Hello! My student is based in the US and applying to schools in the UK. Her high school does not offer any APs but they are required for entry to the UK schools she is interested in. She’s a humanities kid and doesn’t love math or science. Which AP tests are the easiest to self study for?
You’re asking the wrong question. The question is which AP’s does she need to satisfy her entry requirements. And the answer depends on the university and the course
Psych is easy to self study, but might not be considered a relevant AP
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Thank you for the answer! The UK school said they just need to be humanities focused subjects for her course so we are thinking English Lit, English Lang, psychology, human geography, and maybe Latin. But we’ve heard the Latin test is very difficult. So, we are trying to get an idea.
Psych and HG are easy to self study. Latin depends on her preparation. Lang and Lit are tough to self study unless she has outside guidance on how to write essays that fit the AP rubric. Not impossible, but she shouldn’t consider them easy self studies.
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I also don’t think AP Lang and Lit will be easy to self study.
You didn’t say if your D is a rising senior, but if so, she won’t have AP test score results until early July 2025…any UK offers predicated on having AP test results of 5 will be conditional offers. So, make sure to have another college option. If in the US, she will need to put down an enrollment deposit by May 1, 2025 at one school to secure a seat for Fall 2025.
If in the budget, you might consider working with a US based counselor who is experienced in working with students applying to UK colleges. Good luck.
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Thanks! No, she is a rising sophomore. She’d like to take 2 AP tests this May and 2 in 2026 so she I’ll have all 4 needed scores by the time she applies.
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Thank you! Any ideas on where she should look for study materials?
Any prep book is fine. E g. Barron’s, Princeton Review. There are some online resources on YouTube or edx, but I can’t validate the quality. Most of the online resources are geared toward STEM.
One key piece of info: she can’t register for the exams with the College Board; she needs to register with a test center directly before the November deadline. Be advised that test centers are not obligated to register outside students, and few do. So she’ll need to contact a bunch. Use the link below for a start.
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Thank you!
Adding if you are having a difficult time finding a school that will allow her to test, tap into the homeschool family network in your area.
In my area, parochial schools (that offer AP classes of course) are typically more likely to allow an outsider to test than public high schools.
Lastly, if your D’s HS counselor is supportive of this plan, they may be able to help find a seat by contacting colleagues at other schools.
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I would also suggest talking to her high school first, just because they don’t offer AP courses doesn’t mean they aren’t qualified to give her the test (if they give the PSAT or SAT, they likely have a testing coordinator whom can still facilitate the testing).
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Actually, yes it does.
If a school offers one AP, they can order the exam for any AP. Whether they will is a different question. But if a school offers no AP and has never been approved as an AP school, they can’t offer the exam. And given this year’s security breaches, I doubt the CB will make exceptions. That the school offers other CB exams is irrelevant
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But if a school offers no AP and has never been approved as an AP school, they can’t offer the exam.
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That’s just not true.
The ability to give AP exams is tied to the coordinator not the school. There are some AP coordinators who manage multiple schools and there are some schools whose coordinators manage multiple tests. For ease, I still contend ts worth OP checking with their school.
This is taken from straight from this year’s AP Coordinator’s manual.
Accessing and Using AP Registration and Ordering
Schools That Only Administer AP Exams and Don’t Offer AP Courses
If you’re the AP coordinator for a school that only administers AP Exams, and doesn’t
offer AP courses, complete these steps:
Complete initial setup in AP Registration and Ordering. Select the option
indicating that your school plans to order and administer any AP Exams.
(See pages 45–49.)
Complete the AP Participation Form. (See pages 50–53.)
Create an exam only section for each subject for which you’ll be administering
exams. (See pages 63–64.)
Provide students with the appropriate join code for each exam only section.
(See pages 65–67.)
Be sure that students enroll in the exam only section for each AP Exam they’ll be
taking at your school. (See page 68.)
Organize your exam roster, ensuring that exams for every student who plans
to test this year are included in your exam order. Submit your exam order by
November 15 (11:59 p.m. ET). (See pages 79–97.)
Submit any changes to your initial exam order and exam orders for courses that started
after the November ordering deadline by March 15 (11:59 p.m. ET). (See page 98.)
Actually it is. If the school has an AP coordinator, they’ve been approved by the college board. Whether it applies to the OP is something they need to research
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I note my S24 got an unconditional offer from St Andrews for their Biology course with only one completed AP (Calc BC), and only one more planned (CS), so no AP Bio at all (although he had taken a college Bio course in the summer and was taking Advanced Bio as a senior).
Of course your daughter may not be interested in St Andrews, but it is worth knowing some UK universities are way more flexible than others, and willing to grant unconditional offers under the right circumstances.
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Particularly true of unis in Scotland; less so for those in England or Wales. And St Andrews is a bit of an aberration since it attracts a lot of Americans compared to other UK unis.
Yes, St Andrews is by far the most aggressive about trying to get US students.
My understanding is Edinburgh and Glasgow (to your point, also Scottish) are also flexible about APs.
I believe there are more outside Scotland (based on overviews I read), but I don’t know a list because we never got that far.
as someone who self-studied lang and got a 5 (self-studied lit score pending) i didn’t find it too troublesome–i felt that the MCQs were similar to the SAT english portion, the rhetorical analysis was okay if you know your devices, and everything else was easy to get through if you consider yourself a strong writer
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i took the latin test this year! i felt like it was pretty solid as long as you’re familiar with the passages and good at delving into the grammar–my teacher had a small group of kids self-studying in a normal latin 4 class so she had us spend most of our time translating + doing workbook grammar review (i don’t remember what the workbooks were called but i can look them up for you!)
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That would be my student’s situation too. She’s taken Latin 1&2 so far. She will take Latin 3 this upcoming year and then Latin 4, but AAP is not offered. I’m encouraged to hear that you self studied and did well. I’d love the names of the books.