AP Scores 2023

[ScoutTN]

Anyone see their child's scores today? 

Dd did well on both of hers, Stats and Music Theory, BUT her uni does not seem to offer credit for her 5 on the Music Theory?!! We will definitely have to pursue that at orientation! She is happy to be free of math courses forever! More time for languages and music! 

 

[MJmom]

My son got a 3 in World History. We did not think he was going to pass, so we are thrilled with that result. It was hard for him to understand what was expected as it was his first AP. 

[JennyD]

Hooray for good scores!

DS got 5s on Calc BC and Bio, whew.    We did both classes at home and while I wasn't concerned about calculus, I had my doubts about how the bio exam would go.   He did a lot of focused prep at the end, though, and at this point he's pretty familiar with the AP exam format, which undoubtedly helped a lot.

[teachermom2834]

My dd got a 5 on Human Geography. I had posted here asking for tips because her teacher really dropped the ball (didn’t finish the course material and didn’t even go over how to answer FRQs until an optional Saturday mock test right before the exam). She is obviously really pleased. She was so busy the couple weeks before the test she didn’t get much cram time but the studying she had done before that was helpful. So I do appreciate the suggestions I got here and the encouragement that she could do it on her own. She has three APs next year so this is a big confidence boost going forward. 
 

Actually…after the mock test the teacher told dd “wow you really have a good system for answering the FRQs. I’m going to share that with the class.” Ugh. That of course was all what my dd had learned herself. I’m sure much of her class did really well on the test because the kids in her class are super smart and I’m glad but kind of hate that they bailed the teacher out for not teaching the course. I like dd’s school just fine but I have realized the awesome results they get are not anything the school is doing it is just (as is the case with many private schools) that the kids are really smart before they ever get there. 

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by teachermom2834

[Porridge]

Congrats to all your DC!!!!

Here: 5 on AP Chinese 🙂

[mckittre]

My kid got a 4 on AP bio, which we're happy about. It was 8th grade, and her first AP test. She knew the material well, but struggled really hard with time pressure on the free writing portion (likely some dyslexia/dysgraphia issues involved). Given that result, we'll probably try AP chem this year, which might actually be easier for her.

[mathnerd]

My DS got a 5 on chemistry and I taught it to him at home, so I am much relieved!

[ScoutTN]

Hugs to those whose scores were not as high as they’d hoped. We know a couple kids who fall into this category, though they seemed well-prepared. 

[silver]

My son had done two timed practice tests for Calc AB, and ran out of time on both of them. On the actual test, he had enough time to do all the questions, so I was hopeful. He got a 5, which is great, because he needs a 4 or 5 to be able to take Calc II this fall through DE.

[teachermom2834]

It’s been years but in case anyone is lurking and feeling bad I have a very bright student who tried hard and stunk at APs.  Even took some of the most highly recommended classes and did great in them and still bombed the APs. So while all the high scores are awesome (yay!) it’s really ok if your kid just didn’t perform for whatever reason. My bad AP kid is highly successful and happy a decade later 🙂 It just wasn’t his thing. 
 

I was dreading my dd getting her score because we just hadn’t had success in the past. When she got a 5 I was like phew I have a kid that can do this. But from this board it can seem easy and like everyone does great but obviously that is not the case. Even kids that have good classes and try hard and are bright kids sometimes just don’t come through with the score. Hugs to those! BTDT

[ScoutTN]

1 minute ago, teachermom2834 said:

It’s been years but in case anyone is lurking and feeling bad I have a very bright student who tried hard and stunk at APs.  Even took some of the most highly recommended classes and did great in them and still bombed the APs. So while all the high scores are awesome (yay!) it’s really ok if your kid just didn’t perform for whatever reason. My bad AP kid is highly successful and happy a decade later 🙂 It just wasn’t his thing. 
 

I was dreading my dd getting her score because we just hadn’t had success in the past. When she got a 5 I was like phew I have a kid that can do this. But from this board it can seem easy and like everyone does great but obviously that is not the case. Even kids that have good classes and try hard and are bright kids sometimes just don’t come through with the score. Hugs to those! BTDT

Yes, the test score sometimes does not accurately reflect the student’s mastery of the material. I was a bad test-taker! 

[Clemsondana]

5s on English Lang and Calc BC.  We had been waiting on scores to know what DE classes to register for.  Then we went to register and it wouldn't let us because of prereqs.  I'm waiting for a reply to figure out what the CC needs to clear the holds and let kiddo sign up.  

Kid is relieved, I think, because at least on college on kid's list only accepts 5 for English, so with anything else kid would have to take comp next year instead of a lit class.  We had said that we'd likely encourage kid to take Calc 2 if the score was less than a 5 just to make sure that everything was solid, but with a 5 we are OK with starting with calc 3.  

[saw]

5 for chem here but no score yet for French! We have tried calling and the live chat but cannot get an answer as to what the problem is. DS does get extra time and the use of a laptop, so I think it may be that, but there was also an issue during the exam with the listening portion (College Board sent one cd only, so the school had to figure out how to share this between DS and the "regular" kids). Now I'm worried!

[Arcadia]

10 minutes ago, Clemsondana said:

I'm waiting for a reply to figure out what the CC needs to clear the holds and let kiddo sign up

For the CC my kid attended, they have a prerequisite clearance form and we just need to fill up the form, attach the unofficial score report and submit. Usually a staff would clear the hold within the next business day.

ETA: 

DS17 didn’t take any exams so we were just cheering on friends’ kids getting scores.

Edited July 6, 2023 by Arcadia

[EKS]

1 hour ago, ScoutTN said:

Hugs to those whose scores were not as high as they’d hoped.

This.  Despite how it may seem, it happens a lot.

[mlktwins]

Both of my boys got 5’s on each of their AP Stats and AP Calc AB exams. Both are getting 7 credits for them. Good day in our house!

ETA: Giving a shout out to @NittanyJen at PA Homeschoolers for preparing my guys so well for their AP Stats exam!

Edited July 6, 2023 by mlktwins

[Sneezyone]

Both of my peeps got 3s…, DD on Econ (not her strong suit so she felt good) and DS on Human Geo (he was not happy). DSs teacher sent him an email, unprompted, to say she felt the late exam (which he had to take for exec function reasons) was harder and other students at his level did better, so that made him happy. Freshman year in the books, senior year done, looking forward to great things!

Edited July 6, 2023 by Sneezyone

[RoundAbout]

DS got a 5 on AP Calc BC and a 4 on AP Stat. I taught both at home myself so I'm thrilled! But it was a lot of material to cover in 9 months so I'm also a little burned out on math. Next year he's taking WOOT and focusing on Olympiad math so I will glad for the break. 

[kokotg]

5s on world history and lang here....this kid has loaded up on 5s a lot more than his older brothers (who did well, but had mixes of 4s and 5s), and I feel like a lot of that is probably that I'M getting better at this (we mostly do APs on our own at home). Which I say not to take anything away from the kid, but to express my guilt because I think his brothers could have done as well with someone who knew the ropes a bit more. Not that there's really much difference between a 4 and a 5 for the vast majority of purposes. 

[Clemsondana]

11 hours ago, Arcadia said:

For the CC my kid attended, they have a prerequisite clearance form and we just need to fill up the form, attach the unofficial score report and submit. Usually a staff would clear the hold within the next business day.

ETA: 

DS17 didn’t take any exams so we were just cheering on friends’ kids getting scores.

I heard back shockingly quickly - they need a formal score report.  We sent it last night, but it may take 2 weeks to get there.  I guess we'll have to keep checking to see when we can add the classes.  

[JennyD]

21 minutes ago, kokotg said:

5s on world history and lang here....this kid has loaded up on 5s a lot more than his older brothers (who did well, but had mixes of 4s and 5s), and I feel like a lot of that is probably that I'M getting better at this (we mostly do APs on our own at home). Which I say not to take anything away from the kid, but to express my guilt because I think his brothers could have done as well with someone who knew the ropes a bit more. Not that there's really much difference between a 4 and a 5 for the vast majority of purposes. 

I feel like this, too.  Oldest DS has mostly done well on the AP exams he's taken but I really think it all could have been a lot easier if I had known more.  Middle son is going to do AP Physics 1 next year and DH and I pulled out the syllabus we used for oldest DS a few years ago; DH was like, "huh, this doesn't seem like the best way to prepare for the test, why did we do it this way with Oldest?"  Sometimes I feel badly that Oldest has to be our practice kid.  

 

 

[Arcadia]

5 hours ago, kokotg said:

Which I say not to take anything away from the kid, but to express my guilt because I think his brothers could have done as well with someone who knew the ropes a bit more.

 

5 hours ago, JennyD said:

Sometimes I feel badly that Oldest has to be our practice kid.  

DS17 is my “slower” one so I am thankful that my guinea pig DS18 is the one taking the test first and giving tips to DS17. The one hour AP exams at home during the pandemic did affect both my kids.

5 hours ago, Clemsondana said:

I heard back shockingly quickly - they need a formal score report.  We sent it last night, but it may take 2 weeks to get there.  I guess we'll have to keep checking to see when we can add the classes.  

If the class you want is going to fill out fast, your child could meet with a counselor, login and pull up his AP score report on his laptop, and have the counselor help release the hold. My friends with seniors are all sending their AP score reports now to the colleges they are going to in fall so it might take longer than usual. 

[Penelope]

6 hours ago, kokotg said:

5s on world history and lang here....this kid has loaded up on 5s a lot more than his older brothers (who did well, but had mixes of 4s and 5s), and I feel like a lot of that is probably that I'M getting better at this (we mostly do APs on our own at home). Which I say not to take anything away from the kid, but to express my guilt because I think his brothers could have done as well with someone who knew the ropes a bit more. Not that there's really much difference between a 4 and a 5 for the vast majority of purposes. 

This is why I am afraid to do AP’s on my own. I’d like to learn how, but I’m afraid I will mess it up in the process. Getting 4’s is not really messing it up, though: I say, well done!

 

Just a reminder that many intelligent public and private school kids don’t do so well on these tests, whether it’s because of the testing format and resultant stress, or because those teachers and classes just aren’t so good. 
 

I need to see if there are any old threads with any tips for doing AP well at home, other than for registering the syllabus with the CB to get their materials. Anyone remember any?

[JennyD]

21 minutes ago, Penelope said:

any tips for doing AP well at home,

My main tip is to make full use of the resources that the CB makes available on the AP website, especially the Question Bank.  

[SeaConquest]

This was Sacha's third AP test and the first he did not pass (he got a 2 on Calc BC). Kiddo took it ok; better than I did. I just faxed off the score cancellation request to the College Board, so I am using that occasion and this post to put it out of my mind.

I tried to contextualize what happened to my mom, and the exercise was cathartic for me. I summed it up this way:

Mom, Sacha took an online class, as a middle schooler, taught entirely via text message, with only one class meeting per week, that was held at 430-6PM our time (ie as kiddo's ADHD meds are wearing off), and covered in *24 weeks* what is generally covered in *2 years* at most US high schools or in the first year of Calc at the university level (the AoPS Calc class also has some intro to linear algebra and other advanced topics). He attempted this class without any outside tutoring from anyone. In tandem with that, he's growing/developing at a faster pace than at any time since toddlerhood, and took a very demanding chem class that left him little time to prep for the exam.

So yeah, we were disappointed with his score, but are trying not to compare him with the miniscule number of kids who are able to accomplish such a feat. Unfortunately, he goes to a school where there are a lot of those types of kids, so it appears to him to be less extraordinary than it truly is. We had to email OHS and tell them that Sacha doesn't feel comfortable enough with the material to move onto multivariable next fall (he is already enrolled in the class and we could just not mention the AP score, but Sacha wants to be solid before moving on). So, we are now scrambling with determining placement and fitting it into his existing schedule.

I know how much I benefited from taking another pass at Calc in college (I had a fabulous prof and loved the class), as I was truly clueless in AP Calc AB senior year (even though I somehow got a good grade; my school didn't offer the test, but there's no way I would have passed anyway). So, Sacha will take another rigorous course in single variable, with live video classes twice per week at a time that works better for his attention, access to peer tutors, and another year of math maturity under his belt. I have confidence in him.

Edited July 6, 2023 by SeaConquest

[ScoutTN]

Inquired with Dd’s uni with regard to credit for her MT exam. The ball is rolling. A form to fill out, which then goes to the relevant prof or department. Not just taking no for an answer. At the very least, I’d like to hear a sensible reason why they will not accept this exam for credit. 

[Avonlea]

DS got a 5 on AP Micro and DD got a 4 on World History. Thrilled bc DD is older and got a 2 on her 1st AP exam last year (9th grade). She didn't give up. 

[Roadrunner]

My senior only took one AP. Bio. He got a 5. Sadly his university doesn’t apply  AP credits toward general education requirements and he still has to take two more classes from biological sciences to satisfy general Ed. 

[Sneezyone]

4 hours ago, JennyD said:

My main tip is to make full use of the resources that the CB makes available on the AP website, especially the Question Bank.  

This! It's in part why DS struggled. He didn't take the regular test (didn't signup for MyAP so they didn't order a test for him), refused to ask for help, or use outside resources. Lessons have been learned. *eyeroll*

Edited July 6, 2023 by Sneezyone

[mlktwins]

1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:

My senior only took one AP. Bio. He got a 5. Sadly his university doesn’t apply  AP credits toward general education requirements and he still has to take two more classes from biological sciences to satisfy general Ed. 

Yesh, this is hard when AP scores don't apply :-(.

For one of mine, a DE class will give him 3 elective credits, but there isn't a one for one match so he needs to take US History again. And his CLEP isn't accepted at his school. For the twin, his CLEP is accepted at his school, but the AP World History doesn't have a one for one match so will get those 3 elective credits. At least he doesn't need to take it again - his DE US History will work at his school for that gen ed category. They are all different :-(. 

[Clemsondana]

5 hours ago, Penelope said:

 

 

I need to see if there are any old threads with any tips for doing AP well at home, other than for registering the syllabus with the CB to get their materials. Anyone remember any?

My kid has never taken an official AP class - the classes were either studied at home or done after taking a regular co-op class that mostly aligned with AP content.  Kid is a good test taker, but the thing that was most helpful was the review on the college board site.  The method that kid settled on after the first AP was to work through the class (if done at home, we would set a reasonable pace).  Sometime in the spring semester, usually around March, kid would start watching the AP videos.  Generally they were review, as they should be if the material has been learned.  Kid liked to watch while eating lunch.  🙂  If there was anything unfamiliar, kid would learn/practice that material.  At some point kid would take a practice test and do extra review of things that were missed.  Then kid would look at the videos and read the book instructions on what they are looking for on the free response questions.  If timing was a concern, kid would take a timed test a few weeks beforehand to figure out if they needed to work faster and use that as a guide for what to do a the very end.  

Some kids will do better with a lot more practice tests, but kid does Science Olympiad so has a ton of practice taking timed tests.  The books that we used were the 5 Steps to a 5 series. 

[daijobu]

5 hours ago, SeaConquest said:

This was Sacha's third AP test and the first he did not pass (he got a 2 on Calc BC). Kiddo took it ok; better than I did. I just faxed off the score cancellation request to the College Board, so I am using that occasion and this post to put it out of my mind.

 

Thanks for this report on AoPS calculus.  My "Always AoPS" kids skipped this class because of what I had been reading on hs2coll, and I've also been dissuading other parents from taking the class with the usual caveats.   I also agree with @JennyD that the Question Bank is an eye-opener, with idiosyncratic questions (that are repeated in multiple exams), and you don't want to be parsing those for the first time during the real exam.  

I'm sure Sacha will do great this time.  If you make it up to campus for an in person OHS event (highly recommend), DM me and we can meet up.  

[Sebastian (a lady)]

On 7/5/2023 at 7:11 PM, ScoutTN said:

Hugs to those whose scores were not as high as they’d hoped. We know a couple kids who fall into this category, though they seemed well-prepared. 

One of my kids wasn't very good at APs. Took three and got credit for one.

But he will hard work a course to death.

He has a 3.7 in Mechanical Engineering. So don't despair. 

[skctgbrlis]

I’ve been so intimidated by AP exams! CLEPs seem much easier. I’m slowly trying to learn how APs work so I can coach dc through them.
I did have two dc take one exam each this year. Ds 15 got a 3 on English Lit. For “prep” (if you want to call it that), we did 3 Progeny Press literature guides over the school year, and he halfheartedly went through parts of the Barrons prep book. Based on our “success,” he’ll try one or two more. 
Dd 17 got a 4 on Music Theory. A year ago we worked through Julie Johnson’s Guide to AP Music Theory and she did the practice tests in the Barrons prep book right before the exam. Now she’ll enter college with credit for Theory 1!

[SeaConquest]

40 minutes ago, daijobu said:

Thanks for this report on AoPS calculus.  My "Always AoPS" kids skipped this class because of what I had been reading on hs2coll, and I've also been dissuading other parents from taking the class with the usual caveats.   I also agree with @JennyD that the Question Bank is an eye-opener, with idiosyncratic questions (that are repeated in multiple exams), and you don't want to be parsing those for the first time during the real exam.  

I'm sure Sacha will do great this time.  If you make it up to campus for an in person OHS event (highly recommend), DM me and we can meet up.  

We go up a few times each year, so will definitely take you up on that! ❤️ 

Because he took the AoPS class, he didn't have access to the question bank. He should have just done OHS math last year. I am told their classes are quite good, with a modest workload compared to AoPS. Lesson learned. 

[JennyD]

47 minutes ago, daijobu said:

Question Bank is an eye-opener, with idiosyncratic questions (that are repeated in multiple exams), and you don't want to be parsing those for the first time during the real exam.  

My DS worked through the AoPS calculus book on his own and despite my increasingly-less-gentle suggestions that he pause and do some review problems from the Question Bank at the end of each unit, he completely blew me off. Then of course he discovered in mid-April that the AoPS book does not align perfectly with the AP test (JUST LIKE I HAD SAID MULTIPLE TIMES) and he needed to do a whole bunch of additional work to be prepared for the exam.  

For AP Bio, I was able to force him to do review problems at the end of each unit and it was extremely helpful.  He still had to crunch a bit at the end and as I said before, I was not sure that he would pull it off, but he was mildly insulted when I betrayed some pleasant surprise yesterday about his score.

 

[matrips]

All AP and IB scores in! All did well, got the college credit they needed, placed out of all the courses they hoped for, and the one got her IB diploma.  This year, one kid had 6 APs, one 5 APs, and the other had 6 IBs. Done ✔️ 

[Roadrunner]

2 hours ago, SeaConquest said:

We go up a few times each year, so will definitely take you up on that! ❤️ 

Because he took the AoPS class, he didn't have access to the question bank. He should have just done OHS math last year. I am told their classes are quite good, with a modest workload compared to AoPS. Lesson learned. 

Yes, we ran from that class as well 2/3 in. Mine went to Bluetent and scored a 5. I don’t think he could have done that from AoPS. 
My other kid who finished calculus as a freshman also with a 5 will take AoPS calculus as a senior for enrichment to prepare for college math. 

[ScoutTN]

8 hours ago, ScoutTN said:

Inquired with Dd’s uni with regard to credit for her MT exam. The ball is rolling. A form to fill out, which then goes to the relevant prof or department. Not just taking no for an answer. At the very least, I’d like to hear a sensible reason why they will not accept this exam for credit. 

Heard back. Music prof says their Theory 1 class has more advanced material in it than the AP does, so they do not give credit. Boo! But he said she’s likely to do very well in it, since much of the material will be review. 
 

Nice to have an explanation anyway. 

Dd did Music Theory bc she loves music and because she had a fabulous teacher to study 1 on 1 with. It was a great year and she enjoyed learning. No regrets. 
 

[Nart]

In case anyone is interested, here is a link to 2023 AP score distributions. Someone from the college board has been tweeting score distributions and comments. 
https://www.totalregistration.net/AP-Exam-Registration-Service/AP-Exam-Score-Distributions.php

Interesting that the two lowest pass rates were for Physics 1 (pass rate 45%) and APUSH (pass rate 48%). Perhaps many students are encouraged to take AP classes in these subjects? Highest pass rates (besides Chinese and Spanish where heritage speakers might skew their results and AP research & seminar -not sure what they are) were for Drawing (85% pass rate) 2-D Art (84%), calculus BC (78%), English Lit (77%), & Chem (75%). I would assume in public high schools only the brightest, most academically successful students are taking calculus BC, chem and Eng. Lit. 

Anyone have any other theories on the different pass rates? 

[teachermom2834]

I know Human Geography always has one of the lowest pass rates even though it is one of the easiest classes/tests. I’m sure it is because it is targeted at 9th graders. I know some schools allow older students to take it as an elective but around here they don’t even allow older student to opt to take it later. The bar to allow students to try this as a 9th grader is pretty low and many students who are A/B students in middle school aren’t necessarily going to be AP students in high school or be ready for the one big test. 
 

Environmental Science is another easier one with a low pass rate. It is one that is often taken if someone wants to try just one AP. So you aren’t necessarily getting the strongest bunch taking that test. The high performing high school where we used to live had a goal to have every student take one AP. Now, not every student did, but most did and APES was the one most were funneled into for that one class. So it definitely would skew the results. So I think you definitely get lower pass rates with easier tests because of a whole different cohort. 

[Sneezyone]

1 hour ago, teachermom2834 said:

I know Human Geography always has one of the lowest pass rates even though it is one of the easiest classes/tests. I’m sure it is because it is targeted at 9th graders. I know some schools allow older students to take it as an elective but around here they don’t even allow older student to opt to take it later. The bar to allow students to try this as a 9th grader is pretty low and many students who are A/B students in middle school aren’t necessarily going to be AP students in high school or be ready for the one big test. 
 

Environmental Science is another easier one with a low pass rate. It is one that is often taken if someone wants to try just one AP. So you aren’t necessarily getting the strongest bunch taking that test. The high performing high school where we used to live had a goal to have every student take one AP. Now, not every student did, but most did and APES was the one most were funneled into for that one class. So it definitely would skew the results. So I think you definitely get lower pass rates with easier tests because of a whole different cohort. 

Hmph, makes sense to me for APHUG, lots of freshman take it as an intro to AP here. Kids here can realistically only do, max, 2 APs a year because of our scheduling quirks and APES is usually taken by sophomores and juniors b/c they require chem and bio as prerequisites.  Our district tends to do a lot of gatekeeping.

[Terabith]

My kid with loads of learning disabilities got a 4 on AP Environmental Science and a 2 in APUSH.  I was pleased.  

[silver]

15 hours ago, Nart said:

I would assume in public high schools only the brightest, most academically successful students are taking calculus BC, chem and Eng. Lit. 
 

The higher pass rate for Calc BC is likely due to which schools are likely to offer it as well as which students likely to take it.

Some schools, like the high school I attended, only allow the strong math students to take Calc BC, other students that took algebra early enough to fit calculus in do Calc AB instead (and now maybe even AP Stats instead). Other schools, such as the one we're zoned for, make ALL students take Calc AB first before they're allowed to take Calc BC. So the only way to take Calc BC is to be two or more years ahead. Those tend to be stronger students and then they have the benefit of it being their second time through for most of the topics. And then some schools don't even offer it at all--they don't have enough students to take it or they don't have teachers willing/able to teach it. This means that "weaker" school districts that might have low pass rates aren't offering it in the first place. 

[Dmmetler]

On 7/5/2023 at 2:39 PM, ScoutTN said:

Anyone see their child's scores today? 

Dd did well on both of hers, Stats and Music Theory, BUT her uni does not seem to offer credit for her 5 on the Music Theory?!! We will definitely have to pursue that at orientation! She is happy to be free of math courses forever! More time for languages and music! 

 

Music programs do their own placement for theory for majors and usually only give AP credit for non-majors. At my UG school, the theory class at my highschool, plus the AP I'd studied for and what I'd done with my teachers turned out to be approximately 3/4 of theory 1, 1/2 of theory 2, and a topic from theory 3, so I ended up doing one semester of applied theory/comp and then theory 3 and 4. 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Dmmetler

[kirstenhill]

17 hours ago, Nart said:

In case anyone is interested, here is a link to 2023 AP score distributions. Someone from the college board has been tweeting score distributions and comments. 
https://www.totalregistration.net/AP-Exam-Registration-Service/AP-Exam-Score-Distributions.php

Interesting that the two lowest pass rates were for Physics 1 (pass rate 45%) and APUSH (pass rate 48%). Perhaps many students are encouraged to take AP classes in these subjects? Highest pass rates (besides Chinese and Spanish where heritage speakers might skew their results and AP research & seminar -not sure what they are) were for Drawing (85% pass rate) 2-D Art (84%), calculus BC (78%), English Lit (77%), & Chem (75%). I would assume in public high schools only the brightest, most academically successful students are taking calculus BC, chem and Eng. Lit. 

Anyone have any other theories on the different pass rates? 

I have read that APUSH is common one for students to be "highly encouraged" to take, and perhaps a greater number don't care about the exam.  I read a twitter thread (I can't find it again to link to it...it was something random that twitter showed me, probably after clicking on all the AP guy's twitter posts about the score distribution) where someone who had been an exam grader for AP in the past comment on how surprisingly many blank exams he saw while grading APUSH.  Student didn't even care enough or felt prepared enough to try writing anything.

My DS16 (public school student) is typically a math guy, but he got a 5 on APUSH and a 4 on Stats.   He was very surprised, but in some ways this result was not entirely surprising to me.   He had just a bit harder time with stats that he has with other math classes - he barely got an A, and was often telling me about "dumb mistakes" he made while reading the multiple choice test questions in that class.  He was missing details in reading the questions.   This contrasted with the A he fairly easily got both semesters this past year in DE Calc 1 and 2 classes.  

Meanwhile, he had close to 100% in the class both semesters of APUSH.   Yet, he studied a lot for the APUSH exam, because he thought he wouldn't do well on that one and was convinced that Stats would be an easy 5 for him.   I think he probably could have benefited from more prep for stats, but I guess that's a good lesson to learn.

[turkeypotpie]

Big day - 5's on Bio and World History, 4's on CSP and Stats! Prev year: 5 HUG and 3 Chem. This year: Calc, Spanish, and Physics!

[ScoutTN]

5 hours ago, Dmmetler said:

Music programs do their own placement for theory for majors and usually only give AP credit for non-majors. At my UG school, the theory class at my highschool, plus the AP I'd studied for and what I'd done with my teachers turned out to be approximately 3/4 of theory 1, 1/2 of theory 2, and a topic from theory 3, so I ended up doing one semester of applied theory/comp and then theory 3 and 4. 

Dd will be a piano performance minor, so she’ll have to take one theory class and she may well take more. Her piano and theory teacher teaches at Blair and thinks Dd has a solid foundation to jump into college theory without being overwhelmed, so I think Dd is in a good spot. It won’t hurt to have an easier class her first year!!