AP stands for Advanced Placement. This is a program that will help high school students take various college-level courses before joining college abroad. This will help these students in earning credits while they are still in school. If a student pursues an AP course in India and then takes the corresponding AP exam, it demonstrates very high academic drive and learning potential.
AP classes are managed by the College Board, which also conducts the SAT examination. Each AP course will finally end in a college-level exam. You get a score ranging between 1 and 5, with five being the highest, and one being the lowest. The credits earned through AP courses can also help students skip the introductory courses and even the early graduate courses for almost a year. This allows them to do internships and on-campus jobs thereby getting some valuable work experience along the way.
What is AP Examination?
In India, AP exams are offered in as many as 24 subjects. These are all administered in authorized schools and test centers. There are also certain schools that do not conduct AP exams, in such case, they can refer their students to other schools.
AP examinations are held for over two weeks in May, and then the results are declared worldwide in July. The registrations open in February and March.
Students have the option of taking as many APs as they want, but it is not possible to take the same examination twice. One can certainly take it in the subsequent year, in order to improve one’s scores. If your school does not offer the AP preparation course, you can undoubtedly take the online courses or study by yourself. The choice of the subjects depends on the stream in which you want to graduate. For example, if you are interested in pursuing a course in Electronics Engineering, then it is a good idea to take AP in Physics, Calculus BC and Calculus AB. The best part about these exams is that whether you take APs in class 9, 10, 11 or 12, your AP score will remain valid when you start college.
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Eligibility for AP Exams
To be eligible for the AP examination, you will need to have the following:
- A valid passport, a government-issued ID that may include an Aadhar card, which you will need to register and then take the AP examination.
- You must be under the age of 21 years at the time of the examination.
- You cannot take the AP examination in a particular subject more than once in the same year. However, you can retake it next year.
- You cannot take both Calculus AB and Calculus BC in the same year.
- You can take any or all 4 Physics examinations in the same year.
- You do not have the option of taking two examinations scheduled at the same time during the Regular testing period. You can, however, take one of the conflicting exams during the Late testing period.
Exam Format
AP exams are offered across the subjects like social sciences, mathematics, sciences, world language and arts. They generally consist of two parts: part 1 has MCQ type of questions with 4 or 5 options out of which 1 is right, and part 2 consists of free response type of questions (essays or solutions) where you have to write down the answers. The duration for most examinations varies between 2 to 3 hours. The examination is offered in paper and pencil format.
AP scores and their meaning
Your AP score reflects how qualified you are to earn college credit and placement. A score of 5 means that you are ‘extremely well qualified’ and corresponds to a college credit grade equivalent of A+ or A. A score of 4 means that you are ‘very well qualified’ and corresponds to a college credit grade equivalent of A-, B+ or B. A score of 3 indicates that you are ‘qualified’ and corresponds to a college credit grade equivalent of B-, C+ or C.
Students who get an AP score of 3 or higher in the five-point advanced placement score system are said to be successful. They will be able to apply for the AP level courses in college. Research shows that students who achieve a score higher than 3 are able to achieve better academic success at college as compared to their college peers.
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Schools which Offer AP Courses in India
College Board has authorized some schools in India to conduct AP exams. As these schools function independently, exam selection, deadlines, fees and processing can vary.
- Ahmedabad International School
- Neev Academy, Bangalore
- Mount Litera Zee School, Amritsar
- Sat Paul Mittal School, Ludhiana
- Spring Dale Senior School, Amritsar
- Oakridge International School, Bachupally, Hyderabad
- SAI International School, Bhubaneswar
- Kabir Public School, Chandigarh
- CS Academy, Coimbatore
- City Montessori School, Lucknow
- Hopetown Girls School, Dehradun
- Chirec International School, Hyderabad
- Alliance World School, Noida
- Oakridge International, Vizag
- Emerald Heights International School, Indore
- Bangalore International School
- Amity International School, Pushp Vihar, New Delhi
- The Galaxy School, Rajkot
- Jayshree Periwal High School, Jaipur
Most students take at least 3 AP exams all through high school. If you get a score of 5 in AP exam then your profile will stand out among your peers. At Jamboree, we can recommend which AP courses will benefit you most if you are planning to apply for your bachelors abroad. Connect with our expert counselors now for a 15-minute free session and they will chart out an admissions roadmap to your dream college abroad!