July 7th was the “big day” for students who took the Advanced Placement exams this past May – scores are posted. Based on a grade scale of 1-5, students earning at least a 3 are typically awarded college credit. What about those who only scored a 2? Here’s a recovery plan that allows you to STILL walk away with college credit.
Advanced Placement students have often logged an enormous number of study hours, typically well above the standard expected in a typical high school class. But even with the extra work, students who don’t pull a 3 or higher often don’t receive the benefits of college credit. In contrast, students who took the same course for dual enrollment often will receive college credit, and without the pressure of the entire decision hanging on one big exam.
Earning a 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement exam isn’t always simply a matter of whether the student knows the material. AP exams require written responses for almost every question. Students who know the “facts” of the exam may still struggle with earning a high score if they struggle to articulate those ideas in their written form. The mere format of this exam poses exceptional challenges for students who are very bright. The AP exam takes place in a group setting with strangers, at a school that the student may not attend, requires a timed essay and short answer responses, uses the physical form of a pen and pencil while many students are more comfortable typing, and requires mastery of grammar and penmanship.
All AP scores are calculated and cataloged each year by The College Board. We know that in any given year, depending on the exam, roughly 30% – 40% of all test-takers will NOT earn a high enough AP score to qualify for college credit!
We know that about 5 million AP exams were attempted last year, so based on The College Board’s own data, there are about 1.75 million students who have put in the hard work and are walking away with nothing.
Plan B: CLEP Strategy
Students who scored at least a 2 should take the CLEP exam if available (see chart). Chances are excellent that they already possess sufficient knowledge to pass the CLEP – in a few cases, they’ve already studied for two exams.
While there is not a “matching” CLEP exam for every AP subject, if the subject is available, your student can complete a very short test review program (free) using Modern States, and will receive a voucher to attempt the CLEP exam for free! CLEP is $93 if you don’t want to wait to get the voucher. Passing the CLEP exam may allow them to earn college credit that was previously considered lost. About half of all accredited colleges will award college credit for a passed CLEP exam, it’s worth getting even if you’re not sure that you’ll use it.
Note: you can’t get “extra” credit- if your teen’s AP score is high enough to receive college credit, the college won’t give you “extra” credit for also passing the CLEP.
| You scored a 2 on this AP exam… | You can probably pass this CLEP exam(s) |
| AP Art History or AP Music Theory | Humanities |
| AP French Language & Culture | French Language |
| AP German Language & Culture | German Language |
| AP Spanish Language & Culture | Spanish Language and Spanish with Writing |
| AP Spanish Literature & Culture | Spanish Language and |
| AP English Literature & Composition | Analyzing and Interpreting Literature |
| AP United States Government and Politics | American Government |
| AP United States History | History of the United States I and |
| AP Macroeconomics | Princ. of Macroeconomics |
| AP Microeconomics | Princ. of Microeconomics |
| AP Psychology | Introductory Psychology |
| AP Calculus AB or BC | Calculus |
| AP Biology | Biology |
| AP Chemistry | Chemistry |
| AP Biology and you’ve taken either high school Chemistry or Physics (not AP) | Natural Science |
