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CLEP exams</a>, you can earn college credit for AP classes. If you take a $94 AP exam and earn college credit, you’re saving yourself a lot of money. Typically, colleges award three credits for a good score (4 or 5) on an AP test. Since the average college credit costs $594 each, you could save about $1,688 per test. For AP Language courses, which are typically awarded more credit per test, you could save two or three times that amount.</p>
<h3> Potentially Boost Your GPA</h3>
<p>Some high schools offer inflated GPAs for students who take AP courses. For example, if your high school awards a 4.0 for an A in a college prep or on-level course, they might award a 5.0 for an A in an AP class. Speak to your guidance counselor or check out your high school’s website to see what they do. This GPA boost could help with securing scholarships and makes taking a more difficult course less risky.</p>
<h3>Give You a Head Start</h3>
<p>College classes are harder than high school classes. They go into more detail, cover more material, and come with higher expectations than high school courses. Taking AP courses in high school gives you a taste of the work required to succeed in college. You get time to adapt to college-level work before actually setting foot on a college campus. This gives you an advantage over you peers.</p>
<h3>Help You Get Accepted to College</h3>
<p>Colleges love seeing AP classes on your transcript. They show that you challenged yourself and could handle the harder workload. At some colleges, a B or C in an AP class actually looks more favorable than an A in a college prep or on-level course. When a school sees AP classes, they know that you’re a strong student and have what it takes to succeed in college.</p>
<p>Colleges also love receiving AP scores. Unlike high school grades, AP tests are standard across the nation. Students take the same exact test and receive unbiased scores. It’s a lot easier to compare AP scores than it is to compare GPAs, which have different requirements at every high school. Score well on your AP tests and not only will you receive college credit, but you’ll also look great in front of a college admissions team.</p>
<p>Most high schools let you take AP classes at any grade level; it’s helpful to take at least one before your senior year. Since you’ll finish your junior year before applying to college, most colleges look hard at your junior year. Having AP classes on your junior transcript and having AP scores to send in from junior year will help boost your application.</p>
<h2>What AP Classes Should I Take?</h2>
<p>The benefits of taking AP classes are undeniable. However, to receive a lot of those benefits, you need to perform well in the class and on the AP exam. Be smart about choosing which AP exams to take. Given the amount of work you’ll need to do, it helps to take AP courses in subjects you’re interested in. Look through the list of AP courses again and see what excites you.</p>
<p>It’s never too early to start planning your AP class strategy either. Look at your high school’s offerings and the perquisites. You might have to take certain classes and earn certain grades before moving onto the AP class. Plan out what courses you want to take and when. Talk to other students who have taken courses that you’re interested in to get an idea of how difficult they are. You don’t want to take on more than you can handle.</p>
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