Why the APs are so important

The Advanced Placement (AP) tests have been said to be recommended, instead of compulsory for our students. I'm not sure if this gives a wrong image that the APs are not important, because I do think that they are as important as your ordinary transcript. And yes indeed it's easier than the A Levels, because the grading curve is a lot gentler and no one's placed on the bell-curve. No, we are not advocating for you to ignore APs. Here's why:

It's your results

The APs can be used in lieu of A levels, as it is internationally recognized. It is also the most convienent method of benchmarking/cross-comparison with students of other systems. According to how the UK admissions system works, which is based on a tariff system whereby your grades on standard examinations are converted to a set of points, some of the APs are considered to be equivalent to the A level H2 subject, whilst others are equivalent to H1 subject. Compare to your friends who slog for A levels, you probably will study lesser, so why not go grab them?

Benchmarks

It is important that the school has some statistics to show to admissions officers. We are after all, still a new school, and people aren't familiar with our system of CAP. Imagine you tell an admissions officer a student who gets a C in his modules got a 5 for the APs, and that APs are 'equivalent' to A levels, what indications will there be? If everyone gets a 5 (which hasn't really been happening recently), that's a huge plus isn't it, showing the rigour of the curriculum.

UK tariffs

A Levels (H2):

A = 120 points

B = 100 points

C = 80 points

D = 60 points

E = 40 points

*For H1 subjects, the points are half of the points of the H2 subjects for the same grade.

AP(Group 1 for those subjects treated as A Levels equivalent):

5 = 120 points

4 = 90 points

3 = 60 points

Subjects in group 1 include Chemistry, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Physics (you must take Physics B, and the two Physics C for it to be considered).

AP (Group 2 for subjects treated not as A Levels equivalent):

5 = 50 points

4 = 35 points

3 = 20 points

Subjects include Statistics, Art history, Computer Science.

For more info on UCAS tariff points: click here.

UK universities

Besides Cambridge, Oxford, and probably Imperial College, most other UK universities will look at your AP results first, since it's the easiest to understand, and they recognize it. Remember that UK universities are still quite competitive, so those AP results are going to help. Apparently, there isn't an exact tariff conversion between CAP and the UK UCAS system, so unless a university specially sets tariff conversion (read: Oxbridge, Imperial College), they're going to look at your AP results.

Easier

You probably heard of many of your seniors saying that the APs are very easy. In actual fact, they are not. It's just that the school's curriculum (and Singapore's in general) cover more than sufficiently for the exams. The grading curve is generally more gentle. For example, in the AP Biology paper essay component, there are 12/13 essay points for a total of 10 marks, and that you only need to score around 6-7/10 to obtain a 5 *, so this translates to knowing half of the knowledge. Unlike the UK system whose examinations are meant to benchmark people, the APs are used to gauge whether you're suitable for university courses. And if you think APs are simple, why not put in some effort to study and get that 5 when they're so useful?

* This information was taken from AP prep books.

US and College Credits

APs are used to place students in context for college admissions. As far as I know, there's a varied response as to how colleges response to AP results. But good results never hurt (at least I like to think of it that way). For many colleges, some of the AP grades can be considered for college credits, so you can skip some first year classes, shortening the time you need to graduate and freeing up time to do what you want to do.

In conclusion, APs are really really important!