How much do AP scores play into admission?

Applying to College
1

<p>Do colleges look at AP scores at all?</p>

<p>I got a 2 on my AP Art History exam this year and a 3 on AP Computer Science A.</p>

<p>But I’ve always gotten 5’s and 4’s before now. How great a factor will these scores play into college admissions?</p>

2

<p>None. Although colleges will look at the AP courses you’ve taken in order to determine the rigor of your course schedule, the actual scores you receive on the AP Tests do not factor into the admissions process. As long as you got an A/B in the class, I’m sure it will be an asset, not a liability. That said, once you do get accepted to a college, you will need to send them a complete report of your AP scores for curriculum placement.</p>

3

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<p>How can this be true? If someone gets mostly 2’s, it has to factor in somehow [unless colleges don’t receive AP scores in admissions? I’m not sure on this]</p>

4

<p>I guess that could be possible, granted someone who has been consistently getting 2’s on all AP exams taken would either probably not have good grades in the AP classes he/she took (colleges would see and decide then) or the teacher of that class is bogus (then again colleges would realize that). You can also choose not to report your scores, but then colleges would see one took all these AP’s but didn’t take the tests or more likely not reported them on their application; they might question this. But for the most part, colleges do not factor your AP scores in admission.</p>

5

<p>What about self-studys?</p>

6

<p>Since you don’t actually send the scores until after you are already accepted it’s a no-brainer to only list the self-study’s w/ 4s or 5s. As for classes that show up on your transcript, I’d say list 3s and up, as it is assumed you took the test and not listing it could lead to an assumption of a 1 or 2.</p>

7

<p>Some of the answers above are wrong. </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/371690-colleges-request-ap-scores-their-application-forms.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/371690-colleges-request-ap-scores-their-application-forms.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>On this year’s Common Application you must report your AP Scores (take a look at it). And, yes, for the top 20 schools, the scores do matter. It is another way of comparing students from school to school. Most colleges would rather see a B in an AP class with a 5 on the exam, than an A in the class with a 2. I just met with admissions officers this weekend and this was their response. They also said that the worst thing you can do is take the AP course but then not take the exam or not report it.</p>

9

<p>yes scores matter. people will say it doesnt. but it does.</p>

10

<p>AP Scores matter. I have no official source to quote this but I’ve come across multiple times in my research that they do infact matter.</p>

<p>1) The common application this year has a section for you to report AP scores, so the colleges do get them before the admissions decision if you’re using the common app. Some other colleges that don’t use the common app require that you list your scores as well.</p>

<p>2) AP (and SAT II, for that matter) scores give the college a much better idea of how proficient you are when used in conjunction with your class grade. If you got an ‘A’ in AP Chem and then a 2 on the exam, colleges will probably figure that the AP Chem course either didn’t cover sufficient material or was too easy. On the other hand, if you get a ‘B’ in AP Chem but then get a 5 on the AP test, the college will be much more impressed with your B than they might otherwise.</p>

<p>3) It helps give them valid data to check against your interests that you mention in your essays/statements. If you claim to be a native Spanish speaker with impeccable grammar and then you score a 3 on the AP Spanish Language exam, they might be very suspect of your claim to be fluent in Spanish.</p>

<p>4) APs are an excellent judge of self-study. If you take an AP test and score highly without taking an AP class to prepare you for the test, the colleges will take note.</p>

<p>Overall) It all comes down to a cohesive application. As mentioned above, if your AP scores contradict anything else in your application, they’ll probably give a good amount of weight to the AP scores. On the other hand, if your AP scores coincide with everything else on your application, it helps solidify your position.</p>

<p>Anyone is free to correct me if anything I’ve said is wrong.</p>