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What age to take AP tests


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I know that CLEP tests have no age requirements and that once taken, the scores should transfer (if the college accepts that test). However, I don't see anything about this on the College Board regarding AP. Is it okay to study for and take an AP exam when one is in 9th grade? What if the child would chronologically only be in 8th grade if in public school? Does it matter to a college when the exam was taken if the score is one that school accepts?

 

TIA!!!

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I have looked for the answer to this as well and have not found anything, so I will be interested to see if anyone else has some credible information. My daughter took the World History exam at the end of her seventh grade year, and it did not occur to me until after she had taken the exam that the score might not be accepted for credit because of its age.

 

If no one else chimes in, I am going to email a couple of college admissions offices and ask (like they have nothing else to do this time of year!).

 

Terri

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Terri,

 

Out of curiosity (and preparation for next year), how did your dd do on the exam? What did she use to prepare?

 

Thanks,

Angie

 

Well, I suppose, if you insist... she made a 5! There is a lot of detail in post 23 here:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=288270

 

This remains one of the two highlights of her life so far and has given her a lot of confidence about high school.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide, and if I hear back from any colleges, I will report back.

 

Terri

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I know at my dd's Public High School Freshmen can take AP exams depending on how far advanced they are. In their Sophomore year they can take up to 4 APs.

 

One of my dd's classmates took AP Physics in his Freshman year. This year, his Sophomore year, he is taking 4 APs: another Physics, Calculus, Spanish and European Civilization.

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I know that CLEP tests have no age requirements and that once taken, the scores should transfer (if the college accepts that test). However, I don't see anything about this on the College Board regarding AP. Is it okay to study for and take an AP exam when one is in 9th grade? What if the child would chronologically only be in 8th grade if in public school? Does it matter to a college when the exam was taken if the score is one that school accepts?

 

From the other answers you know people are taking them earlier than 9th. The problem is archiving...I don't know about the credit from older AP's..

 

Archived AP Scores

Four years after your test date, your AP scores are removed from our active computer files and archived. AP Services must receive a signed and written request, and there is a charge of $25 each time they are sent to a college. Please complete the Archived AP Scores Request Form (.pdf/72KB) and mail or fax it to the address or number indicated.

 

Joan

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I know that CLEP tests have no age requirements and that once taken, the scores should transfer (if the college accepts that test). However, I don't see anything about this on the College Board regarding AP. Is it okay to study for and take an AP exam when one is in 9th grade? What if the child would chronologically only be in 8th grade if in public school? Does it matter to a college when the exam was taken if the score is one that school accepts?

 

TIA!!!

Are you considering your child an 8th or 9th grader? My oldest took an AP exam last year as a 9th grader (age wise he would have been an 8th grader, but he will graduate hs in 2014). As a 9th grader, the colleges will accept his AP score. I never investigated whether the same would be true of an 8th grader. Like most situations, it may depend on the college.

 

A child on another homeschooling list I am on received an 800 on an SAT 2 exam as an 8th grader. While most of the schools he is applying to this fall have accepted his score from 8th grade, one of the schools on his list is refusing to accept an SAT 2 from 8th grade; they have told him that he will have to re-take the exam.

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Two of my children took APs as 8th graders and there was no problem. Their 8th grade scores were on the report sent to colleges and I didn't need to do anything special.

 

I also had a child get an 800 on the SAT 2 as an 8th grader. Usually scores from before 9th grade are erased, but we contacted the College Board and asked that they keep the score on his record. It was there until he got to 12th grade and had taken so many SAT 2's that the first score was removed from the list, not because he had been an 8th grader, but simply because their software would only accept so many scores. I kept calling the College Board and going up the ladder until they agreed to send an official letter to the colleges he was applying to listing all of his scores. I felt like this was reasonable since I had paid for all of the tests and there was no warning this would be an issue. All of his schools (including very selective ones like Harvard and Yale) accepted his score.

Edited by Muttichen
just noticed the comment about SAT 2's
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Bless their hearts, I know they don't have anything better to do this time of year, but they have already answered my e-mail from late last night. They do not care when the AP exam was taken and will still give credit for one taken in seventh grade subject, of course, to all of the other rules about what will and will not be accepted. I limited my question to whether the age of the exam had any effect.

 

I think I will try George Washington U, William & Mary and U of Maryland next.

 

Terri

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Plansrme, thanks. That's good to know. Ds.1 took AP exams for Human Geography, US Govt.& Politics, and English Language and Composition in 9th grade and did very well scoring 5's in the first two and 4 for English.

These were subjects he was extremely interested in and so it was enjoyable for him.

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