I’m thinking of self-studying AP Pyschology next year, but is it worth it? I can be self-motivated when I want to, but does self-studying look good/bad for colleges? Will it affect me later on?
I’ve heard colleges care mainly about the year-long class course/grade of the APs but I need another perspective on this matter.
And by self-studying, that means you just pay for the test and study on your own? Or can it be like a separate class outside of school?
Appreciate for the feedback!
Worth it for what?
That’s my view
People use it to mean either. But a class outside of school, if it awards credit, isn’t strictly self studying
Neutral in most cases. It really depends on your reasons. But I can’t think of any instance where admissions would be super excited about self studying AP psych
ap psych is generally easy, so it comes down to time effiency. can u spare the time needed to study and memorize all the content, or should you spend time on smth else. depends on what you want to go into and your current academic rigor.
By “worth it”, I mean is it worth the extra time outside of school to self-study on my own, the money, etc.
I want to go the health field- like public health, medicine, but I’m not sure yet.
For next year, I’m currently scheduled to do 3 APs (AP Stats, APUSH, and APLang), 2 “regular” sciences/medical academy, my sport, and student government. I’m also thinking of doing other extracurriculars like volunteering and intern somewhere and take the PSAT and SAT.
Your school offers the course. Personally, taking the course is better. If you can’t fit into a HS schedule, you can always take in college.
There’s really no value added to self studying, particularly if the time can be better spent elsewhere. If you simply have a desire to learn about it, you don’t need validation from an AP exam.
Contrary to popular opinion, the point of an AP class is not simply to pass the test – it’s to take the class and actually engage with a subject on a more rigorous level than you would in a different class. There is value to taking the class, because there is so much more to a class experience than what’s on the test. Self-study is not an equivalent.
Frankly, there’s even more value to waiting and taking the class in college if you can’t take it in HS. That would be the best experience of all.
It depends. The colleges you apply to will have your high school’s profile and know what was offered there. If you are self studying because you think it will look impressive to get a high score on a test without taking the class or because you want to look like an over achiever who took more APs that your schedule allowed, that will be at best neutral and at worst negatively perceived.
On the other hand, if you self study because the course wasn’t offered and/or you have some reason for taking it that comes in your supplementals (logically a good thing for your GS letter to raise), it could be positive.
I think your time and energy would be better spent elsewhere (ex. coursework, ECs, being with friends etc.). Admissions officers will not be impressed by self-studying for an AP exam – and AP Psych is regarded as one of the easier APs.
Just to give a data point of one - I self studied this exam. Meaning I didn’t take the course, just reviewed on my own. The extent of my prep was studying Barron’s over a weekend. Clearly, not a recommended strategy, since I’ve retained nothing. But I got a 5 on the exam. 
There are better ways to spend your time. I wish I could tell that to my younger self.
What makes you think you can have access to the AP tests?
At the beginning of the year, the teachers and administrators, at the high school (where my children attended), counted of all of the students- and projected students -who would be taking the AP tests, in May of the following year.
They had to order a specific set of tests from the College Board, for each AP subject.
They ordered some extra tests, just in case their numbers were off or for unexpected enrolled students.
The students prepaid for their tests. At that time, my kids asked us for checks or cash. Then they went to the Cashier’s Office to pay and get a paper receipt. They later received an emailed receipt.
The point being, there are several posters, that have been on this website, complaining that they couldn’t find a site to take their AP tests. Their high schools didn’t have them enrolled in an AP course, so the schools had to prioritize tests only for the students who were enrolled.
Before you consider taking an AP test, after self-studying, you had better ask, at your high school, if they’re willing to give you a spot. They reserve those spots at the beginning of the year, with proof of payment and enrollment.
Also depending on the college, that you plan to apply to, you had better ask them if they’re willing to take and give you credit for an AP test without a class grade.
I did NOT spend a weekend in HS prepping for AP psych. Hard for me to imagine anything I did instead was time more productively spent.
My mother can attest to it.
Generational. I don’t think self studying was a thing back then. And AP Psych wasn’t even offered until the 1990’s
The people I know who self studied in High School only did so because they didn’t want to take (for example) Bio 101 in a 400 person lecture hall. So they got 5s on AP Bio to avoid this. Additionally, APs are sometimes actually easier than the college equivalent. I have heard many people say they think AP Calc AB was easier than Calc 1. So they take the AP to prevent taking Calc 1 with a professor who knows them as a number. Nobody did this for college admissions.
I understand not wanting to take giant entry level courses, and therefore self studying. Otherwise, I don’t see any value.
Agree.
My kid’s high school does not offer AP Lang or AP Lit as they prefer their own curriculum. Many kids, with the school’s encouragement, take the AP test to try to place out of intro college English classes not as a boost to their college applications. They have to sign up and pay at the beginning of the year to be able to take them.
Does the HS provide the site and proctors for the AP tests (for classes they don’t offer), or do students who want to take the AP tests have to find a HS willing to host them?
I can only speak for our particular school and the AP lit/lang tests. The students (only those enrolled in the school) take them at the school as the school encourages them to try it if wanted. The school orders and proctors the test for whoever signs up at the beginning of the year.
There are other AP courses our school does not offer but only the AP lang/lit tests are available to take as they align well enough with the school’s Honors English courses. For example, we have APUSH but not AP World History. There is not an option to self study and take an AP World test at our school.
An important note is that they are heavily changing the AP Psychology curriculim next year, so there might not be a lot of resources to help you self study yet, especially if you get started early in the year.
To OP: if you want to self study for an AP class, why not just enroll in a community college course?
Many classes are still on-line. While technically you are on your own, but there is a well paced syllabus and weekly assignments / tests that will keep you on track. There is an actual live body somewhere who will answer your questions and help you when you need it. Best of all, at least in CA it’s free and no AP test necessary and to CA public, credit is direct transferable, subject to written published agreement.
I think it looks good on college applications and if you are looking for challenge, why not?
Yes, people here will begin to tell you all the negatives about DE classes, but IMO it is still a better option than self studying for an AP test.
Between my 3 kids they took 35 AP tests. In the end none of them were able to use a single test for any credit or to satisfy any requirements at any of their three colleges. In one of the three kids cases they were able to use their 5’s to place into more rigorous first year classes in those subjects, but it didn’t reduce the number of classes they had to take in the subject.
All three went to selective private colleges which seem to be far more stingy about accepting APs to satisfy course than public schools. It’s one of the reasons so many seniors at their HS end up skipping their AP tests senior year, because by then they have learned their college destination and realize they can’t use them anyway.