AP Exams

[yoshi]

Is anyone studying for these this year?

For those of you who don't know what they are, in the US, some schools offer advanced courses called AP (Advanced Placement) courses. At the end of the year, there is an AP exam, and if you score well enough (usually 3-5, but some more "elite" schools now what 4-5, and some top schools take only 5). If you do well enough, you may get college credit for them .

EDIT: Canada has them too apparently

[mathbits]

It's in Canada too. They have it at my school. If you pass the exam, you get to go to university already having one year something or something. But that's around 3 years from now for me.

[Asynchrony]

None this year, but one the next- AP European History. I hear it involves a ton of writing, which should be decently fun.

[SCalibur]

Yes lol. Second year of high school, and after the week after next, I'll have 3 APs under my belt.

European History first next week (I'm pretty confident on that one, I'm basically acting like an answer key in study group sessions, and my writing is very good, apparently -- I'm averaging about a 7 on in-class practice writing, and my teacher is a pretty tough grader).

Then, the week after, I have Microeconomics. I'm a little more frightened about that one, because I'm self-teaching myself that and I'm still a bit confused on how to do the Free Responses.

[yoshi]

I've got Stats and Physics this year >_>

NOT FUN!

[seashell2_js]

I can't believe it's already been 3 years since I took my first ones. AP exams really do pay off in college if you do well. Good luck to everyone who's taking them!

[Forte]

I have it even worse, I'm stuck doing college finals

[flaming_snot]

I have US history, psychology, calculus A/B, and english lit. :S I hate history and I don't know why I took that class, so I'll probably fail that one, but I'm definitely studying for the others.

[graphitesmoothie]

Yeah, I got credit for (the only) two I took and passed. It got me 6 units each towards GE. D:

yoshidude65 Wrote:I've got Stats and Physics this year >_>

NOT FUN!

Stats is cake.

I'm curious if anybody is taking a foreign language AP test. Those are hard.

[Spaz]

I don't know of any colleges that accept 3's. 4's and 5's are what'll get you credit, except at certain elite of the elite schools which might only take 5's.

I took computer science A in my junior year and chemistry and calculus BC in my senior year. Got 5's on all of them. The chemistry is saving me an enormous amount of work in college, since it's worth two semesters of chemistry and their associated labs. That takes care of my chem I requirement and my science elective requirement. The computer science and calculus tests allowed me to take honors courses in those subjects in my freshman year. I got to learn c++ with a great professor instead of Java with a mediocre one, and my math professor was great too; all homework was optional and all quizzes and tests were open-book and open-notes. (that's not to say the course was easy though...)

I see lots of people go crazy with AP courses, taking a huge number of them. I would caution against that; it could be a lot of effort wasted, depending on whether that test is accepted and that course counts toward your major at the college you end up going to. You can't go wrong with things like calculus, chemistry, and physics, things that pretty much everyone has to take. But for other things, just be aware that your test result might not matter.

[yoshi]

Stats is cake, you're right.

But physics... omg x.x

In fact, I have to present my Rube Goldberg machine tomorrow during class *gulp*... I HATE public speaking