AP Tests for college admissions

magtf1
Fri, 02 Feb 2018 03:10:09 +0000

It depends on where you are applying. At less selective colleges, it may not matter much. The most selective colleges want to see that you’ve challenged yourself in high school by taking the most rigorous courses offered. Some high schools, however, don’t offer Honors or AP courses. Colleges understand that and don’t penalize you for the lack of AP courses if they aren’t offered.

Would it look a lot better if I found a way to take the test and passed?

Yes. You are demonstrating a pursuit of challenging courses beyond what your high school offers. But realize that AP tests are graded on a 1 - 5 scale, not pass/fail. You’d want to target scoring a 4 of 5 for it to be helpful in your college application. See https://apscore.collegeboard.org/scores/about-ap-scores/

Good luck!