What are AP Classes in High School?

There's a lot you can do to help your application stand out, from extracurriculars to excellently-written supplemental essays. But academically, one of the best ways to show college admissions officers that you're ready for college is by taking AP classes. So what exactly are AP classes? Why do they matter, and how do they help your college application? In this blog, we'll explore all aspects of AP classes to help you decide which class to take, and how it affects your GPA.

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What Are AP Classes?

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that you can take while still in high school. They were created by College Board, a US non-profit that helps prepare high school students for higher education.

Each year, over 2.8 million students take AP exams, with most students taking multiple APs during the course of their high school careers.

At the end of the school year, you have the opportunity to take an AP exam for each AP class you took. AP exams are scored on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest score.

If you score a 3 or higher on the AP exam, you can receive college credit for these courses. Some colleges require a 4 or higher to qualify for college credit.

Why Do AP Classes Matter?

1. They Boost Your Weighted GPA

When you take standard classes, the highest grade point average you can achieve if you get straight 'A's is a 4.0. That’s a great GPA!

But AP grades are “weighted” to reflect the rigor of the courses. When calculating your weighted GPA, AP classes are graded a full point higher than regular classes. So you can end up with a score higher than 4.0, which can set you apart from the competition.

2. You Might Earn College Credit

At the end of the school year, you’ll take an exam for each AP class. These are scored on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest.

If you score a 3 or higher, you might receive college credit. It depends on the college you attend; some require a 4 or higher.

In this case, not only would you be able to skip unchallenging entry-level courses in college, you might also be able to graduate sooner, saving you both time and money.

3. Helps Your College Application Stand Out

Scoring well in AP courses helps you stand out compared to other students in your school, and that’s something that admissions teams specifically look for.

“College academics are hard,” says Brice O'Connell, a Crimson Senior Strategist who has helped hundreds of students gain admission to top universities such as Harvard, MIT, UPenn, Yale, Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, UC Schools and more.

“They’re definitely a step up from high school academics. You want to show that you have pushed yourself—that you have taken those difficult classes and that you’re ready to dive in and do just as well as your peers at one of these top schools.”

What If My School Doesn’t Offer AP Classes?

Most admissions officers are comparing a student to other students in their school, so AP courses are not absolutely necessary unless that’s the norm at your school.

But if you’re hoping to get into a top college, the admissions team will want to see that you’ve taken advantage of every opportunity to go deep in your subject areas. It will help show that you went out of your way to maximize your learning potential—and it would help you stand out among your peers.

If you have your heart set on a top school like the Ivy League and your high school doesn’t offer AP classes, be sure to take the most advanced courses available to you. And then look for additional classes to take outside of your school, such as summer classes at a local college.

If you would like to take AP courses but your school doesn’t offer them, you can take them online at Crimson Global Academy.

Can I Just Take AP Exams Without Taking the Classes?

You can self-study for AP exams, though it won’t be easy for you to cover the amount of material you’ll need to in order to score well. Most students you’ll be competing with will have taken AP classes as part of their studies for the academic year and have been prepped for the test.

AP exams are given in early to mid-May and you don’t have to have taken an AP class at your school to register.

What is the full list of AP classes and exams?

Here are all the AP classes and exams offered by CollegeBoard:

AP Capstone Diploma Program

• AP Research
• AP Seminar

Arts

• AP 2-D Art and Design
• AP 3-D Art and Design
• AP Drawing
• AP Art History
• AP Music Theory

English

• AP English Language and Composition
• AP English Literature and Composition

History and Social Sciences

• AP Comparative Government and Politics
• AP United States Government and Politics
• AP European History
• AP Human Geography
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Psychology
• AP United States History
• AP World History: Modern

Math and Computer Science

• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Computer Science A
• AP Computer Science Principles
• AP Precalculus
• AP Statistics

Sciences

• AP Biology
• AP Chemistry
• AP Environmental Science
• AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
• AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based
• AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
• AP Physics C: Mechanics

AP World Languages and Cultures

• AP Chinese Language and Culture
• AP French Language and Culture
• AP German Language and Culture
• AP Italian Language and Culture
• AP Japanese Language and Culture
• AP Latin
• AP Spanish Language and Culture
• AP Spanish Literature and Culture

What Is the Easiest and Hardest AP Class?

How “easy” or "hard" you’ll find AP classes and exams is very individual. It depends on your strengths and weaknesses, plus your personal passion for the subject matter.

But you can get an idea as to which AP classes are the hardest by looking at the weighted average scores reported by the College Board. It shows the percentages of students who scored 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s in each subject.

The distribution table shows that students find AP Physics 1, AP English Language and Composition, AP Latin, AP Environmental Science, and AP Human Geography the most challenging. 

• Read our full blog ranking the hardest and easiest AP Classes

How to Choose Your AP Courses

The number of AP classes you should take to get into a top university depends on several factors:

1. Your High School's Offerings. Some high schools offer a range of AP courses, while others have few to none. If your school offers many, take a course load that challenges you academically.
2. Your Own Academic Interests. Take AP classes in subjects that genuinely interest you and align with your intended major or field of study. Admissions officers value a student's commitment to their chosen academic path.
3. Balancing Rigor and Performance. Take AP courses that you can score well in, but don’t lose sight of your other studies. It's best to excel in a few AP classes than to take too many and struggle to maintain a high GPA.
4. Extracurricular Activities. Don't overload yourself with AP classes at the expense of extracurriculars, leadership opportunities, or community involvement. Admissions officers look for applicants with depth who can manage their time effectively.

Remember that top universities consider multiple aspects of your application, including GPA, SAT or ACT scores, letters of recommendation, essays, and extracurriculars. Taking AP classes is just one aspect of your overall picture.

Finally, take into consideration your own health and wellbeing. Taking too many AP classes might lead to stress and burnout, which could negatively impact your performance and your health. Demonstrating that you can maintain a healthy work-life balance is important too!

How Many AP Classes Should You Take to Get Into a Top University?

We’re often asked, “Should I try to max out on the AP courses my high school offers?” It depends on the college that you’re trying to get into and what the other students in your high school are doing, as well as whether you can keep up a strong GPA with a maxed-out course load.

To get into a top college, you’ll need to stand out as a top student in your high school. You’ll want to be seen as the student who took advantage of the most rigorous course of studies available to them, and then sought out additional opportunities for deeper learning. But you don’t want to overload yourself at the expense of your GPA.

As to how many AP courses students who were accepted into select schools have taken, there’s not a lot of available data.

A 2013 study conducted by the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill had suggested five, however, college acceptance has become more competitive since then.

For students aiming for the Ivy League and Top 20 schools in the U.S., we recommend 10-14 AP classes throughout your high school career, which breaks out to 3-4 each year.

When you research your top choice colleges, note whether the school offers credit for AP courses. This can be a clue as to how they value them. And do ask your school guidance counselor for their recommendation, as they can help you balance your workload.

What Is AP Class Spamming?

If you’re hoping to get into a very selective school and if you’re comfortable with a rigorous course of study and are sure it won’t negatively impact other things, a strategy called “class spamming” could help you stand out in a competitive university’s applicant pool.

Crimson Education’s CEO, Jamie Beaton describes class spamming as the “deadly and effective” strategy of taking the maximum possible academic subject load and making sure that it’s more than any other student around you.

Class spamming works for two reasons:

• It demonstrates intellectual vitality, which many top universities, like Stanford and Princeton, are looking for. Admissions teams want to see that you’re interested in a wide variety of fields.
• It makes choosing you over another applicant in your school a no-brainer for them. If you’ve taken 20 AP courses — and scored well — while your competitors have taken 15 or 17, “the university needs to actively find a reason to admit the other students over you,” Beaton points out. 

“After sending thousands of students to the world’s best universities and analyzing more than a million college admissions data points, the information is clear. The more subjects you take and the more standard deviations above the typical caseload of your school, the more likely you are to get into a top college,” he says. 

So, if you have your sights set on the Ivy League or other top universities, then it may be just the strategy you need to make your application stand out. When applying to less competitive schools, it’s definitely not necessary. 

Final Thoughts

Now that you know what AP classes are and the benefits of challenging yourself intellectually—both for your own personal growth and to stand out to the colleges you want most.

The key will be to take enough AP courses to be competitive with peers in your high school, but not so many that your grades slip and it negatively affects your GPA.

Don’t overlook how tutoring can help you push out of your comfort zone. An AP tutor can help you make the most of your AP classes as well as prep for the exams. And online tutoring in select subject matters can help you keep all your grades up.

Our online courses make tutoring available wherever you are, at whatever time is convenient for you. And Crimson is a global leader in online education with a 6 year history of student success. One of our six tutoring programs is likely to fit your needs.

Further Reading:

• How Many AP Classes Should I Take?
• A Comprehensive Guide to the AP Exam: Everything You Need to Know
• FREE eBook: The Complete Guide to Acing Your Academics for US College Applications
• What are AP Classes in High School?
• What Are The Easiest And Hardest AP Classes