<p>It’s not helpful for getting in. It’s helpful if they accept good scores and place you out of intro-level classes.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about homeschooling and APs (like whether you are technically able to or not), but AP courses are not required. My school offers no AP courses, yet many students take them and many students get 5s, most get 4s or 5s. So taking an official AP course is not a prerequisite to doing well! </p>
<p>The AP tests your mastery of the course material at a college level. It is graded on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest. On some tests you need 80% to get a 5 (English Language, I believe). On others, 50% will suffice (Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism). The percentage of students who get each score also varies by individual test. They are administered in May every year, and there is one makeup date in late May (or early June, I don’t know). The exams typically last 3-4 hours, except for a few that last 1.5 hours (Physics C: Mechanics and Physics C: E&M). They are available for tons of different subjects, from History to Art History and from English Language to Latin. They are also typically somewhat challenging at least, because you are supposedly taking a college-level test, although they seem a bit too easy for that in my opinion. Anyway, they are more challenging than the SAT IIs (usually), so there is some indicator for you.</p>
<p>They are usually composed of two sections that have equal weight in the final score: Multiple Choice and Free Response. The MC is self-explanatory. The FR differs greatly by test. On Humanities tests, you will typically be writing essays. On math/science ones, you will typically be solving problems that require you to show your work. It is different for each test. On Language tests, there might be an essay, but also an oral examination component to the FR section as well.</p>
<p>Check collegeboard.com for more information.</p>