I really do not like the College Board and think they do a very poor job. They have no competition and therefore perform generally like the DMV or government does given the lack of competition, i.e., typically very poorly. For DS, taking APs were really done as they were the most challenging classes as many classes at his public HS in 9th/10th were not challenging at all.
Even though some colleges do not accept APs, it is at least possible to get credit and not have to repeat material. DS current HS offers courses like Lin Algebra, MultiVariable, Diff Eq which he will take and not receive credit and probably need to retake the material during college. Not a problem if he gets into MIT, etc but otherwise not much fun for him to retake, or me to have to pay for it. Sure it is possible at some colleges to “test-out” but it takes quite a bit of effort at many of them.
So while APs leave much to be desired, they are a great option currently. They also serve to highlight the differences in high schools although it seems colleges do not really care. (A local high schools kids routinely receive 2s on the APs after getting an A in the class…) Perhaps, things will change given the current situation colleges are experiencing…in any case, it does seem that ACT and CB are in trouble and will suffer a decline in test taking.