Do I have to submit every AP score I have?

gibby
Fri, 19 Aug 2016 00:51:59 +0000

If your AP classes will appear on your transcript, colleges expect you to have taken the corresponding AP test, as it’s the culmination of an AP class. If you don’t self-report all your AP tests, Admissions may assume one of three things:

(a) You couldn’t afford to take the AP test in question
(b) You did not take the AP test because you didn’t care enough or didn’t think you would do well enough
(c) You took the AP test and scored badly – as in you got a 1

While the first explanation is acceptable and can be easily verified if you apply for a fee-waiver for a college’s applications fee, the other two are not.

So, my recommendation is to self-report all your AP test scores and let the chips fall where they may, as you don’t want colleges to think you are a slacker or that you scored a 1.

A grade of 3 means you are qualified, and 4 means you are well qualified – both of which are fine. See: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ap/scores

Each AP Exam score is a weighted combination of the student’s scores on the multiple-choice section and the free-response section. The final score is reported on a 5-point scale:

5 = extremely well qualified
4 = well qualified
3 = qualified
2 = possibly qualified
1 = no recommendation

If you fail to report all your AP scores, it appears as though you are hiding something – and you are. That’s a misrepresentation by omission. And, IMHO, it doesn’t speak well to your integrity and honesty, and doesn’t exemplify the kind of student selective college are looking for. My advice is to self-report all your AP scores. If you are rejected, it will not be because you scored a 3 or 4 on an AP test.

NOTE: Colleges ask you to self-report AP scores, as when you request an AP score report from the College Board, the CB automatically sends the official report to a college’s registrar’s office so the scores can be added to your college file. A college’s registrar’s office DOES NOT forward your AP scores to the Admissions Office. So, it’s a waste of money to have your AP scores sent to a college until the time you have decided to matriculate to a specific school.