What is Advanced Placement Credit? A Guide for the AP Student

Any high school student has surely wondered, “What is advanced placement credit?” You may have even heard that you can also get college credit from them, which sounds like a great opportunity for an ambitious student. So how do these advanced placement courses work, and how can you get started?

What Is Advanced Placement?

Before you sign up for any advanced placement courses, you should probably know what they are exactly.

Advanced placement courses can be taken during high school, and are led by the College Board, who are also the people in charge of the SAT. These courses not only can get you college credits, but they can also help you qualify for more advanced courses once you enter college and begin your degree.

The goal of these advanced placement courses are to give you an introduction to what a college-level class will be like before you start your big journey. The credit you can get is an added bonus that often serves as a motivating factor for many students.

These advanced placement courses first came about in the 1950’s in response to the gap that was felt between high school and college. It became officially available on high school campuses in 1956, and today, nearly 3 million students take advanced placement exams annually in a total of 38 subjects.

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What is the Structure of an AP Class?

Advanced placement courses are offered in 38 different subjects. Each school or test center can decide which of the advanced placement courses will be offered. These courses tend to be at a college level and are offered to high school students, generally in the 11th or 12th grade, but sometimes to students in the 10th grade.

The registration for these advanced placement courses is open to all students, even to those that are not enrolled in a complete advanced placement program. Students can take as many or as little AP courses as they wish, as long as they are under the age of 21 years old, and that the courses do not interfere with their high school course requirements.

What is an AP Exam?

An advanced placement exam is required in order to pass the course and obtain the credit. These exams tend to last anywhere from 90 to 200 minutes, depending on the subject. The test is always given in traditional format with a paper and pencil, and varies between multiple-choice questions and a free-response section.

The Benefits Of Taking AP Classes

There are many benefits to taking advanced placement courses, which is why such a thing is offered to highly motivated students.

1. They Give Students Skills for College

The most obvious benefit of taking AP classes is that they give students skills for college. Taking college-level courses before actually entering college can help students come better prepared and know what to expect.

2. It Can Save On College Tuition Fees

Advanced placement courses offer college credit for those that have successfully passed the exam. What this means is that once the student enters college, they will have less courses to take, and will be able to save on college tuition fees. Each advanced placement exam cost $94, but that small investment will save you money in the long run!

3. They Can Help with College Applications

What better way to show a college how dedicated you are to your studies than take college-level classes while still in high school? Colleges love to see that students have challenged themselves and that they will be capable of handling the coursework about to come their way.

4. Proves a Real Passion

Taking advanced placement courses not only give students college credit, but they also prove a real passion for your subject of choice. This can both prove to yourself that you want to pursue a specific degree, and also to your college of choice that you are dedicated to this field. If you want to be an engineer, taking AP physics and math is a great start.

5. Provide College Credit

Saving money in college is great, but the credit that you can get goes far beyond just a financial saving. You’ll also be saving yourself time and energy in college, and you can perhaps spend that time to focus more on your other courses or even work a part-time job if your schedule permits.

6. The Standardization is Well Understood By Colleges

What’s great about advanced placement courses is that they are standardized. So if you take them, you don’t have to worry about the credit being accepted or understood. If you want to transfer colleges at any point, this standardization is also very useful and can help avoid any issues that may arise.

7. Can Help with Scholarships

If you are opting to get a scholarship, then taking AP courses is a great way to increase your chances and prove how worthy you are. It shows that you are a dedicated and serious student who is capable of succeeding in college.

What AP Courses are Offered at Colleges?

There are 38 different advanced placement courses offered at colleges, but it is up to each college to decide which they will offer.

The courses include (in alphabetical order):

1. AP Research
2. AP Seminar
3. Art History
4. Biology
5. Calculus AB
6. Calculus BC
7. Chemistry
8. Chinese Language and Culture
9. Computer Science
10. Computer Science Principles
11. English Language and Composition
12. English Literature and Composition
13. Environmental Science
14. European History
15. French Language and Culture
16. German Language and Culture
17. Government and Politics (Comparative)
18. Government and Politics (US)
19. Human Geography
20. Italian Language and Culture
21. Japanese Language and Culture
22. Latin
23. Macroeconomics
24. Microeconomics
25. Music Theory
26. Physics 1: Algebra-Based
27. Physics 2: Algebra-Based
28. Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
29. Physics C: Mechanics
30. Psychology
31. Spanish Language and Culture
32. Spanish Literature and Culture
33. Statistics
34. Studio Art Drawing
35. Studio Art 2-D Design
36. Studio Art 3-D Design
37. US History
38. World History (Modern)

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What AP Courses are Most Popular?

The most popular and commonly taken advanced placement courses include English Language and Composition (573,171 students took it in 2019), United States History (496,573 students), and English Literature and Composition (380,136 students).

What are the Average AP Passing Rates?

It can be helpful to know how many students on average pass each of these advanced placement tests before you decide which to take yourself. AP tests are given a score between 1 and 5. Any grade higher than 3 is considered to be a pass, which is equivalent to around 65% or more.

The courses with the highest passing rates are Studio Art Drawing (91.1%), Chinese Language and Culture (89.9%), and Spanish Language and Culture (88.7%).

The AP courses with the lowest passing rate (all around 49%) are Environmental Science, Human Geography, and Physics 1. This does not mean, however, that you should pass up these classes!

How To Take Advanced Placement Courses

You can sign up for advanced placement courses in the same way that you would for your standard high school classes.

It’s important to note that certain schools require that you take certain courses before taking advanced placement courses. If you’re not sure if there are any prerequisites, your school guidance counselor or advanced placement coordinator should be able to help you.

AP tests cost $94 each, although some schools offer subsidies, and if need be, you can receive help from the College Board with a reduction of $32. Compared to college course prices, this is a real bargain.

Which AP Courses Should You Take?

When it comes to which advanced placement courses you should take, that is completely up to you. Everyone has different interests and career goals.

Generally, however, you should aim to take a class that you are both passionate about, already successful in, and will help you in the long run with your degree. If you are hoping to study engineering, you are probably best off taking an AP physics class, for example.

How Many AP Courses Should You Take?

This is also a completely individual decision. For those highly motivated and ambitious students, it can be tempting to take as many classes as possible. But students must first make sure that they are capable of handling their high school courses, and that it works with their schedule. Taking too many advanced placement classes can also run the risk of hurting one’s academic performance.

How Does The Grading System Work?

Advanced placement exams are graded on a 5 point scale, which provides an idea to colleges how qualified you are to receive credit for their courses. Each college, however, can decide what scores it will count as credit.

How Does The Assessment Work?

Each of the 38 advanced placement exams have their own requirements, but in general most of these exams last anywhere from 2-3 hours, with the first part including multiple-choice questions with 4-5 options for answers. You don’t lose points for incorrect answers or answers that were left blank, with your exam score calculated based only on your number of correct answers.

The second part of the exam tends to have free-response questions that are usually to be written in essay form.

Things To Know About Advanced Placement Credit

Before you go ahead and sign up for advanced placement classes in the hopes of getting tons of college credit, there are few things worth noting. It’s important to know exactly what is advanced placement credit in order to make informed choices about which classes to take.

1. Each College Has Different Policies

Each college has different policies about how much credit an advanced placement course is worth. Just because you saw or heard something at one college, doesn’t mean that it will necessarily be true for the next. Be sure to check before you make any choices about advanced placement credit.

2. Scores Must Be Sent Independently

While it’s incredibly convenient that you can take these college-level courses in high school, this doesn’t mean that your high school will send your scores and take care of the entire process for you. Your scores from your advanced placement exams must be sent to colleges on your own. The college should notify you once they’ve received your scores or approved the credit.

3. Always Check In

When it comes to receiving advanced placement credit, it’s crucial that you check in on your status on a regular basis. This goes for anything, including if you’ve signed up for a class, make sure that it’s still available. If you haven’t heard back from the college, it’s up to you to reach out.

4. How Much Does An AP Class Cost?

Advanced placement courses are free of charge, but the exam (which is required to receive the credit) costs a standard, universal fee of $94. For those that are in financial need, there is a subsidized fee that reduces the cost to $32.

Who Should Take An AP Class?

Should you be taking advanced placement courses? Who are these classes best suited for?

1. Those Who Have Already Proven To Succeed

If you’ve already proven to be successful academically and are passing your high school classes without too much difficulty, then perhaps taking some higher-level courses would be a good idea for you.

But if you are struggling with your high school classes, advanced placement courses probably isn’t the best idea at the moment.

2. Those Who Are Already Skilled In The Topic

Even if you aren’t the top student in your class, but are highly skilled at a specific topic — such as art — you should consider taking an advanced placement course in the subject. It will only help you in the long-run.

3. A Student With Extra Time

A student who is overloaded with work and extracurricular activities is not the ideal candidate for advanced placement courses. These classes are time consuming and are outside of the standard high school schedule. Only a student who truly feels that they have extra time to invest should take these classes.

4. An Already Impressive GPA

Students with an already impressive GPA should consider taking these college-level classes, as it will give them an extra challenge and help them grow. But those who are struggling with their grades are better off avoiding such courses (for now, at least) since a low grade in a challenging class could affect their GPA.

What Now?

Now that you’re an expert on advanced placement courses, you’re ready to carefully decide what’s right for you, and pass them with flying colors if you decide to take this path! You might even be able to give an advanced placement course yourself on ‘what is advanced placement credit’, but for now, that’s not part of the 38 available subjects.