Exams for Advanced Placement (AP) Program - Texas Tech University (2023)

FAQs

What are three ways to prepare for the advanced placement examination? ›

At many high schools, honors and AP classes both offer more heavily weighted training compared to regular classes. While honors courses usually add 0.5 points to your GPA, AP classes often add 1 point. In other words, a 3.5 GPA would be boosted to a 4.0 in an honors class and a 4.5 in an AP class.

The odds of passing with a 5—the highest score—are quite low on any exam: between 10% and 20% for most tests. They are even lower for popular tests, such as AP English Lit and AP Environmental Science, which have 5 rates below 10%.

As the table below shows, each AP exam is scored on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest possible score. In general, a 3 corresponds to a C grade, a 4 corresponds to a B, and a 5 corresponds to an A.

You need to give yourself enough time to review all the course material and practice each question type before the AP exam day. Plan on giving yourself at least one to three months to properly study the material before the AP exam.

How many hours you need to spend on studying for AP tests every week is going to depend a lot on how much material you need to review and how comfortable you are with the format of the exam questions. In general, though, you should expect to study for several hours a week split over two to three sessions.

The good news is that a failed exam does not affect your GPA. In addition, you can retake the AP exam the next year. To prepare, you can re-enroll in the class, study on your own, or hire a tutor who can help you tackle the more challenging subjects on the test.

In summary:

In theory, a “B" in an AP or honors class is “better" than an “A" in a regular class, but many applicants to top colleges will have all A's in the top classes.

Usually, a 70 to 75 percent out of 100 translates to a 5. However, there are some exams that are exceptions to this rule of thumb. The AP Grades that are reported to students, high schools, colleges, and universities in July are on AP's five-point scale: 5: Extremely well qualified.

Which AP exam has the lowest pass rate? ›

At many high schools, AP Physics is notorious for its difficulty level. In addition, it has the lowest overall pass rate of any AP exam.

For juniors and seniors, the average amount of 5s increases slightly to around 14.5%, while the average amount of 4s increases to 19.6%. These 1- and 2-percent increases may not seem like much. However, over three times as many students take AP exams when they are in their last years of high school than before.

AP classes, however, are more challenging than honors classes. These courses cover information, teach skills and give assignments that correspond to college classes. High school students taking AP courses will be held to the same standard as college students.

Physics 1

This class combines physics, scientific inquiry, and algebra. AP Physics 1 is considered one of the hardest AP classes, covering topics like Newtonian mechanics and electrical charge and force. Students also spend about 25% of their class time performing college-level lab experiments and writing reports.

Harvard only accepts AP scores of 5. Below is a list of the amount of credits you'll get for different AP exams.

Two weeks is just enough time to take two practice AP World History: Modern tests and do a quick review of each of the units/periods you'll see on the exam. Follow our suggested 2-week AP World History: Modern study guide to make sure you use your time during last two weeks before the test as effectively as possible.

Depending on what kind of school you want to go to, you should be taking between 3 and 5 AP® classes this year. You will need to manage your time well, however, as you also need to study for the SAT® or ACT® during this time.

Key Takeaway: AP students who earn a score of 1 or 2, or average a score of 1 or 2 across their AP Exams in high school, have better college outcomes than academically similar college students who did not take an AP course and exam.

Revise a topic, then revisit it the next day, after three days, and after seven days. This is thought to be the perfect amount of time to help your brain remember information.

As with many college-admissions related questions, the answer to this question is, “It depends.” However, as a general rule, your AP exam scores aren't going to be a major make-or-break factor in whether you get into a college or not.

How many AP exams does the average student take? ›

The Key Number

If that answer isn't fully satisfying, here is a look at the average number of APs students tend to take over the course of their high school years, broken down by college selectivity: Selective schools: around 7–12 APs. Semi-selective schools: 4–8 APs. Less selective schools: 1–5 APs.

Will an F ruin my GPA? The short answer is (surprisingly): No. If you have one “F” and all other grades in a 40-course program are “A” grades, your GPA will drop from a 4.0 to a 3.9. So, your existing GPA will be impacted, but will not be “ruined.”

Many schools treat AP classes differently when calculating a student's grade point average (GPA). Rather than the traditional 4.0 scale, AP classes are weighted on a 5.0 scale — in an AP class, an A is equivalent to 5.0 instead of 4.0, and a B is equal to 4.0 instead of 3.0.

(AP tests are scored between 1 and 5, with anything 3 and higher considered passing.) Most AP tests have a pass rate of around 60% or higher.

On the whole, a bad AP probably won't hurt you in and of itself, but it can be related to other concerns. A bad AP score is often correlated with a poor grade in the corresponding course, which can hurt your GPA.

If you got a 2 on your AP® English Language exam, it is definitely worth trying to retake it. Make it worth the added time and expense by taking these steps to improve your score. Track your scores on the multiple choice section. As you prepare, carefully note your score on the multiple choice section.

So what looks better to admissions officers: playing it safe and getting the A in a regular course or taking a more challenging Honors or AP course, but getting a B or a C? The answer that most colleges will give you is that it's better to get an A in the Honors/AP class.

Grade points are assigned as follows:

A+ = 4.3. A = 4.0. A- = 3.7. B+ = 3.3.

What is a 60% on an AP test? ›

The first thing that you should do is check the AP Score credit policy for the colleges that you are applying to. If they will give you credit for the 3, then by all means report it! On the other hand, if they only give credit for a 5 on that exam (not even for a 4), you may want to hold off.

It is routine for Ivy League admissions officers to review applications from students who have scored 5s on multiple AP tests.

“AP Statistics students generally scored very well on questions about Units 1, 2, and 3, with ~18% of students answering all such questions correctly.” “The most challenging units were 4 (Probability, Random Variables, and Probability Distributions) and 5 (Sampling Distributions).

Yes, there's a curve on AP exams, especially in relation to the AP Physics C tests. They have a heavy curve, as can be seen by the scoring distributions. A large majority of the test takers pass the exam, and 50 percent score a 5.

Any score that's 3 or higher is considered a passing score, though some colleges only accept 4s and 5s for credit. (See AP's college database for specific policies at each university.) Getting a 5 is especially desirable because, for most exams, it puts you in the top 10-20% of scorers.

Colleges like them both. Both honors and AP courses are rigorous courses that most high schools weight more heavily on your transcript. AP courses, however, culminate in the AP Exam. Good AP scores show colleges you are ready to succeed at college-level work and can even earn you college credits.

Many state colleges like to see applicants with honors classes, as it shows commitment and determination. The country's most prestigious schools, such as Ivy League institutions, usually prefer AP classes on transcripts. These standardized courses can help schools compare applicants more directly.

Which AP class gives the most credits? ›

It gives college credit for every AP exam, and you generally only need to score a 3 to get college credit (although higher scores often earn you more credit). Math, science, and foreign language exams tend to give the most credit.

AP Physics 1 is the hardest AP class with the least passing rate of 51.6. It means almost half of the students fail this exam. It's 3 hours exam consist of 50 MCQs and 5 free-response questions.

Calculus BC

AP Calculus BC has earned a reputation as an easy AP course because many of its students master the material. Most AP Calculus BC students perform at an advanced level — at least one year ahead of their high school class in math — helping them achieve a high pass rate.

The College Board considers a score of 3 or higher a passing grade. That said, some colleges require a 4 or 5 to award credit. Whether a 3 is a good AP score depends on the colleges you're applying to.

Harvard does accept AP Credit for classes in which a student earned a 5 on the AP Exam. These credits are accepted under a program called “Advanced Standing.” To qualify, students must earn a 5 on a minimum of 4 AP tests, transferring a total of 32 credits.

An AP Score of 3 or 4 will likely not get you any college credit or respect at a top school like Stanford/Ivies/MIT. A score of 5 may not either — top colleges like to think that their courses are more rigorous than APs and thus should not be passed out of, and earning a 5 is simply expected for top admits.

Use School Resources

Most schools that offer placement testing also have studying resources available. These often include practice problems, review packets or workshops. Your school's resources may be accessible online, or you may need to visit a student learning center on campus to prepare.

How do I prepare for Apush exam? ›

You cannot fail a placement test.

But you still need to study! The test determines what courses you will be placed in when you begin at college. Depending on your score, you may need to take extra developmental courses or you may be able to start regular college courses right away.

You can't fail a placement test for college. If you receive a low score, you'll be placed in developmental classes for that subject to help increase your knowledge of the topic before you advance to more rigorous courses.

Key Takeaway. Preparing for the college placement exam can be challenging, especially if you're a first-timer. While there are various online tools that you can utilize to assist you in your preparation, it's also important to create a comprehensive plan that can serve as your exam guide.

It is important, however, to prepare and study for these tests so that you're placed into the right courses. If you're not well prepared, there is a chance you could be placed in a lower-level course, meaning you'll have to spend more time (and money) in classes to be able to graduate or receive your degree.

Practicing before an exam helps relieve anxiety about what to expect, and reminds you of skills you may not have used in a while. Here are some suggestions and resources you can use to review and prepare before the placement exam.

What do you hope to learn here? What strengths to you bring to this field? What are your areas of professional growth? Can you tell me about your previous work, volunteer and/or field placement experiences?

Questions will typically cover algebraic fractions, roots and exponents, expanding polynomials, equations and inequalities, complex numbers, factorials, determinants, lines, parabolas, logarithms, etc. At nearly all colleges, you'll take the math placement exam on a computer, and all questions will be multiple-choice.

Each university determines what constitutes a "good" ACCUPLACER test score. Given that, our general advice is that you should aim for a score at least a 237 or higher.

Individuals may also take the Accuplacer tests at the postsecondary institution they plan to attend. However, test attempts in high school may count towards the number of attempts a student is allowed while in college. Specific retake policies can vary from college to college.