AP Scores - Understanding Your Score

AP Scores – Understanding Your Score

Last week, I posted an article that announced that AP score results were available online.  Hopefully, your child accessed his scores and was pleased with the results.

As a parent, you probably want to know how the exams are scored.  Basically, the score is a weighted combination of the score from the multiple-choice section and from the free-response section.  The College Board uses a 5-point scale as follows:

5=extremely well qualified

4=well qualified

3=qualified

2=possibly qualified

1=no recommendation

 What does “qualified” mean?  An AP course is designed to mirror an introductory-level college course.  The AP exam at the end of the course is used to measure, or project, the ability to do college level work in a particular subject.  As a result, many colleges grant college credit for scores of 3, 4, or 5; however, each college determines the score needed to receive credit from their institution. 

Returning to the topic of scoring.  As you probably guessed, the multiple-choice section is scored by computer; however, the free-response essay and open-ended questions are actually read and scored by an AP Reader.  The College Board hires college professors and AP teachers to score this section of the exam.

The two sections each receive a score and the two scores are combined to form a composite score.  The composite score is then “translated” into a number that appears on the 5-point scale.

If you want to know the AP credit policy of a particular college or university, go to the College Board’s web site: https://apscore.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies and type in the name of the college or colleges you want to research.

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