Can a school stop you from taking an AP exam?

Yes. We recommend taking the AP course before taking an AP Exam—but it’s not required. You will have to arrange to take the exam at your school or, if your school doesn’t administer the exam, at a local school or testing center that administers it. See The AP Exam I want to take isn’t offered at my school.

What if you didn’t take any AP classes?

Schools with few or no AP courses may offer other types of courses for high-achieving students, such as honors courses. By taking and succeeding in some of the most challenging courses available at their high school, students will show colleges that they took advantage of the opportunities they could, experts say.

Can schools force students to take AP exams?

Some public schools are forcing students in AP courses to take the AP exam. However, some schools are taking the advanced placement program one step further, requiring students to take exams that will bolster the school’s own standing in some national rankings.

How much does an AP test cost?

The fee is $96 per exam in the U.S., U.S. territories, Canada, and DoDEA schools. The fee is $126 per exam at schools everywhere else. The fees vary for exams administered at College Board–authorized testing centers outside the United States. The fee is $144 per exam for AP Seminar and AP Research Exams.

Is taking the AP exam mandatory?

AP exams are college-level tests administered by The College Board (makers of the SAT). Unlike the SAT or ACT, AP exams are not directly related to college admissions, since schools do not require that students take them.

Should I take the AP course before taking an AP exam?

We recommend taking the AP course before taking an AP Exam—but it’s not required. We want to be sure homeschooled students and students in schools that don’t offer AP can take AP Exams. You will have to arrange to take the exam at your school or, if your school doesn’t administer the exam, at a local school or testing center that administers it.

Can homeschooled students take AP exams?

We want to be sure homeschooled students and students in schools that don’t offer AP can take AP Exams. You will have to arrange to take the exam at your school or, if your school doesn’t administer the exam, at a local school or testing center that administers it.

How do I find schools that accept AP students?

Your first step is to search the AP Course Ledger. The AP Course Ledger is the official, up-to-date, comprehensive list of schools that have passed the AP Course Audit. You can search by country, state/province, or city to find a school where you might be able to test.

How many AP classes do seniors have access to?

In 2015, 73 percent of seniors at rural high schools had access to at least one AP class, according to the report. For seniors in urban high schools, that number was 92 percent, and for those in suburban high schools it was 95 percent. The good news is that this access gap has been narrowing since 2001, according to the report.