With regard to AP tests, the tests are graded on a 5 point scale, 5 being the highest, and 3 generally considered a “passing” grade. So as for what is best, 5 is best. But your personal best may be something different. Also, keep in mind that just because you get an A in an AP course does not mean that you will necessarily pass the AP exam. Some schools have policies that require teachers to grade classwork in a way that reflects an anticipated AP exam score; others do not.

I hope this is helpful. Best of luck to you!

I am a high school senior,and i am wondering;whether colleges look at your G.P.A for junior and senior year,or, all 4 years.What grade in AP iss the best grade to make.

Those that do, however, are looking for ways to increase the academic rigor of their course offerings, and to provide college level instruction and learning while in HS. As I have written, just because a course is labeled “AP” does not mean that it is rigorous, or that the teacher is well-prepared to deliver the content, or that you will perform well on the end-of-course AP exams. But success in an AP course–and on the exam–does demonstrate that you are able to perform at a high level in comparison with your peers around the country who are taking the same exam.

Again, if your school does not offer AP courses, you need not fret.

Best of luck, and thanks for visiting my blog!

Your daughter sounds like a great kid. She needs to focus on colleges that will value her for who she is, for her many strengths, and that will provide her with a rich, challenging, and exciting undergraduate experience. The scores and GPA are competitive credentials. Although she passed her AP exams, a scores of three is not as competitive as 5. A 3.25 unweighted GPA is not as competitive as a 3.89 unweighted GPA. A combined SAT of 1900 is not as competitive as a 2100.

Scores are scores, grades are grades, and colleges with a surplus of applicants for the number of places in the freshman class can afford to be choosy about those scores and grades. But that doesn’t mean–for one minute–that your daughter will not have a shot at an excellent education at a school that suits her well.

If I were counseling her, I would be focusing in on the qualitative aspects of her college choice more than on the quantitative aspects. I would want to learn more about her as a person–her values, her personality, her interest, her talents–and then recommend colleges that suit her qualitatively. While it’s true that the quantitative aspects of her application may limit a few of her choices, there is no reason to believe that she has to make qualitative compromises.

I’d be happy to try to help your daughter find the schools that best match her interests, abilities, and aspirations.

All the best!

Now her guidance counsellor is guiding her college wish list down because the AP strain last year drained away study time from the regular honors classes,and hammered her GPA.

She’s a wonderful, mature kid who is active in team sports and community service. What say you, do we back away from a shot at Cornell and Washington St.Louis? She would like to go to a college with an academically ambitious freshman class. How do you approach the college search when the results are fairly good but a little short for selective schools?

Thanks for your comments and questions.

Let me start off by saying that your issues are not uncommon: families are trying to figure out how to pay for college, and you are learning that the strategies are complex and sometimes seem to lead in opposite directions. I work with a number of families in your situation who find it worthwhile to invest in some good, solid advice up front so that they can save considerable amounts of money on college tuition bills.

Generally speaking, your son should take hard courses and get a good education. That said, I hear your struggle in trying to balance how he will look as an applicant. You know that GPA counts. But academic rigor also counts.

If you were my client, I would want to investigate the reasons for which your son received a B in the AP class and only a 1 on the test. I have many questions your school and the preparation of the teachers to deliver this demanding curriculum.

I would also want to understand the elements of his 3.6 GPA. How much of that reflects his performance in core academic subjects, and how much is carried by good grades in gym, art, choir, and other fluffy electives.

With regard to academic scholarships, everything depends on how well your son does moving forward (so his first responsibility to himself and to his parents is to get the best grades possible in the toughest courses possible), as well as on the school he chooses. A good match will yield more merit and need-based aid than a poor match.

This is the value of an educational consultant: we can help you develop a strategy that works. For example, I had a client in the last cycle in which the parents were both out of work, had cashed out their retirement accounts, and were living on fumes, it seemed. However, they scraped the money together to hire me. I was able to help their daughter not only get into the small liberal arts college that she had dreamed of for years, but I was able to help her get scholarships and need based aid so that she is paying only $3000 per year out of pocket for an education with a list price of nearly $50,000 per year. It was all about the match.

Whether or not you explore the possibility of hiring me, know that “dumbing down” your son’s curriculum will no help him in the long run. It is all about college preparedness. He needs to be ready to perform at the college level, and if he takes easier courses, he will be less prepared (and therefore more likely to become a college drop-out: only about 50% of students who start a four-year college actually complete their degree within six years).

I hope this is somewhat helpful. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.