End of SAT II Means Greater Emphasis on AP Exams

Students eyeing the most competitive colleges and universities, until now, had to post impressive scores on two SAT II exams as well as on the crucial SAT. But College Board’s recent announcement that SAT II exams will no longer be offered has shifted the focus to Advanced Placement (AP) courses and the culminating exams.  

There are currently 38 AP courses in the Arts, English, History & Social Science, Math & Computer Science, Science, and World Languages & Cultures, although not all are offered at every high school. The curriculum for each of these courses is written by The College Board – the same folks who bring you the SAT – and there is an exam for each course in May.  Students who score 3 or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5) are offered college credits at many of the nation’s colleges and universities. The popularity of AP exams has steadily increased from 2010, when 3.2 million tests were administered, to 2019, when 5.1 million tests were taken. (The number decreased slightly in 2020, to 4.8 million tests, as Covid moved the exam online, in a condensed version, throughout most of the country.)

Parents and students often ask, “Are AP courses really necessary?” The answer is both yes and no – depending on the student’s ambitions and college goals.  When students apply to college, they are basically in competition with their peers.  Most colleges want a geographically well-rounded student body. So college admissions officers will compare all of their applicants from the same high school and favor those with the most impressive academic record based on SAT scores, competitive course loads, and GPAs. Since weighted GPAs work in favor of those taking AP courses, it would be virtually impossible for students taking eight AP courses during their high school years, for example, to have a higher GPA than their peers who are taking twelve AP courses. 

According to a report by NJ Spotlight, 28 percent of New Jersey high school seniors pass (with a score of 3 or higher) one or more AP exam by the time they graduate.  But locally, the numbers tend to be much higher.  At Montgomery High School, 66% of students took at least one AP exam and enjoyed a 94% exam pass rate.  Bridgewater-Raritan High School had 46% of their students participate in AP testing with a 95% pass rate, and Hillsborough High School had 38% of their students testing with an 89% exam pass rate. 

Students who participate in the AP program take, on average, three courses during their high school years.  The most popular are English Language & Composition, U.S. History, English Literature & Composition, U.S. Government & Politics, World History, Psychology, and Calculus AB.  Of course, there are some students who take ten or more exams, sometimes allowing them to complete a year of college before ever stepping foot on campus.  These students are definitely raising the bar for their classmates, making AP courses increasingly popular with the college-bound crowd.

Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of Collegebound Review that, for the past 25 years, has offered PSAT/SAT® preparation and private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362