High School AP Course / AP Exam Question

[marianne202]

Hi All!

My daughter who is a HS freshman was just told she should take all AP classes next year. She was in all honors classes this year. Normally, AP classes were reserved for seniors and some juniors, but never sophmores. I understand our school system will get more money for students taking AP classes. My question is whether she is too young for AP classes and the exams? In my mind it isn't worth it for her to take AP classes unless she will take the exams and ger college credit. Do all schools accept AP exam credit when done in HS? She is very bright, but she is also the youngest in her class. Can you re-take an AP exam if you don't pass? I took college prep and advanced college level science classes in HS, but there wasn't AP back then! If anyone can clue me in to how this works and has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Science, English and History are very easy for her, so those are the only ones I would consider. Math isn't her favorite or strong area, so math is out. Thanks in advance for any help, as this is new territory for me!

[BGSU_Alum_86]

I am not certain what the policy is for AP retakes (if any). I do know the exams are only offered once every year -- the same date for everyone -- sometime in early May with scores returned in July. Another option would be for her to take a similar subject CLEP exam if she does not pass. AP credits are more widely accepted than CLEP credits. If she/you have an idea of what kind of college/university she might be interested in attending, you can easily find out what their current AP and/or CLEP policy is.

It is the rare student who takes all AP classes, much less in their sophomore year. Maybe it would be better to have her take a couple of them to see how she handles the course load. This could help lead your decision for junior year.

[freddy]

I took the AP English test and I got a 4 on it when I was a senior in high school in 2004. When I finally enrolled in college(August 2012), it was accepted no problem and I was granted 3 credits for it. I had also taken AP Spanish, but only scored a 3 and was not granted credit for it at this particular college. As far as colleges accepting credits for AP, it varies from college to college just like CLEP credits do.

It helps to have an idea of where your daughter wants to go to school. That way you can see what CLEP and AP tests they take, as well as any limits on transfer credits. No point in paying for an AP test if the college she wants to go to doesn't accept it.

I don't think you can be too young to take the test. If she has the knowledge and can pass it more power to her. Those AP specific questions you would have to check the CollegeBoard website for the answer.

[Daithi]

I'm nearly positive that there isn't any age limit. Traditionally, most students don't take AP courses until their junior and senior years, but there are a lot of schools that allow 9th and 10th graders to take AP courses, although they usually limit it to just 1 course for freshmen and 2 courses for sophomores. Some students also study for these tests on their own and take the test without going through an AP course at their high school.

Most colleges accept AP classes for credit, but not all of them. Most award credit if the student gets a 3 or higher on the test (5 is the max), but a few colleges require higher scores. Their biggest benefit may be in raising your GPA because most high schools provide weighted GPAs where the AP courses are worth more than an A in non-AP courses. The more elite colleges also take these courses into consideration when making admissions decisions as well, and some ultra-competitive students will take 10 or more of these courses by the time they graduate.

The best place to get information is from College Board. They are the ones who produce the tests, and incidentally they are the same people who produce the CLEP tests. Many of the titles of AP tests are the same as CLEP tests, but there are a few that are different (e.g. Latin). Here is a link to to the 34 AP tests. Another website with a forum that has LOTS of info on the AP tests is College Confidential.

[OE800_85]

First of all, I don't know why you mentioned something about her school getting more funding because there are more students taking AP classes. That may be true, but is entirely irrelevant to your situation.

Also, I think this is obvious, but let's just remember, AP courses and AP exams are two different things. The college board (which also administers CLEPs) give general curriculum guidelines and assistance to teachers doing these classes, but they approach it differently in different schools. If your daughter is quite gifted, maybe she should give it a chance. AP courses are more challenging, but also more valuable, like one of the above posters mentioned. The weight given to these credits is much higher than others, and can put her at an advantage over her peers.

As for the exams, they're administered only once a year (May) but can be retaken. However, the colleges you apply to will see all your scores, much like the SAT. Plenty of schools will only consider the highest score, but policies vary. As always, you SHOULDN'T plan on retaking tests, but you can do this.

Let me also say the recognition of AP is light years ahead of CLEP. Much more schools recognize it and give credit for it.

The only problem I see is her age and ability to handle the workload. This is something you guys will have to figure out. If she can do it, definitely go for it. However if you think it's too much on her plate, you can slow down.

[cookderosa]

Hi All!

My daughter who is a HS freshman was just told she should take all AP classes next year. It is a track that will earn her more quality points, on the flip side, a B will be harder to raise later. Find ou the school's weight for AP classes. If she's applying to competitive colleges she should consider at least a partial AP track. I took a history/English combo AP starting in 10th grade, but it was the only AP course I took each year. It was weighted 1.5 times, and was two credits, so worth three credits.

She was in all honors classes this year. Normally, AP classes were reserved for seniors and some juniors, but never sophmores. I understand our school system will get more money for students taking AP classes. That I don't know anything about. Likely they already have a classroom/teacher scheduled, and maybe dipping to fill seats. It's possible that they have to demonstrate need.

My question is whether she is too young for AP classes and the exams? It will be a lot of reading and writing- double for sure.

In my mind it isn't worth it for her to take AP classes unless she will take the exams and get college credit. That's correct. In my case, I was never told about exams. I think it's perhaps I was a solid C student lol maybe they didn't want me to bring down the school's average It wish I'd taken the exams for use later, but these scores (unlike CLEP/DSST) are absolutely all revealed when she requests her transcript, so it would be hard to bury a poor score if that happened. Also, I'd ask her. Simply, this is ONE way to earn credit, but it's a lot of work. If she's not feeling super excited and into the extra work, it might push her and stress her out. 10th grade is about the time when kids get a bit of a taste of adult stuff- driving and working, and there is something to be said for having a bit of time for all of those things. You'll notice I left out dating LOL

Do all schools accept AP exam credit when done in HS? Almost a guarantee as long as she scores over a 3. What schools do to keep the cash flowing, is sometimes they'll award advanced standing instead of credit. THAT is a joke, and simply means that they allow you to start at a higher class (ENG 102 instead of ENG101) but still require the same 120 new credits earned toward the degree. So, the lucky winner of advanced standing still gets to take 6 credits of English. Enter ENG103. <eye roll>

She is very bright, but she is also the youngest in her class. Can you re-take an AP exam if you don't pass? I don't know if you can "not pass" since it's a number score. Let's say she could attempt a retake (which I'm not sure about) but if she's in all AP classes, she's going to be very busy. It would be like taking 5 CLEP exams in 3 days. (but with essays lol)

I took college prep and advanced college level science classes in HS, but there wasn't AP back then! If anyone can clue me in to how this works and has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Science, English and History are very easy for her, so those are the only ones I would consider. Math isn't her favorite or strong area, so math is out. Thanks in advance for any help, as this is new territory for me!

Hope that helps. Also, if she does start earning AP credit, be careful about duplication of CLEP credit- it's the same company and they almost all duplicate each other.

[marianne202]

Thanks for the great info! I'm off to check out some of the forums and areas recommended. I will admit that I knew of AP from this forum, but never really gave it any thought. What makes this really hard is that my daughter doesn't know yet, what she really wants to do. She was leaning towards research scientist of some sort, probably in veterinary medicine. The problem is that she is a very talented artist, both by paper and hand as well as via computer drawing and that is her true love. Her art has arleady been featured at Barnes and Noble during an art fair, and her teachers keep telling her to go into art professionally. I worry about her making a long-term living in an art field, unless she gets into computer graphic design etc. Without knowing a career path or school it makes it hard to know how much to push her in school academics. She knows she wants to go to college so I want to cover all the bases. We all know how our career paths can change and I just want to make sure is well prepared regardless of where life takes her.

Thanks again!