<p>Yes, the acceleration rules are complex, but if you read this chart carefully:</p>
<p>[Foreign</a> Language Requirement | Academic Requirements | Academics | Yale College](<a href=“Yale College”>Yale College)</p>
<p>you can see that the AP credit is valuable, at least as far as the foreign language distribution requirement is concerned. A 4 or 5 means you need only take 1 credit of foreign language in order to meet Yale’s ordinary distribution requirement of 3 credits.</p>
<p>And yes, the idea is to be able to take at least a semester off if you want or graduate early, not take a slacker schedule for eight semesters – either way, you save some tuition dough and gain some flexibilty to do things outside New Haven. (I can completely understand that Yale does not want a college full of kids taking light schedules for four years.)</p>
<p>So my son’s 4s on French and Latin mean only 1 more foreign language credit needed. His Calc BC test appears to qualify for the 2 credits of QR. The AP Chem qualifies for 1 credit of NS. The AP English test (either) will take care of the 2 WR credits needed. I’m trying to figure out if either language AP can qualify for a Humanities credit. If not, he’s left needing 1 more NS, 2 Soc Sci and 2 Humanities. </p>
<p>As for whether APs tests are worth taking for Yale, they do help get some distribution requirements out of the way and can possibly enable a semester off if my son decides he wants it for study abroad or a job or internship.</p>