<p>There are lots of questions about the role of AP test scores in admission, so it’s time to post a FAQ. For years, some colleges have been asking applicants to self-report AP test scores on their application forms (usually on supplements to the Common Application). Colleges that have been doing that for quite a while include Caltech, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Duke. The University of California system colleges have also used self-reported AP test scores as an admission factor for a while. As of this year, the Common Application includes spaces for students to self-report AP test scores (or IB test scores), so now HUNDREDS of college admission offices are going to see thousands of applications with AP test scores mentioned on them. </p>
<p>One thing students wonder about is what level of AP test score looks “bad.” I might turn that question around and ask, “What level of honesty looks bad?” One thread I saw on the Harvard Forum of College Confidential in 2007 by an admitted member of Harvard class of '11 said he heard from a Harvard admission officer who visited his high school that an applicant should report ALL applicable scores, that is all scores asked for in application questions. He said that cherry-picking which scores to self-report was viewed as dishonest and was more harmful to an application than simply listing, say, a few low scores along with higher scores. There are recent threads in various college forums that seem to give the same picture of the admission process: admission officers sometimes admit students with low scores who have other desirable characteristics, but they are quite annoyed by students who aren’t forthcoming. </p>
<p>AP test scores of 3 or higher (in a few places, 2 or higher) will generally earn college credit for students admitted to state flagship universities or regional public or private colleges. The College Board makes efforts to validate AP test scores. </p>
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<p><a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/080251APStuParBull0708_071012.pdf[/url]”>Higher Education Professionals | College Board; </p>
<p>Colleges may or may not conduct their own validity studies in addition to the College Board studies to make sure they are using AP scores in a way that fits institutional goals. AP scores can be used for exemption from prerequisite courses, granting of credit toward graduation, advanced class standing, or placement into particular courses, depending on the AP course, the score obtained by the student, and the college’s policies. </p>
<p>Colleges have always been free to set their own policies regarding use of AP exam scores for any purpose. It’s no surprise that colleges that are more highly selective and offer more challenging courses are less likely to offer AP credit, for a given score on a given test, than the typical United States college. The most selective colleges also have a more limited set of AP courses that correspond to any course those colleges offer, because many AP courses are designed after the syllabuses of first-year survey courses or introductory courses at liberal arts colleges or state universities. </p>
<p>Students who are attempting to apply to the most selective colleges may be interested in an article on the College Board’s attempt to regulate use of the “AP” label on high school transcripts: </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/education/18ap.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/education/18ap.html</a> </p>
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<p>Admission officers, the focus of this thread, have their work cut up for them in trying to compare the varied high school curricula found just in the United States, not to mention what they have to do to compare curricula offered in other countries around the world. External testing programs help alleviate but don’t cure this problem. </p>
<p>Another step the College Board is taking to make sure that “AP” is a credible course label was reported on in the news story linked to above. The College Board set up an AP Course Audit process a while ago </p>
<p>[AP</a> Central - Welcome to AP Central](<a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board) </p>
<p>to encourage high schools to meet minimal standards in planning and offering AP courses. </p>
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<p>Again, not a cure-all, but an effort to improve courses that are labeled “AP” courses. I would be the first to say that some high schools offer courses without the AP brand name that offer very good preparation for being a first-year student at a highly selective college. Harvard’s admission office makes its best efforts to be aware of those high schools. A lot of avid learners of high school age end up taking actual college courses (of varying degrees of rigor) as part of their “high school” program. </p>
<p>[Dual</a> Enrollment of High School Students at Postsecondary Institutions: 2002-03](<a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005008]Dual”>Dual Enrollment of High School Students at Postsecondary Institutions: 2002-03) </p>
<p>In any case, a college admission committee has to develop some sense of how strong a high school curriculum an applicant pursued. Most college admission officers, when they speak in public, say that the applicant’s previous academic record is the single most important element of a successful college application. If that is so, the applicant from a little-known school will find it expedient to demonstrate somehow that his or her high school academic preparation was at a high level, perhaps through external testing programs or perhaps through some other means. Transcripts DON’T speak for themselves. </p>
<p>Ben Jones, a recent admission officer at MIT, has a great FAQ post, </p>
<p>[MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: “Many Ways To Define “The Best””](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/before/recommended_high_school_preparation/many_ways_to_define_the_best.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/before/recommended_high_school_preparation/many_ways_to_define_the_best.shtml) </p>
<p>originally written as a reply to a thread here on College Confidential, detailing how context matters when looking at how many AP scores a college applicant has.</p>