Do colleges care if you fail an AP?

Asked by: Mr. Rosario Auer II  |  Last update: August 8, 2023
Score: 5/5 (31 votes)

Summing it up
But it's not the end of the world if you don't pass. Your class grade won't be affected, and colleges will still be impressed that you took an AP course. Colleges won't see your scores, and you won't miss out on any opportunities.

Does failing an AP class look bad?

The Failed Grade Will Be Added On Your Transcript: Finally, the biggest impact on college admissions is that the failed grade will be recorded on your transcript. This is a much bigger deal to admissions officers than a 1 or a 2 on an AP exam, because it reflects how well you did in the entire course.

Does it matter if you fail an AP?

The good news is that a failed exam does not affect your GPA. In addition, you can retake the AP exam the next year. To prepare, you can re-enroll in the class, study on your own, or hire a tutor who can help you tackle the more challenging subjects on the test.

Will colleges reject you for bad AP scores?

AP scores have very, very little impact on college admissions, especially if the exam has nothing to do with your major. If you don't report, they probably won't really notice.

Is a 2 on an AP exam bad?

Generally speaking, a 2 is not a good AP score, as it is not considered a passing score by the College Board. If you get a 2 on your AP exam, it might be better not to submit that score to the colleges you're applying to.

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16 related questions found

Is it bad if you get a 1 on AP exam?

Since a 1 is the lowest score that you can get on an AP® exam, this is not desirable. Thankfully, not many students leave the exam with a 1 unless complications arise during the test and they need to leave, or they are just trying to take the exam without knowing any of the material.

Should I report a 1 on an AP exam?

Sending your AP exam score to colleges is optional.

If your exam score is eligible for credit, self-report it on the college application and send the official report through the CollegeBoard. Never report or send an exam score of a 1 or 2. They are not considered “passing” scores.

Should I cancel a bad AP score?

To cancel a score is to completely remove it from the College Board's and your record. For that reason, you should not cancel unless you are certain that you never want anyone to know you took the exam in the future.

Does a bad AP score hurt you?

On the whole, a bad AP probably won't hurt you in and of itself, but it can be related to other concerns. A bad AP score is often correlated with a poor grade in the corresponding course, which can hurt your GPA.

Does it hurt to send a bad AP score?

Colleges will not look at your score

You will not be required to send your AP score to your colleges. If you opt to send it before taking the test, the college will receive it, but it likely will not be weighed in their decision.

Does it look bad to retake an AP exam?

If you score a 3 or above on an AP test a retake unless you're absolutely set on earning college credit for your work. Ultimately, your AP score will have minimal impact on your admission chances unless you're applying to the most selective colleges with 1s and 2s.

What AP class has the lowest pass rate?

9) AP Physics 1

At many high schools, AP Physics is notorious for its difficulty level. In addition, it has the lowest overall pass rate of any AP exam.

How many people fail AP classes?

According to a recent study by The College Board, nearly 50% of high school students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses do not pass the exams to qualify for college credit.

What percentage of students fail AP exams?

(AP tests are scored between 1 and 5, with anything 3 and higher considered passing.) Most AP tests have a pass rate of around 60% or higher.

What grade is considered failing in an AP class?

AP Exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Many U.S. colleges grant credit and/or advanced placement (that means they let you skip the equivalent course once you get to college) for scores of 3 and above.

Do AP tests really matter?

Yes! It's important to remember that AP scores are not only part of the college admissions process; they can also be valuable once you get to college. Policies vary quite widely in terms of which colleges grant credit for which tests.

Should I report low AP scores?

You don't need to send or self-report anything lower than a 3. Those 3s probably won't hurt you, and your 4s and 5s could help you because some schools do use AP scores to help as they evaluate your application. AP scores can supplement and boost grades and your other test scores that might not be as strong.

How do I hide my bad AP scores?

Form to request AP Exam score withholding from a score recipient. You can request that the AP Program withhold one or more AP Exam scores from any college, university, or scholarship program that you chose as a score recipient.

What happens if I send a bad AP score to college?

However, very few colleges require that a student submit AP exam scores, and many high schools do not even offer AP courses. You may also take AP exams and never reveal your scores to universities if you're not happy with your results. This means that even a bad AP score can't negatively affect your application.

Are make up AP exams harder?

While the cut scores may differ by a few points depending on the difficulty of the exam versions, the exam scores will represent the same performance standards (and hence, a student's score will represent the same level of achievement) no matter which version of an exam a student takes.

Do AP exams matter senior year?

While strong AP exam scores can help your application, they are not the only factor that matters. However, it's fair to note that more competitive schools, like Ivy League institutions, get many applicants who mainly took AP classes by their senior year and did well on the exams.

Should I report a 3 on my AP exam?

The first thing that you should do is check the AP Score credit policy for the colleges that you are applying to. If they will give you credit for the 3, then by all means report it! On the other hand, if they only give credit for a 5 on that exam (not even for a 4), you may want to hold off.

Do colleges care about AP scores after acceptance?

So If you did not submit your AP exam scores with your application, you should submit them to the college you will be attending after you have accepted their admissions offer. This will allow the school to assess whether they are going to provide you college credit for any of the AP courses that you have taken.

What is the hardest AP class?

For example, we looked at r/APStudents on Reddit and found that students generally considered the following AP classes to be among the hardest:
  • AP Calculus BC.
  • AP Chemistry.
  • AP English Literature.
  • AP Latin.
  • AP Physics 1.
  • AP Physics C E&M.
  • AP Physics C Mechanics.
  • AP US History.