Why Taking AP Courses and AP Scores Matter

By On · Add Comment · In College Application, Education: General, Resource, Test Preparation, Testing

 

Many have questioned the significance of taking AP courses and if doing so yields any true benefits to the student. Opinions may vary on this subject and Socrato is here to shed some light for those considering AP courses and how AP exam scores matter in your academic career.

What Are The Advantages of Taking AP Courses?

  • AP courses are designed to prepare high school students for the rigors that are soon to come during their college years – You’ll challenge yourself and get better prepared for the changes that you’ll experience academically in college.
  • In some cases, a student can attain college credit and advanced placement if they successfully pass their AP exams. This opens up many more doors for a student such as saving on college tuition, studying abroad, and possibly securing a second major.
  • By challenging yourself now with AP Exams and successful AP score, you may be able to skip introductory classes in college. This can open up your schedule to take on more classes or extracurricular activities in school.

 

What About My AP Exam Score?

  • AP Exam scores are rated on a scaled of 1 to 5 – 1 being “No recommendation” and 5 being “Extremely well qualified”. Scale scoring varies from year to year. Your composite score is the combined weighted score of your multiple choice and written portions (example: for AP English multiple choice is 45% and written is 55%)
  • Any score of 3 or higher is considered passing however, some colleges will only accept scores of 4 and above for college credit. Scoring more 5s will put you in the top 10%-20% of all scorers.
  • There is a multiple choice section and written section of exams. The multiple choice section is scored only off of the questions you answer  – Blank and incorrect answers are not scored. The written section is scored by a human, and then both your multiple choice and written portions of your exam are composite scored.
  • Your free responses (written portion) are scored holistically, for its overall effectiveness and not grammar or spelling mistakes.

 

How Will Colleges View My AP Exam Scores?

  • Colleges will see that you are not afraid of challenging yourself, and that you have taken on the responsibility of preparing yourself for college.
  • Even if you do not do well on your AP Exams (Scoring under 3), colleges will still look at the number of AP courses that you took in high school as a positive sign.
  • Depending on the college that you are interested in attending, AP exam scores may or may not be favorable when it comes to admissions – Do your research.

All in all, taking AP courses and yielding a good score on AP exams can be considered a great sign of a great student to many colleges. There are no hard facts on what colleges will accept when it comes to students who apply. You should do your own research based on your academic standing and the colleges you’re applying to and remember, doing and being your best on all of your academics can only put you in a better position all together.

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