutiny? For example you got an A in the class but a 3 or 4 on the exam, that looks weak. Anything less than a 5 is a red flag for a competitive application.

The issue at private schools without AP classes is that they are not required to take these exams.

My own kids did not include the exam scores in their college application but later used them to get college credit.

If you have a strong college application the AP exam scores are not going to help you and could hurt you.

So basically private school kids shouldn't do AP exams, because they can't hack the competition and won't stand out compared to their national peers and private school is a haven that allows you to say that your special snowflake is the biggest fish in a tiny pond.

You lack reading comprehension skills. Perhaps your education was too focused on preparing overcrowded classrooms for standardized tests. Whatever the reason, it has failed you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only for the college credit. I really don’t think AP test scores matter for admission. The senior year ones arrive too late so it would only be the ones before that in an application. The class grade matters obviously but 4/5s are not going to impress anyone.

This doesn't sound like an informed opinion. Many public school students start taking APs in grade 9. By end of junior year, they could have 10 AP scores registered.

You should read through the rest of this thread rather than fixate on one post which doesn’t include the details.

If your school’s advanced track of coursework is designated AP, then of course anyone taking advanced coursework will rack up lots of APs. That isn’t the point of this thread.

The question is not about taking the most advanced coursework at your school, but do the AP exam scores matter for college admissions?

Does including 10 AP exam scores help or hurt you? If you got less than a 5 on any of these exams, doesn’t that open you up to scrutiny? For example you got an A in the class but a 3 or 4 on the exam, that looks weak. Anything less than a 5 is a red flag for a competitive application.

The issue at private schools without AP classes is that they are not required to take these exams.

My own kids did not include the exam scores in their college application but later used them to get college credit.

If you have a strong college application the AP exam scores are not going to help you and could hurt you.

So basically private school kids shouldn't do AP exams, because they can't hack the competition and won't stand out compared to their national peers and private school is a haven that allows you to say that your special snowflake is the biggest fish in a tiny pond.

You lack reading comprehension skills. Perhaps your education was too focused on preparing overcrowded classrooms for standardized tests. Whatever the reason, it has failed you.

Right?! The PP clearly has no basic understanding of why a parent would choose private school. No sense of the overall system and the choices or our ability to curate the experience we think our child will thrive in.

Of course we all know that if we want out kids to be standardized testing drones we can keep them in public school, stuff their evenings and weekends full of RSM, Kumon, and Language classes to get them up to snuff for the magnet schools and get them into a good college. What they miss is that isn't the life I want for my child. I want a school that deeply engages them and fosters a love of learning. The question OP is asking isn't if private school kids can test well on an AP, it is if it is worth the bother since we know they could do fairly well...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only for the college credit. I really don’t think AP test scores matter for admission. The senior year ones arrive too late so it would only be the ones before that in an application. The class grade matters obviously but 4/5s are not going to impress anyone.

This doesn't sound like an informed opinion. Many public school students start taking APs in grade 9. By end of junior year, they could have 10 AP scores registered.

You should read through the rest of this thread rather than fixate on one post which doesn’t include the details.

If your school’s advanced track of coursework is designated AP, then of course anyone taking advanced coursework will rack up lots of APs. That isn’t the point of this thread.

The question is not about taking the most advanced coursework at your school, but do the AP exam scores matter for college admissions?

Does including 10 AP exam scores help or hurt you? If you got less than a 5 on any of these exams, doesn’t that open you up to scrutiny? For example you got an A in the class but a 3 or 4 on the exam, that looks weak. Anything less than a 5 is a red flag for a competitive application.

The issue at private schools without AP classes is that they are not required to take these exams.

My own kids did not include the exam scores in their college application but later used them to get college credit.

If you have a strong college application the AP exam scores are not going to help you and could hurt you.

So basically private school kids shouldn't do AP exams, because they can't hack the competition and won't stand out compared to their national peers and private school is a haven that allows you to say that your special snowflake is the biggest fish in a tiny pond.

Because AP exams aren't even that hard, so I think you sound pretty ridiculous. My kid had to take select AP exams for UK applications and got all 5's with minimal self-prep to familiarize themselves with rubrics and content standards. The non-AP material they covered in their classes was so much more worthwhile. Essays were expected to be more sophisticated than formulaic DBQ's and LEQ's, and they took proof based math well beyond BC calc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only for the college credit. I really don’t think AP test scores matter for admission. The senior year ones arrive too late so it would only be the ones before that in an application. The class grade matters obviously but 4/5s are not going to impress anyone.

This doesn't sound like an informed opinion. Many public school students start taking APs in grade 9. By end of junior year, they could have 10 AP scores registered.

You should read through the rest of this thread rather than fixate on one post which doesn’t include the details.

If your school’s advanced track of coursework is designated AP, then of course anyone taking advanced coursework will rack up lots of APs. That isn’t the point of this thread.

The question is not about taking the most advanced coursework at your school, but do the AP exam scores matter for college admissions?

Does including 10 AP exam scores help or hurt you? If you got less than a 5 on any of these exams, doesn’t that open you up to scrutiny? For example you got an A in the class but a 3 or 4 on the exam, that looks weak. Anything less than a 5 is a red flag for a competitive application.

The issue at private schools without AP classes is that they are not required to take these exams.

My own kids did not include the exam scores in their college application but later used them to get college credit.

If you have a strong college application the AP exam scores are not going to help you and could hurt you.

So basically private school kids shouldn't do AP exams, because they can't hack the competition and won't stand out compared to their national peers and private school is a haven that allows you to say that your special snowflake is the biggest fish in a tiny pond.

Because AP exams aren't even that hard, so I think you sound pretty ridiculous. My kid had to take select AP exams for UK applications and got all 5's with minimal self-prep to familiarize themselves with rubrics and content standards. The non-AP material they covered in their classes was so much more worthwhile. Essays were expected to be more sophisticated than formulaic DBQ's and LEQ's, and they took proof based math well beyond BC calc.

That's cute how you say that they aren't that hard, based on your child's experience with a few AP exams. Check out the distribution of % of kids who get a 5 on each exam, and you'll have a better understanding of why that parent was saying that AP exams can hurt you if you don't excel at them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only for the college credit. I really don’t think AP test scores matter for admission. The senior year ones arrive too late so it would only be the ones before that in an application. The class grade matters obviously but 4/5s are not going to impress anyone.

This doesn't sound like an informed opinion. Many public school students start taking APs in grade 9. By end of junior year, they could have 10 AP scores registered.

You should read through the rest of this thread rather than fixate on one post which doesn’t include the details.

If your school’s advanced track of coursework is designated AP, then of course anyone taking advanced coursework will rack up lots of APs. That isn’t the point of this thread.

The question is not about taking the most advanced coursework at your school, but do the AP exam scores matter for college admissions?

Does including 10 AP exam scores help or hurt you? If you got less than a 5 on any of these exams, doesn’t that open you up to scrutiny? For example you got an A in the class but a 3 or 4 on the exam, that looks weak. Anything less than a 5 is a red flag for a competitive application.

The issue at private schools without AP classes is that they are not required to take these exams.

My own kids did not include the exam scores in their college application but later used them to get college credit.

If you have a strong college application the AP exam scores are not going to help you and could hurt you.

So basically private school kids shouldn't do AP exams, because they can't hack the competition and won't stand out compared to their national peers and private school is a haven that allows you to say that your special snowflake is the biggest fish in a tiny pond.

Because AP exams aren't even that hard, so I think you sound pretty ridiculous. My kid had to take select AP exams for UK applications and got all 5's with minimal self-prep to familiarize themselves with rubrics and content standards. The non-AP material they covered in their classes was so much more worthwhile. Essays were expected to be more sophisticated than formulaic DBQ's and LEQ's, and they took proof based math well beyond BC calc.

That's cute how you say that they aren't that hard, based on your child's experience with a few AP exams. Check out the distribution of % of kids who get a 5 on each exam, and you'll have a better understanding of why that parent was saying that AP exams can hurt you if you don't excel at them.

Across all schools? Or just privates? Cause I did look at my kid's private schools APs and there was nothing below a 3 and they don't prep for APs or have AP courses sooo 🤷‍♀️

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only for the college credit. I really don’t think AP test scores matter for admission. The senior year ones arrive too late so it would only be the ones before that in an application. The class grade matters obviously but 4/5s are not going to impress anyone.

This doesn't sound like an informed opinion. Many public school students start taking APs in grade 9. By end of junior year, they could have 10 AP scores registered.

You should read through the rest of this thread rather than fixate on one post which doesn’t include the details.

If your school’s advanced track of coursework is designated AP, then of course anyone taking advanced coursework will rack up lots of APs. That isn’t the point of this thread.

The question is not about taking the most advanced coursework at your school, but do the AP exam scores matter for college admissions?

Does including 10 AP exam scores help or hurt you? If you got less than a 5 on any of these exams, doesn’t that open you up to scrutiny? For example you got an A in the class but a 3 or 4 on the exam, that looks weak. Anything less than a 5 is a red flag for a competitive application.

The issue at private schools without AP classes is that they are not required to take these exams.

My own kids did not include the exam scores in their college application but later used them to get college credit.

If you have a strong college application the AP exam scores are not going to help you and could hurt you.

So basically private school kids shouldn't do AP exams, because they can't hack the competition and won't stand out compared to their national peers and private school is a haven that allows you to say that your special snowflake is the biggest fish in a tiny pond.

You lack reading comprehension skills. Perhaps your education was too focused on preparing overcrowded classrooms for standardized tests. Whatever the reason, it has failed you.

Yet somehow your meager writing skills were unable to point out where the PP was incorrect in her assessment of the reasons why private school kids shouldn't take AP exams.