14:51 are you married to the individual known as AP Frank? He was crazy brilliant!

Anonymous wrote:What AP exams are these students taking? I'm particularly curious about those with 10+ AP exams.

Here are the AP exams I can remember people in my high school taking many years ago ...

Literature
Calculus AB or BC (but I guess you could take both in different years)
Physics
Chemistry (two different levels maybe?)
Biology
Art History
Language (usually just one, but a few people took two different languages)
US History
World History

I'm sure there are other AP exams out there, but which ones are the DCs referenced on this thread taking?

Here are the ones mine will end up taking - total of 9-10, others at school take more. You will note that there are no science APs on this list, other kids would be more science heavy.

AP US Government
AP US History
AP European History
AP World History
AP Comparative Government
AP Micro and Macro Economics (I think they are one semester classes but 2 tests)
AP AB Calc
AP Language and Comp (11th grade AP english)
AP Literature (12th grade AP english)

1 in each of 9th and 10th grade, 3 in 11th and 4 in 12th.

What AP exams are these students taking? I'm particularly curious about those with 10+ AP exams.

Here are the AP exams I can remember people in my high school taking many years ago ...

Literature
Calculus AB or BC (but I guess you could take both in different years)
Physics
Chemistry (two different levels maybe?)
Biology
Art History
Language (usually just one, but a few people took two different languages)
US History
World History

I'm sure there are other AP exams out there, but which ones are the DCs referenced on this thread taking?

I know a kid who got into Harvard, and he said he had 8 AP's before senior year, and will add another 5 before he goes off the college.

Interviewer again. We ask at the interview, and the Common Application asks for them.

Anonymous wrote:DS at Duke on scholarship and studying engineering. He had 8 APs, graduated from local private.
He was not typical, but never has been. It was APs or skip grades and I was opposed to grade skipping.
Most kids are fine with 4-5 APs. Important that your child take what they can reasonably do well and not stress out too much than pile on too many APs and have to sacrifice other areas.

My DS also at Duke, also on scholarship, also studying engineering. Also had 8 APs.

Anonymous wrote:I've been an alumni interviewer for an Ivy for a while in this area. 6-8 by graduation would be normal for successful applicants whose schools offer a full range of APs. The private school kids are on the lower end of that range, but it would be rare to see a successful applicant who didn't have at least three 5's on tests taken as a junior.

Question for you. AP test results aren't actually reported to colleges during the admissions process (they are theoretically for placement purposes and you don't send the AP results until after you've been admitted). Is it something you ask about in interviews? Do kids volunteer it in interviews? Do kids include it somewhere on their application? I am genuinely curious since our HS keeps saying the colleges don't get the results. My kid has gotten 5s on his two APs so far as a freshman/sophomore so is in good shape on that front but not sure how/if it will come through on the application when that time comes.

I've been an alumni interviewer for an Ivy for a while in this area. 6-8 by graduation would be normal for successful applicants whose schools offer a full range of APs. The private school kids are on the lower end of that range, but it would be rare to see a successful applicant who didn't have at least three 5's on tests taken as a junior.

I think it depends on the school. At some private schools, including the top schools in the area, the number of APs is very low while at others and at top public schools, the competitive applicants have APs in the two digit range. The reason is that you have a much wider range of student abilities in public schools (therefore separation into regular, honors, AP) and that many AP curricula simply are not very good, so private schools don't offer them, and finally, that even regular classes at private schools are rigorous enough to prepare students for the AP exam. (They just aren't designated AP, so that not everybody has to take the exam.) For example, at NCS, you take regular US History but are expected to take the AP exam if you have a certain grade. If your grade is not good enough, you won't take the AP exam, and NCS's AP exam results aren't dragged down.

Many high schools have rigorous programs that are the equivalent of AP classes. Some kids are able to take AP exams w/o taking the AP course.

This thread is interesting. I graduated from a top LAC about 10 years ago and I entered with 7 APs. My husband went to a top IVY and entered with 15+ APs. My husband's case is definitely not the norm though as he was nationally ranked. We got 4s and 5s and all the exams. I guess the average # of APs have gone down over the years? For some reason, I thought the # of APs would go up.

Depends on the school. NCS student accepted at HPYS with AP bio, two additional AP exams (US History and English Lit) in junior year (all 5's). Language and Calculus AP during senior year (then took Calculus, language and Lit AP exams).

DS at Duke on scholarship and studying engineering. He had 8 APs, graduated from local private.
He was not typical, but never has been. It was APs or skip grades and I was opposed to grade skipping.
Most kids are fine with 4-5 APs. Important that your child take what they can reasonably do well and not stress out too much than pile on too many APs and have to sacrifice other areas.

Accepted Princeton, Yale, several selective small LACs: 4 APs by time applied (ie by end of junior year), none called APs by school, got 5s on all of them, took two more senior year only for placement purposes (since by then who cares, since school doesn't call them APs and doesn't require taking the exans

Child who got into Harvard and Princeton - 4 APs