How did you approach your AP scores? College Board grades each AP exam on a scale of 1 to 5, which has been established since the launch of AP exams in 1956. Each score is clearly a different tier of showing whether a student is qualified or not in a subject: “5 – Extremely well qualified, 4 – Very well qualified, 3 – Qualified, 2 – Possibly qualified, 1 – No recommendation.”
For students who scored high, this seems like a positive review, but for those who didn’t, there is nothing to worry about because all hope is not lost. College Board interprets each AP score from highest to lowest in a way that indicates collegiate preparedness for a subject. AP scores were released earlier this month on Monday, July 7th, which certainly brought a mixture of feelings and emotions for students. Regardless, if a student takes an AP exam for college credit, to learn a subject, or even just for fun, it is crucial to approach their scores with clarity and not take them too seriously.
Approaching AP Scores
Scoring a 4 or 5 on an exam typically allows a student access to skip introductory collegiate courses in that particular subject. This score defines a level of mastery that is sufficient for a subject. However, some top-notch public universities like UCLA and Princeton only accept a 5 on some tests. Thus, college credit is given on a case-by-case basis. To assist, College Board created and maintains a comprehensive database displaying what colleges accept and don’t take AP credits.
Getting a score of 3 or more generally means a student “passed” their AP exam, and credit can be given by colleges. However, review the above link to verify if AP credit can be applied based on the college or university.
As the scores become lower on exams, students’ morale may be impacted. A score of 2 or lower often lingers with students, resembling the impact of a poor grade, even if it’s delivered as a simple number. However, an AP exam does not define a student’s true level of ambition and potential. An AP exam score is just a number, a number that doesn’t underpin the real value behind taking an AP course.
Completing an AP course embodies the rigorous process of taking a college course and understanding advanced material. For students who got a high score, reflect on the successful systems implemented in the past year that got you to where you are, and keep building on that momentum. If you received a lower score, take it as an opportunity to reflect on the moments this year when you may have been less focused or consistent with your study habits. Use that insight to create space for growth and improvement moving forward.
College Applications
When filling out college applications, students generally report AP scores of 3 or higher, Remember, you are not obligated to share any of your results to universities, unless they follow-up asking you to send scores. AP scores are a small factor for college admissions, as the admissions process is holistic, including metrics from course GPA, SAT/ACT scores, extracurricular activities, and personal essays/supplementals.
Using the Magna Dashboard
At Magna Education, we relentlessly aim to equip students with the right skills and study habits to succeed in their AP classes and on their exams. Students can practice any type of quiz, including, but not limited to, Multiple Choice, Short Answer FRQ, or Long Answer FRQ, in our Platform in a wide range of offered subjects and courses. We provide analytics in overall score, score trend, topic progress, and recent quiz grades to accurately pinpoint student weaknesses and therefore, can assist in targeting these areas for improvement.
In our Platform, students can identify the specific topics in a given unit that they are scoring lower in. Additionally, they can also calibrate the difficulty level of the questions and build their knowledge towards proficiency and mastery of the given subject. Feel free to create an account and explore our features – you can even submit your AP scores from this year in a raffle to win prizes upon logging in to platform.magnaeducation.ai!