Fairview High School

Post-Grad Center, AP Coordination, Counseling

(last revised 11/30/2007)

Taking Advantage of Advanced Placement Exams –

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should consider taking Advanced Placement exams?

If your student is taking honors courses at Fairview, and/or has significant strength in a language other than English, he or she should take full advantage of the wide variety of AP exams that are offered at Fairview. All of the following groups should consider taking AP exams:

• Students in Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
• Students in International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.
• ESL (English as Second Language) students.

Why are Advanced Placement exams useful and important?

1. Honors students: Advanced Placement can offer substantial college credit. (The amount of college credit awarded varies from college to college. To investigate the details for particular colleges, check the college web sites or seek information from the Post-Grad Center or the counselors.)
2. IB students: In some cases, taking the AP exam can earn a student more college credit than IB courses or exams alone. Therefore, it is important for students who are taking IB classes, as well as the students in AP classes, to consider taking AP exams.
3. ESL students: These students may have the background to do well on AP exams, especially the exams for world languages.
4. In the college admissions process, AP exams (as an alternative to IB exams) are useful in providing evidence that students have sought academic challenge in high school, an important criterion in admission to selective colleges.
5. Low risk. Students choose which AP exam scores get reported to which colleges.
6. Students who take AP exams with a qualifying exam grade often have the option to skip introductory course work in college. This makes it easier for students to complete a four-year program in four years, study abroad, or to pursue higher-level coursework, or even a double major, if desired.

How can students register for AP exams?

• Students should request a registration form from the AP Coordinator (go to the AP/IB Office).

How can my student know whether he or she should take AP exams?

• Check the chart on the next page to see how Fairview courses and AP exams match up.
• If students are uncertain whether to register for one or more exams, they should consult with their teachers or the AP Coordinator.
• Students who are taking IB courses are often very well prepared for the matching AP exams because of the IB coursework. One of the most common comments from alumni who took IB courses is, “I wish I had taken more AP exams.”

How can my student prepare for the exams?

• Follow this link to http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html to see sample test questions and other information about the exams.
• If needed, students can buy preparation booklets at bookstores and online book suppliers.
• Allow a full morning or afternoon for each exam. Exams typically take up to 3 hours of actual test time, plus one-half hour more for administration.

How do honors courses and AP exams match up?

The following chart shows how the honors courses at Fairview correlate with the AP exams. Whether the student is taking AP courses or IB courses or some of each, he or she may be well prepared to take the Advanced Placement exams that match their courses.

Matching Courses and AP Exams

Course Title	Advanced Placement Exam
IB Biology II & IB Biochemistry	Biology
AP Calculus AB	Calculus AB
IB Calculus I	Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC	Calculus BC
IB Chemistry II (to be renamed as IB/AP Chem II starting fall of 2007)	Chemistry
AP Computer Science/ Java	Computer Science A
IB Computer Science SL/ HL	Computer Science AB
IB Language Arts 11 (IB LA 11) or IB Language Arts 12 (IB LA 12)1	English Language
IB Language Arts 11 (IB LA 11) or IB Language Arts 12 (IB LA 12)[1]	English Literature
AP French Literature or IB French 5	French Language
AP German 5 or IB German 5	German Language
IB Latin 4	Latin Literature
IB Latin 4	Latin Virgil
Music Theory 2 (plus self-study)	Music Theory
IB/AP Physics II	Physics C – Mechanics
IB/AP Physics II	Physics C – E & M (Electricity & Magnetism)
AP Spanish 5 or IB Spanish 5	Spanish Language
AP Statistics	Statistics
IB Visual Arts SL/ HL	Studio Art
AP US History or Pre-IB US History	US History
IB World History (plus self-study)	World History

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1 Students are advised to look at the test preparation booklets prior to taking the exam.