How to Graduate College Debt Free – Part 1. AP Classes

Adam Personal Finance

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This is a part of a multi-post series on graduating college debt free. Check out the other posts below:

What are AP classes?

Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada, created by the College Board, which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities often grant placement and course credit to students who obtain high scores on the examinations.

Why do you care?

Bottom line is it’s pretty close to free college credit that’s recognized at pretty much every college in the country.

Strategically you can view AP classes as having value in 5 ways:

  • They’re free or just a low cost exam fee.
  • They are recognized everywhere in the US.
  • There’s little opportunity cost. You have to take English whether it’s AP or not.
  • Taking them at all (and especially passing) signals ambition and ability on college applications
  • College credit if you pass

AP classes are not the easiest way to get college credit. They’re HARD. They really are. I took a bunch of these tests as a high school student. I graduated top 3 in my class, and I only managed to pass English/History/Biology out of the 6 or 7 I took. Granted, I was lazier back then and I didn’t put in the effort I could have.

BUT the reason AP is a great way to get credit, is that you have to pass English to graduate high school either way. Why not take the version that gives you at least a shot at credit? This is a great opportunity to kill 2 birds with one stone. If you’re in high school, AP classes

What Courses are Available?

AP offers 36 tests across a wide range of subjects:

AP Classes

What’s the test like?

They suck. It’s like the SAT or ACT but just the morning half and it’s subject specific. Most exams are two to three hours long. Breaks are limited.

The first half of the test is multiple choice questions. The second half of the test is typically free-response. Depending on the subject you are likely writing essays or working math problems within the booklet.

Scoring

Tests are scored on a five-point scale:

  • 5: Extremely well qualified
  • 4: Well-qualified
  • 3: Qualified
  • 2: Possibly qualified
  • 1: No recommendation

What constitutes each band isn’t public and will vary from year to year based on a large number of factors. It’s also really important to have an idea of what score you need for the schools you are looking at. I had the misperception that a 3 was credit everywhere. This is not the case. It actually varies widely and frequently a 4 or 5 is required.

Conclusion

If you can handle the coursework, AP tests are a great low risk, low cost opportunity to add some credits for all the basics before you head off to college

This is a part of a multi-post series on graduating college debt free. Check out the other posts below:


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