Do AP Exam Scores Define Us?

“May the Five Be with You.” This is a well-known phrase among students who take the annual AP exam in May. The AP exams are college-level courses administered by the College Board that students can take in high school to demonstrate their ability to handle challenges and exchange for college credits. The AP scores range from 1-5, 1 being the lowest score, and five being the best. Almost all students aim for getting a five on their AP exams. Most students take around 4-5 AP exams in their sophomore or junior year.

May is going to arrive in three weeks, schools are filled with “anti-AP exam sentiment”. Students are often stressed out, miserable, and discouraged to continue trying hard. Many colleges take AP exams cores as a mandatory general requirement. Most schools will only look at scores ranging from four or above. Getting a three seems to be not enough in today’s world. AP exams are difficult to prepare for due to the huge amount of information provided in each course.

Students correlate AP exams scores to their future successes, believing that the scores define them. This is actually not the case, because AP scores do not tell the college admission officers who you are as a person. Colleges don’t just understand you solely based on your ability to handle college level courses. Colleges consider many other factors too, such as your extracurriculars, your soft skills, and your personality traits. In fact, it is already very brave of you to attempt college level courses in high school. Thus, AP Scores do not define you.