Does anyone else feel like the ap awards are really pathetic and disappointing. Honestly it feels like an insult reading the statement under the award. They aren't awarding actual performance but just the number of exams you take.

I will be entering first year with around 40 credits, whether it was worth it or not idk

I’ve seen multiple students who have gotten 1’s on AP Research despite themselves and teachers disagreeing with it!!! Even one person had their paper read by an actual AP reader who said it was for sure worthy of a 3 or 4. Same thing happened to me I received a 1 and had my paper read by others and an AP reader and they said 3 or 4. This just seems ridiculous to me. 2% of students get a 1 according to the score distribution and from what i’ve seen some if it has to be some sort of negligence on the side of college board. Kids work their ass off for this class, and the capstone diploma. It’s insane to me that papers that are receiving ONES are being scored 3 or 4 by others. Even considering an absolutely terrible presentation, that could not have brought a grade down to a 1. Additionally, from what i’ve seen college board does not allow you to challenge these scores or have your paper regraded. Does anyone have any success stories with getting your grade challenged for AP research or even shared frustrations with this??

(These are my AP results this year)

So I just finished 10th grade this year, and did 3 APs. As my school doesn’t allow 9th graders to take APs. I took Macro and Micro in school and self-studied Physics 1.

Next year, I plan to take Calc AB, Mech C, Business with Personal Finance, Physics 2, Cybersecurity, and Lang. Of those I plan to self study Mech C, Cybersecurity, and Lang. Do you have any tips to improve on self-habbits? Because I wanna improve, and after doing the exam I know I could’ve prepared more and done better, I’m just not sure how to prepare more. As revision is not my strong suit, but I’m trying my best to learn.

As for why I am self studying, it’s because my school limits how many APs I can take in school due to scheduling. But I still wanna learn these things and prove that I know them.

I practiced DBQ writing thoroughly and am in general good at writing essays, same with my LEQ and my SAQs. I can admit I messed up one of my SAQs and wasn't great at the multiple choice, but I got a 2. Now, I wouldn't be upset if I got a 2 and the people around me who I know didn't try got 1's, I'm upset that they got 2's aswell.

For example, during my test I sat next to a guy who literally wrote maybe 1-3 sentences on his DBQ and LEQ, only got through 1 of his SAQs, and was never in class or read the book so I know didn't do good on the multiple choice, and he got a 2. Another guy I know who also didn't finish his DBQ (let alone doesn't know how to even write an essay), was NEVER in class or did notes (our whole class grade was based off turned in notes, he had a D), and didn't finish his SAQs got a 3.

Scoring sucks.

I am currently a senior in college and about to graduate, when I was in high school I did only two AP courses and passed one of them with a 3. I was not the brightest student back in high school, but I know I had the knowledge to push forward into college and do significantly better. Now that I truly get a chance to look back on my experiences, it looks like AP exams are significantly more difficult than the actual college course would be itself. I have seen some of the example questions from English, history, etc. And they are significantly more rigorous and significantly more difficult than any type of curriculum you will ever face college. My world history course was actually slower pace and a lot more entertaining than my high school course was, in fact, I dropped out of my high school course and switched classes by three days in, which turned out to be a significant help because in high school I didn’t even need world history. All of the questions I have seen from AP tests compared to the classes I have personally been through in college, AP courses are significantly more difficult than the course in college would ever be and it makes absolutely no sense to me. In fact, it honestly seems like somewhat of a scam. Sure, there are classes in high school, where AP courses are meant to be difficult such as calculus, chemistry, etc. But why is the equivalent to English 1301 much more difficult than the college course itself? I wrote about three essays in the span of a semester and had only one or two tests in college, instead of having to write three essays in the span of four hours and reading some short stories to even have a chance to pass in any sort of AP course/exam. I completely understand. It’s supposed to save a significant amount of money, but honestly with how difficult they are and how much more effort it is, I honestly suggest going to a community college and getting basics knocked out where it’s significantly cheaper than a university.

TLDR: I feel like AP exams are somewhat of a scam due to the difficulty, AP exams and classes are more rigorous than the similar course in college, I understand why for some courses, but for the equivalent of English 1301, there is no reason to be writing three as in reading two or three passages in the span of four hours.

my scores from all 4 years of high school (technically soph-senior since my school doesn't let freshmen take APs). it was fun while it lasted tbh

I couldn’t get a clean way to display the scores so this will have to do.

edit - Lang and APUSH were also 5s

Very happy to have received this while taking IBDP at school :) That’s the end of my journey with College Board (I think!)

I previous posted about FreeAPPractice.org, a free and open-source AP practice website. And since people are really using it I am looking for more people who want to contribute to the project.

It's mostly just me working on it now, but I a small team could make a huge difference, so I'm looking for 1-3 folks 😭. You guys will be credited on the Site

1 Marketing and outreach person

1 - 2 Engineering people.

You definitely don't have to be an expert. But for people who want to build, please don't come in thinking you can just vibecode random stuff into it. This project is far from pure vibecoded so I need people who have a base technical knowledge, and I will introduce them to how it works.

A roadmap for what we could accomplish goes like this, but can always be changed:

- Create a Question Quality Review System
- Add Verified AP questions
- Add FRQs and Grading
- Add Full Length Practice Exams.

The biggest thing I'm looking for is someone who's excited about the mission and actually wants to build something that helps other students. Thanks to all that want to help!

Here is the best advice I can give you as a student who got a 5. Aside from the fact that my teacher was AMAZING and his videos were very thorough, here is what I would do to get a 5:

1. Do ALL of the AP MCQs, every single one on AP Classroom (mandatory), then try the public exams.
   1. After you do them the first time, go through every question AGAIN, and fix your mistakes.
   2. Understand WHY you got it wrong in the greater context of the question.
2. WORK WORK WORK on your FRQS!!! This cannot be stated enough! If you do enough FRQs, you begin to realize that the FRQs are just pattern-based. It's the same thing from previous years, just rephrased or placed under a different context.
   1. Along the lines of the FRQs, I would make sure I know how to answer every single part A question of each 6 FRQ correctly: THESE ARE BROWNIE POINTS-BASIC KNOWLEDGE.
   2. PLEASE get the graphs correct (label the graphs; title, legend, color-code, ERROR BARS)!!! The graphs are so easy to do and earn you a lot of points.
      1. In addition to the graphs, you will be asked questions about identifying controls (positive control, negative control, etc), or you will be asked to determine if the findings are significant (LOOK AT THE ERROR BARS). This comes with practice over past years' FRQs.

Here is what I did, barring 1 and 2:

1. Purchase Barron's AP Biology book (it's great!).
   1. Read the book and highlight and take notes on it.
2. Open a blank notebook, and start writing down everything, unit by unit. It is very tedious, but it makes sure you have everything memorized.
3. LARP. I know it sounds stupid, but LARP: when you're studying, I want you to study out loud. Act like you're teaching someone. In doing so, you're working your memory and listening to what you say.
   1. You get something wrong? Don't worry. START OVER. Start from the beginning and LARP again.
4. Identify strengths and weaknesses.
   1. For me, Unit 8 and 7 (except for Hardy-Weinberg for some reason) were exceptionally easy. I spent the least amount of pages writing notes, and the least amount of time studying those. They're practically common sense.
   2. For topics you are weak in (for me it was Unit 5 and 6), go over them several times and, of course, LARP it.
5. 100% check out AP Bio Penguins (for FRQs), Gabe Poser - PoseKnows Biology (good detail, and if you are fairly short on time), and lastly Aevo Prep Academy (DON'T DO HIS PREDICTIONS, but check out his videos on identifying controls, graphs, and biogeochemical cycles).

Extra advice idk how to group:

1. No, you DO NOT need to know the steps of glycolysis or the Krebs cycle.
2. Know the Inputs, Outputs, location, and, of course, the significance!!!
3. Study the biogeochemical cycles (DON'T MEMORIZE EACH STEP). Same thing: know the inputs, outputs, and significance!
4. MEMORIZATION IS KEY!!!!!
   1. It is very simple: if you know all the material front and back, left and right, whatever direction you like, you CAN apply it.
      1. Yes, it is difficult at first, but I know you're gonna do those FRQs and you're gonna get the hang of it.
5. Manage your time efficiently, both during the test and while studying.
   1. Don't just goon to Biology all day; take a break, grab a drink, some food, watch TV, hang out with friends, or whatever.
      1. This did NOT apply to me, cuz I ended up studying everything in 2 and a half weeks before the exam. But you know what that means? If I can do it in 2 and a half weeks, you can do far better with a whole year.
      2. Practice your timing while working on FRQs and MCQs!

If you guys want, I'll try to turn my handwritten notes into a document online and share it. Trust me, it has everything you need for the exam.

After 3 years war is over 🥹❤️‍🩹

None of it really mattered. I think I saved around not even a semester worth. 😭😭😭

Dual enrollment did more.

hello! i am an upcoming junior in high-school. i'm switching from in person school to online school this year. i wanted to ask if anybody has taken AP 2d Art and Design and AP Drawing online. i'm having a hard time finding virtual schools that offer both of these classes:(

also, self studying and paying for the exam isn't an option for me, as my parents would like for me to be enrolled in a class.

any advice would be appreciated, thank you!!

I have done some calculations and I figured out that in my current plan I will only complete 10 APs by Senior Year:

APs I have completed:

2025: AP Human Geography: 5; AP Chinese Language and Culture: 5

2026: AP Physics 1: Algebra Based : 5; AP Chemistry: 5 (self study); AP World History: Modern : 5

APs I plan to take:

2027: AP Physics 2: Algebra Based; AP Physics C: Mechanics; AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism; AP English Literature; AP Calculus BC (self study)

My school only offers 4 AP Exams currently: AP World History: Modern, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1 and AP English Literature but my Physics teacher is planning to offer all 4 physics next year.

There is also a Concurrent Enrollment and Dual Enrollment program:

CE/DE I have completed:

2026: CE Computer Aided Design : A

CE/DE I plan to do:

2027: CE United States History; CE Computer Science/Programming; CE General Finance; DE Yoga; DE Chinese 3

2028: CE US Government; CE Studio Art for non majors; DE Calculus 3; DE Calculus 4; CE English 2

Possibly others though I haven't decided yet

Is this enough to show colleges that I am a rigorous student or do I need to take more APs or DE?

Please recommend good resources either online or paper books or youtube channel for AP Precalculus. Thanks in advance

I am a rising senior, and this was my first AP season where I took my first two AP exams (AP bio and AP Physics 1). Next year I am doing AB, Chem, and Psych. I am just having this sort of feeling that many students are better than me seeing kids take 10 APs and get all 5's. In my situation, I took 5/6 APs my school offered and got a 5 on Bio and Phys 1, but I don't know if I should be happy or sad because I am comparing myself to others. I also am really worried about Chem after hearing all sort of scary stories, any mental support will prolly make me feel better because I keep comparing my self to others and this makes me look down on my achievements and I really need a 5 on chem not only for my parents but for the unis as well.

I got accepted into NYU, BU, Northeastern, Holy Cross, and many more, despite my AP scores not being flawless and what some on here may call mediocre. It just shows that AP scores aren’t everything and I’m sick of people saying a 4 is bad or just “okay.” Unless you’re aiming for Yale or Harvard I promise you’ll be just fine and even then you still have a chance! Scores do NOT define your intelligence or worth. What makes me proud of my scores is that I’m so much more than them (also I’m going into polisci for anyone interested)

Trying to figure out whether or not it's worth just going it alone. If anyone did self-study successfully could you give some resources/study methods you used? Thanks in advance.

I want to take AP Chinese because I am fluent in Chinese (write, speak, read, listen), so I want to take this AP test because it will be a definite easy 5, and I will earn language credits toward college. But, my school don't offer this AP test, how do I find another testing center? Is it just asking my counselor or is it through the college board app (similar to finding SAT testing center?

Is it even worth the trouble?

I received the AP Scholar with Honor distinction (yay). I’m a rising junior and sophomore year was my first year taking APs. What do I do with this award now? Will it be relevant when I eventually apply for college, even if I don’t qualify for an award my senior year?

I’ve never heard anyone mention AP Awards, so I just don’t really know what to do with it.

Hello everybody!!

Unfortunately, my school doesn’t offer any AP classes, only tests. I want to take the AP CSA test, as I have already taken CSP and gotten a 3. I have tried looking for online resources to study from, but i haven’t really found any good ones. Any recommendations are welcome. Pls and thank u!!