Step 2: Know what your goals are
Know what your goals are. If you plan to attend your local state university, chances are taking 10 AP exams and acing all of them will not be necessary for admission. On the other hand, AP exams are an important factor in admissions into elite universities.| College Aspiration | You Should Set Your AP Goals to |
| The elite schools (Ivy League, Stanford, Duke, etc.) | Take 8+ AP Exams by the end of your junior year with an average grade of 4+ |
| 2nd Tier Schools (University of California Schools, NYU, Notre Dame, etc.) | Take 4+ AP Exams by the end of your junior year with an average grade of 4+ |
| Most Local State Universities (Excluding the top public schools such as University of California Schools and University of Michigan – Ann Arbor etc.) | None necessary |
The above chart only looks at what you should set your goals to for the purposes of admission into your school of choice. Getting college credit for your AP exams is a whole different deal.
| College Aspiration | College credit awarded |
| The elite schools (Ivy League, Stanford, Duke, etc.) | Elite schools are very picky when it comes to giving out college credit for AP exams. They will generally only accept scores of 5 for college credit. Many top colleges give out no credit at all for certain AP exams. It is best to check each individual university’s standards of AP college credits. |
| 2nd Tier Schools (University of California Schools, NYU, Notre Dame, etc.) | 2nd Tier schools will generally accept scores of 4 or 5 for college credit. |
| Most Local State Universities (Excluding the top public schools such as University of California Schools and University of Michigan – Ann Arbor etc.) | Most local state universities will accept scores of 4 or 5, and sometimes even 3 for college credit. |
[Link: Check each school’s AP standards here]
AP scores are also a factor for many merit-based scholarships that are offered by colleges and outside sources. Strong AP scores can translate into tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships. That means, even if you are not aiming for the most selective universities, you should still aim high on your AP exams. Your AP exam scores can be the difference between paying thousands every year for college and getting a full ride to your state university.
| Previous | Back to index | Next |
