Late Testing – AP Students (2024)

FAQs

Are late testing AP exams harder? ›

The College Board, which administers the AP exams, ensures that all versions of an AP exam—including late testing exams—assess the same content and skills at the same level of difficulty.

$40 per exam in addition to base exam fee as applicable for alternate exams for late testing. (Note: Most reasons for late testing don't incur an additional late-testing fee.

However, you can choose to take the exam the following year, assuming you're still in high school. There are testing centers that are not in high schools. You can also choose to take an AP exam for a course you haven't taken.

As for the impact on your college applications, colleges won't be informed if you sign up for an AP exam and don't take it, so there's no direct impact. Colleges primarily review the scores that you choose to send them. Though, it's important to reflect on why you chose to withdraw from the exam.

According to the College Board's data, the AP exam with the highest fail rate in recent years is the AP Physics 1 exam, with around 60% of test-takers scoring below a 3 which is generally considered the minimum passing score.

Since a 1 is the lowest score that you can get on an AP® exam, this is not desirable. Thankfully, not many students leave the exam with a 1 unless complications arise during the test and they need to leave, or they are just trying to take the exam without knowing any of the material.

At many high schools, AP Physics is notorious for its difficulty level. In addition, it has the lowest overall pass rate of any AP exam.

You can apply for late testing through your AP coordinator. As already mentioned, you cannot choose the date for the exam. The coordinator will be able to do that for you and they will also have to choose from some of the preset dates given by the College Board.

Any student can take AP if they're ready to put in the effort. Students are ready at different times and it's never too early, or too late. Starting AP in senior year is common. Check out the most popular courses to take in 12th grade.

The good news is that a failed exam does not affect your GPA. In addition, you can retake the AP exam the next year. To prepare, you can re-enroll in the class, study on your own, or hire a tutor who can help you tackle the more challenging subjects on the test.

Should I cancel my AP score of 2? ›

It is more important for you to get recognition for taking that AP in the first place than it is to earn your target score. If you earned a 3, 2, or a 1, consider withholding your score. These scores are not as strong and you may not want to include them in your application.

To qualify for late testing, you'll need to meet certain criteria such as having a conflicting exam schedule, a school event, or a serious medical issue, among other acceptable reasons. Your AP Coordinator at your school will be able to determine if your reason qualifies and will help you arrange to take the late exam.

Although there are no consequences from skipping the exam, you might be missing out on some opportunities. The first and most obvious advantage is the college credit. Although many colleges are highly selective about AP results, or don't accept them at all, some still will give you credit.

Generally speaking, a 2 is not a good AP score, as it is not considered a passing score by the College Board. If you get a 2 on your AP exam, it might be better not to submit that score to the colleges you're applying to.

To preserve the security of AP Exams, the AP Program develops alternate forms of each exam for late testing. Regularly scheduled exams can't be used for late testing. If a school administers late-testing exams, students must test on the scheduled late-testing dates at the scheduled times.

In general, you should send your scores no later than July of your senior year of high school. If you're a senior entering college in the fall, check your college's deadline for getting AP scores. Some colleges won't accept AP scores after you have arrived on campus as a freshman.

At many high schools, AP Physics is notorious for its difficulty level. In addition, it has the lowest overall pass rate of any AP exam.