How many APs should I take in 12th grade?
For Highly Competitive Colleges and Universities
When applying to some of the top schools, students sometimes take seven, eight, or even up to 12 AP courses during their time in high school. Selective state schools might also prefer applicants with 4-6 AP classes.
An Ivy League hopeful might take 3 to 5(!) AP classes, while if you're aiming for less-selective schools, 2 or 3 would be enough. (This truly is the most important year to take the most rigorous classes that you can AND do well in them!!)
Take as many as you can handle without spreading yourself thin, and make sure you will have time to study for the ACT or SAT this year. An Ivy League hopeful might take 3 to 5 AP classes, while if you're aiming for less-selective schools, 2 to 4 would be enough.
Unless you're applying to the most selective universities, 4 to 5 AP courses over your high school years is more than enough. For students applying to the most selective colleges, you might need 7–12.
Aim for four to eight AP exams in your junior and senior years. For competitive Ivy League schools, admission officers also want to see AP courses for core subject areas and additional courses. If possible, aim to pass about seven to 12 AP exams if applying to these highly selective schools.
To be competitive at some of the most highly selective colleges in the country, 8-12 AP courses may be the sweet spot amount, assuming the student can handle that level of rigor. There are no colleges out there that require you to take 14, 17, or some other obscene number of Advanced Placement offerings.
Junior Year
Depending on what kind of school you want to go to, you should be taking between 3 and 5 AP® classes this year. You will need to manage your time well, however, as you also need to study for the SAT® or ACT® during this time.
You can definitely take 5 APs, but just make sure to stay on top of your work and spend a good amount of time studying to make sure you know the material.
While honors courses usually add 0.5 points to your GPA, AP classes often add 1 point. In other words, a 3.5 GPA would be boosted to a 4.0 in an honors class and a 4.5 in an AP class.
What is the easiest AP class? AP Computer Science Principles is rated as the easiest AP class by real AP class alumnae, with an average difficulty rating of just 2.8 / 10 (1 = easiest), and the 2022 pass rate of 69% is about average.
How many APs does the average student take?
If that answer isn't fully satisfying, here is a look at the average number of APs students tend to take over the course of their high school years, broken down by college selectivity: Selective schools: around 7–12 APs. Semi-selective schools: 4–8 APs. Less selective schools: 1–5 APs.
The lowest minimum APS is 18, and the highest minimum is 24 with Maths or 25 with Maths Literacy. To find out the minimum APS requirements for each specific course, you can look at the TUT Course Information page for more detailed information.
Incoming students who have taken AP exams need a total of 32 credits to be eligible for Advanced Standing. Credits are earned by scoring 5 on a minimum of four AP exams. Harvard confers 4 or 8 credits for eac eligible AP exam depending on whether the exam covers one semester or one full year's worth of material.
Colleges like them both. Both honors and AP courses are rigorous courses that most high schools weight more heavily on your transcript. AP courses, however, culminate in the AP Exam. Good AP scores show colleges you are ready to succeed at college-level work and can even earn you college credits.
If your goal is to get accepted into an Ivy/Elite/1st Tier Liberal Arts College, then 5-6 APs is on the low side. Most successful admits have 8-12 APs, probably 9-10 is the average and norm.
Many competitive applicants at top universities take anywhere from 7 – 12 AP classes throughout high school. In fact, some universities even require students to take multiple AP classes in order for any of them to count as college credit.
Senior APs do count. Colleges look at your senior courses to see that youre still taking challenging courses and your grades in your midyear report. If you take a lot, it won't necessarily make up for previous years. Don't take too many and overwhelm yourself but find a balance that works for you.
17 APS (Higher Certificate Pass)
This is one NQF Level above a Matric Certificate (One qualification higher). Courses you can study with an APS score of 17 are: Short Courses. Higher Certificate ICB Courses.
Your AP course load should be dictated by the answers to these questions: -If your school over 20+ APs , then taking 1/2 of them is not too much. If your school only offers 6, then take 6. -If the best students at your school typically take 10-12, then you are in the right zone.
| AP Class/Exam | Pass Rate (3+) | Perfect Score (5) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Physics 1 | 51.6% | 8.8% |
| 2. Environmental Science | 53.4% | 11.9% |
| 3. Chemistry | 56.1% | 10.6% |
| 4. U.S. Government and Politics | 57.5% | 15.5% |
Can you get into college with no APs?
You don't need to take AP courses to get into a good school, but they may help you stand out among peers with similar transcripts when getting into college.
By and large, AP classes are worth it. While they take additional energy (and potentially a small financial investment for exam fees), your student could earn college credit while they are in high school. If your student gets the right scores, the test fee could save them hundreds or thousands of dollars.
It's a good idea to take two to four AP classes junior year, but students should be careful to not spread themselves too thin. It's important to keep in mind Wisconsin high school students take the SAT & ACT in their junior year.
How Many AP Classes to Take for Ivy Leagues and Other Top Schools in the US. For students aiming for the Ivy League and Top 20 schools in the United States, a good target is to take (and pass) 10-14 AP classes throughout your high school career — or 3-4 each year.
AP classes can boost your GPA and strengthen your college application. But the number of advanced courses you choose to take should depend on your academic interests and your schedule.
7 Honors per 1 AP in terms of rigor which means you roughly have 20 APs which is a really really good. Having 20 APs and a near 4.0gpa at all non ivy+ schools (ivies Stanford rice WashU duke etc) you are highly likely to be top25%.
AP classes, however, are more challenging than honors classes. These courses cover information, teach skills and give assignments that correspond to college classes. High school students taking AP courses will be held to the same standard as college students.
Many competitive applicants at top universities take anywhere from 7 – 12 AP classes throughout high school. In fact, some universities even require students to take multiple AP classes in order for any of them to count as college credit.
Senior APs do count. Colleges look at your senior courses to see that youre still taking challenging courses and your grades in your midyear report. If you take a lot, it won't necessarily make up for previous years. Don't take too many and overwhelm yourself but find a balance that works for you.
Depending on what kind of school you want to go to, you should be taking between 3 and 5 AP® classes this year. You will need to manage your time well, however, as you also need to study for the SAT® or ACT® during this time.
How is APs useful to grade 12 learners?
An Admission Point Score (APS) is very important for matriculants. This is because they need a certain APS score to gain admission into a university or a course. They can do this by ensuring that they gain good marks for all the subjects that they do.
- Physics 1. 51.6% 8.8%
- Environmental Science. 53.4% 11.9%
- Chemistry. 56.1% 10.6%
- U.S. Government and Politics. 57.5% 15.5%
- U.S. History. 58.7% 13.0%
- Human Geography. 59.0% 11.8%
- European History. 59.3% 13.7%
- Statistics. 60.0% 16.2%
Incoming students who have taken AP exams need a total of 32 credits to be eligible for Advanced Standing. Credits are earned by scoring 5 on a minimum of four AP exams. Harvard confers 4 or 8 credits for eac eligible AP exam depending on whether the exam covers one semester or one full year's worth of material.
Will Colleges Look at AP Scores for Admissions? Typically, AP scores don't go on your college application. Because they don't count towards your GPA or become a part of your transcript, there isn't actually any place on the application where they are required.
Most of the time, it is up to you whether a college will look at your AP exam scores during the admissions process. The vast majority of colleges do not require that you submit your scores at the time of application. If you scored a 4 or 5 on all of your AP exams then by all means self-report.
Students looking to earn admission to highly selective colleges should take multiple AP classes to bolster their applications and demonstrate they can handle challenging coursework. Some college admissions experts recommend taking as many as 7-12 AP courses before applying to the most elite universities.
- Physics C: Mechanics. 84.3% 41.6%
- Calculus BC. 81.6% 44.6%
- Spanish Literature. 75.1% 17.6%
- Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. 74.4% 40.4%
- Physics 2. 73.3% 14.0%
- Computer Science Principles. 71.6% 10.9%
- Psychology. 71.3% 22.4%
- Computer Science A. 70.4% 25.6%
Your AP course load should be dictated by the answers to these questions: -If your school over 20+ APs , then taking 1/2 of them is not too much. If your school only offers 6, then take 6. -If the best students at your school typically take 10-12, then you are in the right zone.
If that answer isn't fully satisfying, here is a look at the average number of APs students tend to take over the course of their high school years, broken down by college selectivity: Selective schools: around 7–12 APs. Semi-selective schools: 4–8 APs. Less selective schools: 1–5 APs.
- Short Courses.
- Higher Certificate ICB Courses.
- Higher Certificate NATED Courses.
- Diploma Courses.
What can I study with 14 aps?
...
ICB Courses
- Business Management.
- Financial Accounting.
- Office Administration (requires APS14, as this course requires Matric or a Matric Equivalent)