Sally_Rubenstone

Question: My school adopted this system called the IB Program. We choose the courses that we all want to take (limit is 6) and we are required to make 3 or 4 of the courses higher level, and the rest standard level. Apparently, HL courses count as AP exams, and so we are never required [...]

View the complete Q&A at CC's Ask The Dean...

Apollo6

Colleges only offer credit for HL exams, not SL exams so you may wish to take AP exams for your SL subjects. Most people say that the standard level courses are a little below AP level but the higher level courses are above the AP level for that subject. Since the focus for IB courses differs from the focus of AP courses, you would need to get a prep book and study those topics not covered in your IB course. From what I can tell, IB exams give you an opportunity to show what you know about a topic while AP exams demonstrate what you don't know.

Sally_Rubenstone

Good point, Apollo6. Most colleges don't give credit for IB SL exams but some do (typically not the more selective ones). And a few schools will even give credit for SL scores in some fields but not in others. So as much of a PITA as it is, students need to read the fine print to find out what is offered by their target colleges.