Advanced Placement

AP (Advanced Placement) is a program in the US which offers college-level classes and examinations to high school students. High school offers AP designated classes which has been audited by the College Board to its students. A student who gets an A from an AP class will obtain a 5 as a weighted GPA. The AP program offers more than 30 courses and examinations. Colleges often grant placement and course credits to students who obtain certain scores on the examinations. The AP examinations are administered each year in May. A student will need to register for each exam at his/her own high school through an AP coordinator at the beginning of each year.

Keep in mind that even if your student attends an IB school, your student can and should take AP tests. It may be harder to find the testing opportunity, but it is worth the effort. Start by contacting your school's IB Coordinator to see if s/he can direct you to an AP resource. I had to contact AP Coordinators in other nearby school districts to find testing opportunities for my kids. In fact, the most helpful person was an AP Coordinator from another school district!

Even if you attend an IB school, it is worth it to take AP courses for the following reasons:

1. It may be easier to satisfy college requirements with AP tests than with IB tests. It is easier to score a 5 on an AP test than it is to score a 7 on an IB test.

2. It may be impossible to satisfy a college requirement with your IB test. For example, at my kids' high school, by the time you took the IB language exam as a Senior, you only were prepared to take the IB Spanish SL test. But at the college they were attending, you would get no credit for an SL test results (you only got credit for HL tests). However, if you took the Spanish AP test and scored a 4 or 5 on the test, you would satisfy the foreign language requirement at the college. We were able to find an AP Spanish testing opportunity through another school district, and my student scored a 5 on the test satisfying the requirement. This meant that he was able to take different courses than many freshmen and was able to pursue his interests more easily without having to worry about prerequisites.

Students who perform well can receive course credit and/or advanced standing at thousands of universities worldwide. You will be able to access and view your score by signing up for a College Board account. After you take an AP Exam, you can send your score report to the college or university that you designated on your answer sheet. When you view your scores online, you have the option to send them to other institutions for a fee.

If you earn high scores on multiple AP Exams, you'll have the opportunity to win AP Scholar Awards and recognition for your achievements through the College Board. AP testing also is relevant if you are nominated to be a Presidential Scholar. In fact, the Presidential Scholar Application only asks about AP tests you've taken, and doesn't even ask you about your IB tests or coursework.

Why do I need to take AP courses?

1. Impress the College Admission Committee: AP courses always look good and show advanced learning on your high school transcript. You can increase your chances of winning admission to your dream school. College admissions officers do look to see if any AP courses are listed on transcripts from high schools that offer Advanced Placement classes.
2. Develop College-Level Academic Skills: AP courses will get yourself ready and prepare for high-level work in colleges. You’ll find out sooner rather than later just what it takes to succeed in college. A significant number of college students drop out of school because they’re not prepared to handle the rigors of college-level studies. According to the College Board’s data, taking AP courses in high school increases students’ chances of doing well in college.

Why do I need to take AP examinations?

1. Save Money: You can earn valuable college credits.
2. Save Time: A high score on an AP exam often fulfills one of a college's general education requirements. This means First, you can skip introductory courses from your college which allows you to take upper-level classes. Second, it might change your freshman status to be a sophomore which allows you to choose classes earlier than other freshmen. Third, you have already earned credits for graduation requirement by helping you graduate sooner and reduce the chance that your college degree will take more than four years to obtain.
3. Feel Confidence in Yourself: You’ll gain confidence in yourself. Going to college is a big step. AP exams are graded on a relatively simple scale of 1 to 5. Achieving a top score of 5 indicates you’re capable of doing A work in that subject at the college level.

Can I take AP exam if my high school doesn't offer AP courses?

Even though you are not an AP student, you still can take an AP exam by studying by yourself for this college-level curriculum. You can find a test prep book in the library or at a bookstore that you can use to prepare.

What if my HS doesn't offer the AP exam that I want to take, what can I do?

You should contact the IB Coordinator at your school to ask who you should contact. If you're school doesn't have an IB or AP Coordinator, try finding one at another school or even in another district. In our experience, these coordinators are very helpful and try their best to help you find a testing opportunity. Alternately, you can contact the College Board to find out which local High school will offer the exam. After you receive the information, you can contact the AP coordinator at that high school to register for the exam.