I recently spoke about the current state of standardized testing in a webinar for a specialized high school in Manhattan. While it’s always been important for parents and applicants to know the lay of the testing land, right now testing expertise is more important than ever. In addition to a rise in the number of schools who are Test Optional, and the decline of the SAT and ACT essays and of colleges requiring SAT Subject Tests, we now have an ever-changing college admissions landscape due to COVID-19. And some of these changes have culminated in policy changes: the permanent cancellation of the SAT essay and Subject Tests.
But there was one question that came up over and over again that I haven’t yet addressed here, and it’s this:
Will AP Exams take the place of SAT II Subject Tests?
Now that the College Board has discontinued SAT 2s, will AP Exams be the new subject tests?
Obviously, I cannot speak for each college and its admissions policies. But I CAN show you the situation as it stands, the general trends, and what I think will happen…and I can also offer therefore, what YOU can do to move forward with confidence and a lot less stress! So let me walk you through it.
Before SAT 2 Subject Tests were cancelled, fewer and fewer colleges required them.
It used to be that 5 or 10 years ago, most of my top-performing juniors would take a couple months at the end of the school year to study for 2-3 Subject Tests, like Literature or Math Level 2. Many elite universities, like the Ivies, required (or “strongly recommended”) the tests to even apply!
Now, as I mentioned months ago in an article about the decline of SAT II Subject Tests, fewer and fewer colleges and universities have been requiring them in recent years. It finally reached a point where NO college in the US required them for admissions anymore—certain institutions would consider them if you sent your scores, sure, but the tests were no longer a hurdle to applying.
In light of this long-term trend of fewer and fewer colleges even requiring SAT II Subject Tests, it makes complete sense to me that the College Board—the company that owns and operates the SAT, APs, PSAT, and SAT II Subject Tests—would discontinue the part of its portfolio that fewer and fewer students were using, anyway. I mean, from a completely business standpoint, why have a product— a series of tests that takes money to create and administer and score—if no one is using it anymore?
But this also brings me to another important fact…
College applications in general have been requiring fewer standardized tests, period.
In part driven by the trend of more holistic admissions, and then exacerbated by the pandemic and testing cancellations, more and more colleges and universities have been going test optional in recent years. A few have even gone Test Blind (or “Test Free”). (Here’s an article about what Test Optional and Test Blind even mean.
Some of these are permanent policy changes, and those colleges will be Test Optional forever more. However, hundreds of higher educational institutions are only being temporarily more lenient with testing in light of Coronavirus, and they’ll be back to normal once our world is slightly more back to normal. (And other colleges, still, are NOT being more lenient!)
And if you look at the trend of the essay or writing component of the SAT or ACT, this same rule applies: over the past five years, I’ve seen a huge change between most colleges requiring them, to some colleges requiring them, to virtually no colleges requiring the essays.
So, if the trend is that fewer and fewer standardized tests are being required for admissions…why would APs be required to apply to college now?
So far, it appears like most colleges are streamlining their admissions process for applicants…NOT making them more complicated. Several still want test scores! But the ones that do are making it simpler: just the four multiple-choice sections of the SAT or ACT, no essay, no Subject Tests.
Advanced Placement tests have always been a welcomed addition to any college application, because they show mastery of specific college-level subjects taught in school. AP exams test actual knowledge, not just generalized aptitude. Several colleges will even give you college credit for high scores!
Because of this, high scores (4s and 5s) on AP exams always strengthen an application and validate the grades on a transcript. That said, the grades on your transcript and the difficulty of the classes you chose to take (your “academic rigor”) count above all else!
But will AP exams all of a sudden “be required” to apply to college?
My answer is simply this: no.
And also…as with all “not required” things in a college application, every little bit you can comfortably contribute will help you get in!
So while APs are NOT about to be required for college applications, they MAY have just gotten a little more important.
So what does this mean for YOU?
Simply this: as always, try to take the most challenging academic courses offered to you at your high school. In addition to taking the most challenging courses you can take (without losing your mind!), do well in them! Apply yourself! Get the highest possible grades you can earn.
THOSE are the most important things you can do to get into your dream schools. Period!
And if you’re following my advice, that probably means you’re going to take some or even several AP classes. If you do, go ahead and take the AP exams for them, too. Prove you really learned the material and that the high grades you earned in the class weren’t just because you had an easy teacher. It’ll just add more “evidence” to your application that you’re the academic rockstar you say you are!
What if I don’t have AP classes at my high school? Do I still need to take AP exams to get into college?
Well, you never “need” to take an AP exam—they likely won’t be required for your college applications.
If you take an AP class, it looks good to also take and perform well on the corresponding AP exam. (And if you bomb one of your AP’s, you can just withhold that AP score from your colleges!)
If your high school DOESN’T offer AP’s, though, you don’t have to rush out and try to take them anyway. I mean, is it technically possible to take the AP exam without taking the AP class? Sure! But might you have better ways to demonstrate your academic prowess? Absolutely, yes!
In fact, other than your grades in rigorous classes, the next best thing to show off your smarts to colleges are: the SAT and ACT!
And that’s true even if your dream college is test optional.
So, I hope I helped put AP Exams into perspective for you, especially in light of all the recent admissions changes.
High AP scores are fantastic to have. But they’re not required parts of your college application—and they’re not about to be required, either! So if they’re not for you, they’re not for you…turn your attention to the parts of your application that WILL show you off to your best advantage.
If you DO want to be more proactive to show your college list you’re ready for them, and need help scoring at the top of the SAT or ACT, I’m here for you! Need help determining if the SAT or ACT is right for you? Then this cheat sheet is for you!. And if you want elite private tutoring to get you a score that can get you in—without losing your mind in the process—then come work with me.
