Advanced Placement (AP) classes are a popular choice among students as a way of showing colleges they challenged themselves throughout high school. 

Unfortunately, many of these students dive in headfirst without much thought other than the benefits they provide.

In this article, you will develop a realistic expectation of AP classes and decide whether they are right for you.

#1: Only take AP classes when you are ready

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Each AP class will be a major commitment so be certain that you have the time, preparation, motivation, and competency needed to succeed in the class AND AP exam.

And only take as many AP classes as you can handle at one time. The goal is to get at least a B in the class and a 3 on the exam (ideally an A and a 5, respectively).

#2: Don’t take AP classes because you feel pressured

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Some common reasons students list for wanting to take AP classes include pressure from parents or wanting to spend time with friends.

While these feelings are normal, it is important to also have intrinsic motivations, such as a genuine interest in learning the material, given that AP classes will be a major undertaking.

Extrinsic motivations (e.g., pressure from parents), on the other hand, will shatter at the slightest pressure when classes become more difficult and test your resolve so make sure YOU want to take the class (or consider a different AP that aligns with your interests).

#3: The curriculum is designed to maximize student pass rate on the AP exam

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AP classes follow a curriculum that “teaches to the test” or prioritizes passing the AP exam over deep learning and mastery of the subject.

As a result, many of these students who do well on the AP exam typically demonstrate a limited understanding of real-world applications beyond parroting facts they learned from the class.

“An AP class is a generic curriculum taught by high school teachers… where the goal is to do well on a standardized test,” according to InsideHigherEd.

Want to try an experiment? Ask any college student who scored a 5 on an AP exam and see if they can solve rudimentary problems in that subject (odds are they won’t be able to).

However, this does not mean AP classes, as a whole, are a flawed enterprise. Yes, you will mostly be learning material that will be on the AP exam but you will also grow as a scholar.

#4: AP classes don’t necessarily prepare you for college

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While AP classes are designed to replicate college general education (GE) courses, there is a lack of consistency in the way these classes are taught at high schools.

If you’ve taken AP classes before then you will notice some classes are graded leniently with minimal effort on your part to get an A while others may be harder than actual college courses.

Pair this with the fact that the curriculum is focused on maximizing student pass rate on the AP exam, one can understand why these classes do not necessarily prepare students for college.

To further complicate matters, routines and approaches that may be acceptable and/or successful in high school may not be in college, which often surprises unprepared college freshmen. 

“[I]n my experience, at least the [AP] history courses absolutely do not prepare students for the types of reading and writing that will be expected from them in college,” wrote one Quora user who is a Graduate Assistant.

She goes on to write, “My students hand in essays that look a lot like the document-based question essays that they were taught to write in those [AP] classes, and in most cases, the work that they give me would have scored very well if it was conducted in that [high school] setting and with that expectation. But it’s not. And most of them find it very frustrating to have worked hard at being very good at those essays and then to be told that they aren’t doing it right anymore.”

This observation also extends to exam preparation – high school note-taking, time management, and study skills will not work in college!

#5: Some students who enter college with sophomore standing struggle in higher-level classes

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While it is possible to shave off a year of classes and enter college with sophomore standing, some of these students struggle to keep up with the breadth and depth of material covered in those higher-level courses.

Some students find it more beneficial to start with college introductory courses and work their way up to more advanced ones rather than skipping them entirely via AP credits. 

This approach is helpful since it would give you enough time to mature, adjust to the college environment, and develop better skills (i.e., note-taking, study strategies, reading ability). 

#6: Don’t expect AP classes to help you graduate earlier or save a ton of money

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Don’t expect your AP classes to save you a significant amount of time or money in college. 

In most cases, the best-case scenario is being able to test out of a few classes or earn enough credits to shave off a semester (maybe two).

Here’s a perfect anecdote:

“I went in with twelve AP exams, all 4s and 5s. I got out of my chemistry gen ed requirement… and was placed in 300-level math and Spanish classes. I also got credit for one semester of music theory. That was it. I didn’t have to take any fewer classes than my peers did, I just took classes with a higher course number. And at my college, we didn’t pay per credit hour, we just paid a flat tuition rate, so they did not save me anything at all,” wrote one Quora user.

There are a few reasons why this is the case. 

First, some colleges don’t accept AP scores at all and most will cap how much credit they will give you (keep in mind that colleges operate like a business!).

Colleges will have at least one of these AP policies:

1. Not accept AP scores at all (few elite colleges)
2. Restrict how many credits they will give you (most common)
3. Give credits for certain classes (i.e., general education/introductory courses)
4. Give you full/partial credits based on your score
5. Grant advanced placement (test out of courses)

This is why every student should use the AP Credit Policy Search tool before they take AP classes so they know whether a certain college will accept those scores.

Another reason has to do with how college degree requirements are structured. Generally speaking, you must satisfy the general education (GE), major (lower/upper division), and credit hour (electives) requirements.

Note: Many colleges will also require X amount of credits to be completed on their campus (as I said earlier, they have to make money somehow).

In many instances, however, the credits you earn from AP classes only go towards GE or lower-division courses, but not the number of credit hours you need to qualify for graduation.

“AP classes can get you out of a lot of required courses… Here’s the catch. In most schools, you are still required to complete a certain number of credit hours at the university itself to get a degree, and although an AP course can satisfy distribution requirements (e.g., your “English literature” requirement), they typically don’t satisfy your credit hour requirements,” wrote another Quora user who is a professor.

#7: Public institutions are more likely than private institutions to honor AP credits

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This bears repeating – every college has different policies regarding AP scores so use the AP Credit Policy Search tool.

But a good rule of thumb is public universities (ex: UC System) tend to have a more favorable policy towards AP scores than private universities.

“I have found that public universities are more accepting of AP and dual credit courses for credit than private universities,” says education consultant Jolyn Brand.

#8: You may not receive AP credit if the college equivalent course is not a degree requirement

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Let’s say you were accepted into college as a psychology major and passed the AP Calc BC exam.

If calculus is not a requirement for that major (GE or lower/upper division) then you may not be able to apply those credits. 

In cases like this one, your best bet would be determining whether you can apply them to your credit hours instead (reach out to the admissions office to find out).

#9: AP classes will backfire if you don’t pass the AP exam

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Students take AP classes for a few reasons and a primary one is to impress colleges.

However, if you take them prematurely without the proper experience or preparation, this will likely affect your performance in the class and ultimately the AP exam.

If you fall short on the exam, it can undermine your efforts to communicate to colleges that you are ready and have the skills necessary to succeed in a college environment.

Tip: Though not a common practice, students have the option to retake an AP exam the following year.

Of course, you aren’t expected to get a 5 on every single AP exam but you must score at least a 3 (ideally a 4) to show you know the material enough for it to be considered impressive.

#10: There are other ways to impress colleges besides APs

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I want to emphasize that AP classes are not the only way you can impress colleges nor is it the best since so many applicants at competitive colleges will already have a handful under their belts.

Extracurriculars and dual enrollment (in combination with honors classes) are great alternatives because they are more personal and are similarly challenging.

Related: Click here to learn about dual enrollment and how to find the right extracurriculars or passion projects for you.