I think you can’t discount student interest and time commitment when you’re ranking. Daughter has completed 4 APs, and is almost half way through 5 more. Already earned or currently has a A in all of them,
plus three 5s and one 4 on her tests. She said World History and Gov were most time consuming, She loved Lit and loves Lang this year. Psych was most interesting to her, and she felt it was on the easier side. Art History is very time consuming and requires copious memorization. Someone who doesn’t love art might hate it. She is not geared toward stem, so Physics is quite challenging when her interest is low. That being said, take the classes that interest you, or apply to your potential major.