What if you could earn $1000 to perform well on an Advanced Placement exam? The average cost of a typical 3 credit hour college course is slightly north of a grand, meaning that with every high score achieved per AP exam, you can save that many thousands of dollars from your college experience. How does this work? Most colleges and universities are eager to see a score of 4 or 5, indicating that you are qualified for that subject. Achieving these exam scores will either grant you college credit hours or allow you to take upper-level courses without the needed prerequisites. Preparing in advance with the proper study management skills and putting in adequate effort with an AP test prep course for your AP exam can save you a great deal of time and energy in the long run. With AP practice exams, set yourself up for success in your future!
Cost of Exam:
Most Advanced Placement exams cost around $100, excluding seminar and research exams, and occur in May after completing courses. Sometimes, it can be hard to rationalize spending money on something that may not seem helpful when you do not know what your future holds. Still, the amount saved in comparison to any higher level of education will be well worth the cost now. When breaking down the different educational systems nationwide, the average cost of one credit hour at a public university is ~$400. The cost at a local community college is ~$150, which illustrates the importance that the cost of any AP exam test will be less than 1 single credit hour of higher education no matter the tier.
Time-saved:
Generally, colleges and universities will require students to achieve certain lower-level requirements in specific areas of study before going on to more specified courses tailored to their learning experience. Higher AP exam scores can remove many of these lower-level writing, mathematics, and science classes from your course audit. Whether you use that achieved course to gain a competitive advantage by going to the next level or having more of an open schedule to accomplish one of the many facets of life that require time and energy, you will set yourself up for success. There is no limit to the amount of AP exams that can be taken, so the more credit hours that can be earned will keep you from spending thousands of dollars and allow you to potentially graduate early. Peterson’s prep will give you on-demand access to practice tests and courses for more than 20 AP exams, so you can save all the time possible for the price of one course.
Misconceptions:
The amount of credit hours offered if provided at all, depends largely on the school you plan on attending. It is beneficial to understand the exact score your college or university is looking for to make the most of your study endeavors. More advanced education systems will require only maximum scores, and some academic institutions like Ivy League universities won’t offer any credit hours, no matter the score. These institutions will provide the ability to opt out of lower-level courses and move directly into the upper-level courses. Some select colleges and universities will accept a score of 3, but they generally depend on the subject itself so it’s best to know ahead of time. A public university may accept a lower score on the AP Language and Composition exam as opposed to a private university.
Along with there not being a limit to how many AP exams you can take, you also don’t need to be registered in an Advanced Placement course to take the exam. It is highly encouraged to take the exam in tandem with the course, but if you are confident in your knowledge and skill set, see if you can land a score that could save you in the future. One of the best ways to obtain knowledge about the exam without taking the course or brushing up your skills after taking the course is to prepare with Peterson’s AP Test Prep. CLEP and DSST courses are included with your subscription, which can further increase your time and money savings with more credit-by-exam options.
How to prepare:
Using the curated test prep platform explicitly designed for your AP exam, Peterson’s Advanced Placement courses will ensure your success. Each course is created by a team of specialists that accurately depict the layout and difficulty of every exam. Engaging videos with interactive lessons scratch beneath the surface on more advanced topics to improve participation and enforce longer retention. Every course has multiple AP practice exams, replicating the time, length, and questions as if they were the real deal. Before AP exam registration, setting aside the time needed to master the content is crucial to flourishing in your educational success. Don’t hesitate to save hours of time and thousands of dollars and jumpstart the process with Peterson’s Test Prep!
