What is “AP*”?

The letters “AP” stand for Advanced Placement. Courses that have AP in the title are high school-level courses that have…

• The level of difficulty of a first-year college course, with content that is rigorous and extensive in its subject area
• Content that has been outlined by the College Board, so that it meets a standard of excellence and has gone through an approval process by the College Board, for its AP designation
• The opportunity for students to take an exam provided by the College Board in May of each year, to gain a score that can be submitted to a college; each college has the ability to give your student college credit for an AP score, per the college’s AP credit policy.

Who takes AP courses?

Most students who take AP courses are juniors and seniors in high school. However, younger students can also take a course, if they are ready. Individuals who are older than 18 can take an AP course—including adults. 

If you want to check out course content to see if your student is ready to take a specific course, then go here. If after reading a course description, you still have questions regarding course content and your student’s readiness, simply call us at 540-338-8290, and we’ll get you what you need to decide well.

How does the scoring of the exams work?

Final AP scores range from 1 (low) to 5 (high). To read about how AP exams are scored, go here.

What is the process for a course to be designated “AP”?

Before an AP course is offered by a school, it must go through—and pass—a course audit. “The AP Course Audit was created at the request of both secondary school and college members of the College Board [to give AP teachers and administrators] clear guidelines on curricular and resource requirements that must be in place for AP courses….All schools who want the label ‘AP’ on a course must submit the subject-specific AP Course Audit form and the course syllabus for each teacher of that AP course” (see this page for the reference and more information).  Therefore, AP courses have a certain quality as shown by their AP designation.

What colleges and universities accept scores from AP exams?

Specific college admissions offices can tell you their policies regarding AP score acceptance. We recommend that you go to a specific college or university website, or call its admissions office, for specific details. The College Board website has a tool where you can look up AP credit policies for individual colleges; go here to access the College Board site’s tool, to find the college you’re interested in.

Why should my student take an AP course? 
AP courses have many benefits for you and your student. Click here now to read The Top 10 Reasons Your Teen Needs to Take an AP Course.