The first step to getting a 5 is finding out the minimum raw score you need to earn one! World History was fairly easy to get an A in but a tough test to pass. With so many hard classes, you have to be efficient with your time and that means making every minute as productive as possible. What Science Courses Are Needed for College Admission? Don't be afraid of it being hard because from what you said you get A's in honor classes so that means you'll do great in AP classes. hey Alex! Is that right?" Drivers Ed/guitar 1 6. Also, notice that exams with some of the lowest passing rates, such as Environmental Science and Human Geography, are ones many students say are the easiest. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? B’s in AP classes are not the same as B’s in a general course. Also, consult our scoring guide to learn how to come up with a target raw score while practicing. There are currently 37 AP courses and exams that students can take. The answer isn't an easy yes or no. Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, AP tests will now be held remotely, and information about how that will work is still evolving. You can easily look up the college catalog of any college and check their policies for specific AP scores. Then there are other colleges. Many universities even give college credit to those who achieve a high score on their end-of-year AP exam. A Comprehensive Guide. That said, we'll explore some factors that could make an AP class and test harder or easier. Some teachers won't assign a lot of work but will expect you to study on your own. They're essentially entry-level college courses, so you're going to be doing a lot of learning and work on your own. And this is no surprise, considering the cutthroat culture of competition for college admission slots. If the passing rate for the AP test is low, recognize that you might have to put in a lot of work on your own in order to pass it. As a result, these exams can be easier to pass, but you have to be prepared to study and not expect to pass without some hard work. For example, if you're wondering, "Is AP Biology hard? AP Calculus AB Course and Exam Information, AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam Information, AP Statistics Course and Exam Information, M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia, B.A., History, Armstrong State University. Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet? The easiest APs are the ones with the least amount of content to absorb before test day. Each time you earn credit that fits into your degree program, you are moving closer to graduation. Generally, AP courses and final exams are challenging because they are designed to be at the same level as an introductory college class, so asking these questions doesn’t make you crazy. However, if your GPA is getting dragged down by a bunch of AP classes, that's not the best outcome either. Some colleges incorporate state history or state government into their own US history and, Some of the courses that are offered as AP courses simply don't appear in a certain college's curriculum. For US History, we had textbook readings, outlines, vocabulary lists, and research projects. AP biology 2. Get the latest articles and test prep tips! On the other hand, if there is a subject you've always struggled with, the AP exam in it will likely be hard for you, even if it seems as though a lot of students are able to pass it every year. For this reason, students may be taking a big risk by overextending themselves with too many rigorous courses. What's your grade so far in the class? These are my classes that I'm taking for high school 1. It is a good idea to plan ahead and study the policies and the curriculum of every college you are considering. Stay up to date with the latest information on test dates, AP online review, and what this means for you with our AP COVID-19 FAQ article. I'm a junior, I seriously messed up my first two years. Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: © PrepScholar 2013-2018. Sure, they can help you get college credit and make your transcript more impressive. SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. In general, all AP classes are challenging and the exams are difficult, since they're meant to be at the same level of an introductory college class. Both AP tests are considered difficult: you have to learn a ton of material and also be able to write quality free-response answers in a short amount of time. Fitness/health 7. Certain AP® classes do have a bit of a reputation for being especially hard. Your score on the exam will affect whether you can get college credit for the class. Earning a passing score (3+) on the AP test proves that you mastered the material and are able to study for a college-style cumulative exam. For example, a college may not credit students with freshman-level English for an AP English Literature and Composition course, because the administration has decided that AP credit is not sufficient preparation for college-level writing. You are juggling … But as a student, you should be aware of your strengths and limitations. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score, your GPA is very important in college admissions, Read our guide to choose the test that's right for you, Spanish Language and Culture (Total Group), Chinese Language and Culture (Total Group), Spanish Language and Culture (Standard Group), Japanese Language and Culture (Total Group), French Language and Culture (Total Group), French Language and Culture (Standard Group), Italian Language and Culture (Total Group), German Language and Culture (Total Group), Italian Language and Culture (Standard Group), Japanese Language and Culture (Standard Group), Chinese Language and Culture (Standard Group), German Language and Culture (Standard Group). Exactly How Hard Are AP Tests and Classes? How hard an AP class itself will be for you is important to consider. ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? Colleges consider AP credit very carefully, and may give credit for some AP courses but not others. If you’re interested in AP courses, aim for 2-3 per year– not per semester. The number one reason people do not do well is because they are simply not prepared. AP Gov can be a bit of a conundrum. Instead, the schools intend to design customized advanced classes for their student population. Our teacher also held many after-school and Saturday study sessions. You can also talk to current students and ask about their experiences in the class. For example, if. Being able to answer this question will help you choose AP classes that play to your strengths, and also let you get good grades and pass the exam. A bad grade or two is likely. Read our guide to choose the test that's right for you. A low pass rate taken at face value indicates a harder test; however, sometimes classes that are more popular have artificially low pass rates because there's a higher proportion of under-prepared students in the testing pool. Though it is important to note that grading is a little different in an AP class. So if you aren’t committed to working hard and giving up some of your fun time for each class you sign up for, you should think twice. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Some colleges—many of these are state universities—do not necessarily look closely at the types of classes you took. The truth is that taking AP classes in high school was every nerd's way of trying to show up other nerds (and also, like, to get into college or whatever). If you already have summer plans that will make it hard to complete the work, think carefully about whether you can fit that class into your schedule. in summary, an AP class is “harder” if: 1.) It's important to think about how hard an AP exam might be for you before signing up for the class. Factor 2: 5 Rate Good Luck There are two factors to consider when deciding how hard an AP subject is: the difficulty of the AP exam itself, and how the AP class is taught at your high school. Spanish 3 honors 5. Some discriminating colleges do look for weighty AP courses on your transcripts, and they expect to see high grades and high exam scores to match. However, even though the tests were similarly hard, these two AP history classes were taught very differently at my school. There are usually two types of course credit awarded as you pursue a college degree. For AP World History, we were given reading assignments out of the textbook and unit tests, but there were not many daily assignments or projects. Why Would Colleges Refuse to Give Credit? Just because you see a schedule with AP's galore, doesn't mean they are doing extremely well in all of those classes. But some students are confused and even anxious when it comes to taking AP courses in high school. As a graduate of a large public high school who tackled the college admission process largely on her own, she is passionate about helping high school students from different backgrounds get the knowledge they need to be successful in the college admissions process. What Does a Weighted GPA Mean in the College Admissions Process? However, if you try adding an outside resource and are still seriously struggling to understand the material and make it through the class, it's better to just drop to regular and focus your efforts on other advanced classes.

Sometimes kids just take the class, because they feel it's necessary when you see so many kids on sites like this with 5+ a year. AP Lang is, if nothing else, an experience. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, 'b8868328-25ad-4976-9f3f-6f24fa4b2b20', {}); Halle Edwards graduated from Stanford University with honors. If you sign up for too many AP courses at one time, you are limiting the amount of time you can devote to studying for each exam. Or you may have relied on your intelligence and avoided studying completely. What's the big deal with AP classes and Honors? Therefore, it's important to consider an AP test's pass rate in context. Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, AP tests will now be held remotely, and information about how that will work is still evolving. you don’t necessarily have the skills (but you can definitely improve them by taking that class in an area where you struggle with more), and 4.) There is no right way to teach an AP class. Whatever you’re studying, wishing you every success in … Learn the vocabulary you need to know, all the most important grammar rules, and how to write an ACT essay. "So I think you're wondering whether he should take the AP English class as a senior, or if he should be allowed to step down to the college-bound level. Although AP classes in high school will generally cover the same content as a college class, the high school course's pacing is generally much slower. Is AP Psychology hard? Then, there’s the AP class that boasts a hard reputation: AP Computer Science, also known as AP CS. Aim for A's or B's in normal CP classes then. In high school, she earned 99th percentile ACT scores as well as 99th percentile scores on SAT subject tests. So AP courses become a means for students to get what they want rather than a way to boost their academic prowess. They don’t make allowance for the fact that your AP course was tougher than a standard class would have been. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. Even though these exams have high pass rates, they're are often viewed as some of the hardest AP classes to pass. Find out about the teacher and curriculum of an AP class before signing up to make sure it's a good fit for you and your study style. Looking at the AP class's current syllabus can help you find out what the workload is like and how the teacher integrates practice AP exams into the course. You are never wasting your time in a great learning experience. These are also rated among the hardest and most time-consuming AP exams, so taking these on as self-study is not to be taken lightly – good luck! If you are looking at a very discriminating college, you will want to take this into consideration. AP exams can be very hard depending on the course you are taking. Of course, AP classes aren’t easy. Language Arts So do you think these classes are too hard? if you don’t put in the work and slack off, 3.) (See our post on which AP class you should take to learn more about scoping out classes.). Not sure which one you'll do best on? But before we dive into the specifics of AP® Stats difficulty, the first thing we will cover in our AP® Stats review is whether it’s a good idea for you to take the AP® Stats Exam in the first place. A large percentage of students may pass an AP test, but if only a small group earns 5s, it usually means that true mastery of the subject is hard to come by. AP classes are probably going to be a little different (maybe a bit harder) than your honors classes, but you seem more than well-prepared, work-ethic wise, to handle it. The class itself kept me very busy, but the assignments were important practice for the AP test, and so there was less I had to do on my own. Three A’s and one D in an all-AP schedule is simply three A’s and a D to some university officials. They take a (seemingly unfair) straightforward approach to calculating GPAs. Colleges may not award credit for AP lab science courses. It'd be very tough to take on, say, AP Physics, if you've never taken a physics course before! You can use this list as a guideline when you research AP requirements at your college of choice. On the other hand, that same college may award credit for AP Psychology and Art History. Some colleges limit the number of AP credits each student will receive. The odds of passing with a 5—the highest score—are quite low on any exam: between 10% and 20% for most tests. In general, a B in an AP class is more impressive than an A in a regular course. In general, there is a lot of material to cover in AP classes, so they tend to be more challenging than regular classes—especially courses like AP Calculus, AP Biology, AP Physics, US and World History, and English. Others will keep you busy with nightly assignments, practice tests, and projects. There are so many questions lurking out there in the minds of parents and students about AP courses! Read our guides to learn more about AP tests, such as how long they are and how can you deal with exhaustion. If you're looking at competitive schools with very high standards, you will want to push yourself and sign up for the most challenging classes. If it's a high pass rate, though, that's a good sign that the teacher has a strong AP-prep curriculum in place. Our team of PrepScholar admissions experts have compiled their knowledge into this single guide to planning out your high school course schedule. AP class difficulty also varies a lot from teacher to teacher. If you don't have a ton of prerequisites for an AP class, think carefully about whether the class will be out of your reach. These exams have lower passing rates because younger high school students who are less prepared for AP tests often take these classes. Don’t take random AP® classes for the sake of beefing up your transcript. When it comes down to the numbers, the AP United States Government and Politics exam proves to be one of the most difficult exams offered by the College Board. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Use Supplemental Resources. Grace Fleming, M.Ed., is a senior academic advisor at Georgia Southern University, where she helps students improve their academic performance and develop good study skills. The requirements are set by the College Board and the courses are fast-paced and intensive. Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, AP tests were held remotely in 2020, and information about how things will work for 2021 still evolving.