Should my S21 take the AP exam?

[skieurope]

@cinnamon1212

@skieurope

Aside from potential credit/placement? None. But depending upon the exam, this could be a big benefit, and given that a HS sophomore has no idea where he’ll be attending college, is not one that should be quickly discounted.

Which brings up the question: why would you advise him not to take the exam?

As an aside, this is the last year the school will be offering APs

Many BS do not offer APs, but offer courses that contain the same content without the label, and many students still choose to take the AP exam.

Thanks. He is a junior. I’d switch the question why *would * you take an exam that offers little to no benefit?

For example, he isn’t taking the PSAT this year as for him there’s no benefit. He’s already taken the SAT and clearly won’t be a National Merit Finalist, so why would he spend a morning in a stressful exam?

Going to that rigorous prep school with some big extracurriculars, I try to remove stress/work if they aren’t necessary.

Again, even as a junior, he has no idea where he will be going to college, so the credit/placement may matter, Without knowing the specifics,it’s hard to say more, because it depends. Is APHG exam worth taking? Probably not, because most colleges give no credit. IS AP Calc BC worth taking? Yes, because credit/placement is almost universal. But if the AP is in a subject he’snot doing well in, then he likely would not perform well enough on the exam to get credit. So like I said, “It depends.”

Will there be an expectation that a student take the exam when the school offers no APs? Of course not. Will college AOs look at AP exams to validate grades from a BS? No, but that would be a valid reason for a student from East Podunk High.

But I’m not understanding the part about rigorous prep school with big ECs. We all have/had that. If we wanted the credit, we sucked it up and took the exam. It’s also unclear who’s driving the decision; you seem gung-ho that he not take it, but what does he think?