What is Advanced Placement?
Advanced Placement is a program run by College Board (the makers of the SAT) that allows you to take courses right in your high school that can earn you college credit and/or qualify you for more advanced classes when you begin college.
What are AP courses?
They are designed to give you the experience of an intro-level college class while you're still in high school. Plus, you can get college credit for the class if you can pass the AP exam.
What are AP exams? It's basically a test of all you learn in an AP class. You earn college credit if you pass the AP exam given at the end of the year in May. AP exams are scored between 1 and 5, with a score of 3 or above considered passing. AP classes are specifically designed to help students prepare for the AP exams.
Taking an AP course and passing the test is a sign that you are capable of handling college-level work, which will strengthen your college applications immensely.
Why Take AP Classes?
Take AP Classes to Boost Your College Applications. Taking an AP class (or several!) is a great way to challenge yourself academically and show colleges that you are serious about your education. An AP class on your transcript signals stronger academic training, especially with high passing scores of 4 and 5 on the test.
Since AP courses are challenging and require you to study for a comprehensive exam, they teach you skills that will help you in college classes. According to College Board, students who take AP exams get higher grades in college than those with similar grades who don't take AP exams.