Reply to AP tests

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "AP tests—why??"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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.[/quote]

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.[/quote]

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.[/quote]

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.[/quote]

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. [/quote]

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.[/quote]

Not PP but I can speak from personal experience.  AP exams are not hard.  I got 5s on over a dozen of them, including one where I didn’t take a corresponding class but just read through an exam prep book in about a week.  These exams are just not worth your time unless you want the college credit.  Anything less than a 5 is a red flag.[/quote]

Wow! Your anonymous internet anecdote is so meaningful!

The rest of us can look at the data published by the College Board which indicates that everyone does not get a 5, so clearly some students find it harder than others.[/quote]

AP classes and exams are pushed onto low achieving students in public schools.  All the students who belong on an advanced track are getting 5s.  This system is a money maker for the AP program so they want as many unqualified students taking exams as possible.  That explains the scores below 5.[/quote]

Where do you see data that anyone getting below a 5 is unqualified to take an AP class?  And if it's so easy to get a 5, why don't more private school students take them? [/quote]

Lots of private school students do take them.  It is a choice for a lot of us, not a requirement.  If we want the credits we can get them.

The AP program is a money making business that has exploited the public school system.  Rather than creating advanced coursework themselves, public schools just hand over the curriculum to the AP company.

These exams are not hard.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics