Make Those AP Exams Count

Sometimes, the only thing better than taking a class is not having to take a class. That’s part of the promise of AP exams. But first the news…

NEWS

The testing wheel turns: Peak test optional admissions has passed, as more and more colleges are requiring or recommending SAT or ACT scores. Who’d have guessed that college admissions tests help, you know, admissions decisions?

When early is unfashionable: Add one more option to the confusing array of application deadlines. Bennington College added a “late decision” plan this spring. Unfortunately, you’re already too late.

Harvard holds out: The Trump administration has frozen more than $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and contracts after the home of The Crimson rejected demands that it further change hiring, admissions and other policies.

Well-educated parents can be stressful: Researchers found that individuals from academic families may be frightened of experiencing a drop in family or social standing if they fail to measure up to perceived expectations. Next, study how stressed the parents are!

BIG IDEA
Make AP Exams Count

While teens presumably toil all year to do well in their Advanced Placement classes, mid-April ushers in a sharper interest in excellence. After all, May is AP Exam month, a gauntlet of grueling subject tests that spans several weeks. Considering that academic overachievers may commit to 4 or 5 knowledge-intensive exams in such a short period, it's no surprise that many of them will be spent by the end, cognitively exhausted until deep into summer.

Is the agony and ecstasy of AP exam prep worth it? YES!!

1. Excellence is its own reward.
Advanced Placement classes represent the highest level of academic rigor most schools offer, and thus are filled with students used to scoring at the far right end of the bell curve. When you're that competitive, you play to win.

2. Colleges care more than ever about AP scores.
Obviously, top grades in AP classes is a necessary yet not sufficient signal of academic achievement for highly selective schools. However, in an test optional environment where admissions offices are desperate for objective data to put GPA in context, AP scores can carry greater weight. 

3. AP credits can save you tons of money.
Most colleges and universities offer college credit and/or advanced course placement for AP scores as low as a 3. With the average cost of tuition, room, and board per year at a 4-year private school coming in around $56,628, wouldn't knocking a semester or full year off the bill be worth some extra study?

This is why AP students should absolutely take their exams as seriously as possible in May. Parents and caretakers might consider supporting their teens through this intense study period with patience, understanding, and lots of extra treats!

PRESENTED BY THE ANTI-BORING LEARNING LAB

Do you (or your students) need better tools to study for finals? Finals Without Freakout: A Masterclass for Educators to Provide Smarter, Saner Exam Prep for All Students is a powerful and practical masterclass designed just for educators. There’s still time to register before the live session on Saturday, April 26!

NAME THAT SCHOOL

Are you burdened with unparalleled college knowledge? Name this week’s institution of higher education. (Find the answer at the very end.)

1. Proud to be the first college in its state to offer a four-year program for teachers and a Ph.D. in Teacher Education

2. Designated a research doctoral university (R2) in 2016, reaching top-tier R1 status in 2022

3. Boasts a train station on campus connecting to a major U.S. city

4. Good for the soul—both an arts powerhouse and home to a large floral oasis that is open to the public

5. Students from this school won the 2025 Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award, a cash prize given to a College Television Award-winning project that best highlights a humanitarian concern.

APPLICATION ACTION STEPS

• Dive into a bank of free AP prep advice podcasts.

• Explore a list of colleges that meet 100% of need.

• Learn what dollar cost averaging means for 529 investments.

• Attend a free webinar with the author of Straight From The Admissions Office.

HOTLINE

Do you have any burning questions to ask or want to share an issue, article, or resource our readers should know about? Dial up the College Eagle hotline through this easy form. We appreciate you!

ANSWER

Kudos to Montclair State University students for their Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award-winning documentary, Arizona Stories: Border, Water and Politics. Go Red Hawks!