Scarsdale

Frequently Asked Questions about Advanced Placement (AP) Exams 

What are AP Exams?

Advanced Placement (AP) exams are offered by the College Board, and are administered at Scarsdale High School. Administration occurs over a two week period in early/mid May, and respective exams must be administered on specific dates during that time.

How are AP Exams scored?

AP Exams are scored on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest possible score. According to the College Board, nearly 60% of exam takers earn a score of a '3' or higher.

Do colleges require AP Exams for admissions?

For students applying to colleges and universities in the United States, AP Exams are NOT a required component of a student's admission file (Please note that they are required for some International institutions.)

What are the benefits of AP Exams?

Many colleges do allow students to earn college credit through AP exams, while some will not accept AP scores for credit. As always, students should check with the individual school for their specific AP requirements. This link provides an initial search, although we strongly encourage students to examine school specific websites directly, as there are often nuances to their policies.

Generally speaking (when allowed by the institution), AP scores can be used to obtain credits that may be used to fulfill core requirements. For some students, this may mean having a lighter academic courseload during a given semester.

Please note that at some institutions, the required score may NOT be used for credit but rather for course advancement (i.e. taking a more advanced course instead of the introductory one).

I know peers at other schools who take AP Exams. Am I at a disadvantage if I don’t take them?

One could argue that for a student who applies from a high school that is not as competitive as Scarsdale, a strong AP score may provide an admissions officer with a greater degree of confidence regarding a specific course they completed. That is not the case for our students, who graduate from a highly regarded school and one where in any given year, the vast majority of our graduates enter a post secondary institution. And institutions recognize that our students are usually successful given a long history of achievement once they are enrolled. The majority of our students who decide to test do so at the conclusion of the admissions process (in early April of Senior year), once they see the value that a particular exam would confer at their intended college with respect to credits earned or other benefits.

At a certain point, admissions officers recognize that a student has challenged themselves at their high school, and is capable of a successful academic experience at the institution they are applying to. The admissions process, especially at highly selective institutions, moves very quickly to those institutional priorities that would enhance their specific community. Lay people might be very surprised to learn that at the end of the day, admissions committees are not deliberating on whether or not a student has submitted AP scores, the number of AP Exams they took as compared to others, or that their SAT or ACT scores are slightly higher or lower than another student (or even submitted at all). Rather, they are often having conversations regarding those students who possess qualities that make them of particular interest at the school, or who will be good human beings and roommates in their community. Simply put, at highly selective colleges and universities the admissions process is much more art than science, and is often nuanced in a manner that is not comfortably aligned with data, statistics, and our human need to figure out a magical metric or test that will provide the proverbial keys to the kingdom.

What if I’m interested in applying to an international university?

It is true that for students who apply to some international schools, AP Exams may play a role, and those are part of the discussions for students who are appropriately matched with highly selective schools abroad. It is also true that we often have conversations with students about their individual needs, and there are cases where taking an exam would make sense. Still, with respect to the admissions process, the vast majority of students would benefit from devoting their time and energy on other things than additional exams, and we continue to believe that a thoughtful approach that recognizes the overall context of an individual student’s school experience should always be at the forefront of these decisions.

As with any other academic decision, we strongly encourage students to communicate with their respective teacher(s) and/or Dean. Whether or not students take an exam should be considered in light of their overall school and extracurricular commitments, and in the case of seniors, their intended post-secondary destination. As always, we are here to answer any questions and to support you moving forward.