AP EXAM QUESTIONS---self study to importance

Test Preparation
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<p>Hi I am a sophomore and I am aiming at the “TOP colleges.” But I am not sure about some of the college criteria. One of them is AP classes and exams.

  1. Do good scores (I am talking about 4 or 5) in AP Exams increase your chance at Ivy League or any other college admission? If you take AP classes in senior year and take the test in May in your senior year (after the application process) then are the test scores important at all?
  2. What of AP exams are actually self-study-able?
    —I am currently taking World History (because my school does not offer AP World History) and planning to take AP World by studying on my own. Is it possible? I am going to study Princeton Review Prep Book but do I need any more than that (such as AP World textbook,etc.)
    —What about AP Human Geography? I am going to take a class at community college AND take AP exam after that. The community college course uses Rubenstein textbook which I heard was what most AP Geography courses use at high schools.
    —And AP Computer Science? I took a JAVA course in my freshmen year and am planning to take AP Comp Sci next year but is it self-study-able? If it is, I do not want to waste a whole year in that class. I heard the AP Comp Sci exam is easy in general. If you know, what prep book/ ref book do you recommend?
  3. To the most basic question: HOW IMPORTANT IS TAKING AP CLASSES? TAKING AP EXAMS? Is the point of taking AP exame soley to show the colleges that your grade in AP classes at school is relevant?
  4. Sort of related to another question I asked before: are community college courses relevant to AP Exams? Can I take an introductory Psychology or Economics class at a community college (De Anza College is a fairly good community college…) and take AP exam expecting a 5?
  5. Lastly, How is AP Euro and AP World different? Can one take both by studying world history while especially focusing on European history?</p>

<p>I HEARD THAT JUNIOR YEAR IS VERY RIGOROUS AND HARD. I WANT TO STUDY AND TAKE SAT IN SOPHOMORE YEAR BUT SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT SOME COLLEGES DON’T ACCEPT SAT SCORE BEFORE JUNIOR YEAR. IS THAT TRUE? WOULDN’T IT BE BETTER TO STUDY SAT WHILE I ACTUALLY HAVE SOME TIME?</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

2

<p>I don’t think you can take the AP exam and expect a 5. Whether you take it in school or at a community college shouldn’t really matter.</p>