Advanced Placement Program

Advanced Placement (AP) is an American program that offers high school students the opportunity to receive college credit. The College Board, which runs the program, tests the students at the end of the year to determine whether they have done college-level work. AP tests are demanding and may involve multiple choice questions as well as several essays, depending on the subject. They are scored on a scale of one to five. Though a three is considered passing, most colleges require at least a four to give a student credit; some require a score of five. However, some colleges will only waive pre-requisites -- or not give credit at all. Many schools take them into account when deciding which students to accept.

Many high schools offer AP courses, and although it is not necessary to have taken an AP class, it does help students pass the tests. Unlike SAT or ACT prep classes, AP classes are a typical year-long high school course, just at a college level. AP courses tend to be writing-intensive in order to prepare students for the essays.

The College Board offers AP exams in the following subject areas:

• Art History
• Biology
• Calculus (AB and BC are separate)
• Chemistry
• Computer Science (A and AB are separate)
• English Language
• English Literature
• Environmental Science
• European History
• French
• German
• Government, US
• Government, Comparative
• Human Geography
• Latin
• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics
• Music Theory
• Physics
• Psychology
• Spanish
• Statistics
• Studio Art
• US History
• World History

External Link

• The College Board's AP website