Top Economics School of The World from AP Guru (2024)

FAQs

What is the hardest AP class in high school? ›

Physics 1

This class combines physics, scientific inquiry, and algebra. AP Physics 1 is considered one of the hardest AP classes, covering topics like Newtonian mechanics and electrical charge and force. Students also spend about 25% of their class time performing college-level lab experiments and writing reports.

After all, if not many students can pass an AP test, doesn't that mean it's one of the hardest tests? But when you look at the data, the exams with some of the highest passing rates (Spanish, Chinese, Physics C: Mechanics) are often considered among the hardest.

AP U.S. History

AP U.S. History is one of the hardest AP classes in the humanities and in general. U.S. History's reputation for difficulty doesn't scare many students away, though—it's the second-most popular AP class (456,520 students took it in 2022).

At many high schools, AP Physics is notorious for its difficulty level. In addition, it has the lowest overall pass rate of any AP exam.

While it won't give you any more college credit or show up on your score report, a perfect score on an AP exam—that's full credit for all exam portions—is an impressive accomplishment. Only a very small number of students get perfect scores each year.

This is the big year for all levels of student.

Depending on what kind of school you want to go to, you should be taking between 3 and 5 AP® classes this year. You will need to manage your time well, however, as you also need to study for the SAT® or ACT® during this time.

Usually, a 70 to 75 percent out of 100 translates to a 5. However, there are some exams that are exceptions to this rule of thumb. The AP Grades that are reported to students, high schools, colleges, and universities in July are on AP's five-point scale: 5: Extremely well qualified.

The Hardest AP Classes

Traditionally, courses like English Literature, Physics 1, and Chemistry are difficult to self-study for or complete at home because of the need for conversation and 1:1 instruction — like the lab element necessary to understand the science courses' material.

What is the least hardest AP class? ›

The hardest and most time-consuming AP exams are in the top-right corner. Physics C – E&M earns the top difficulty rating based on real student reviews. The easiest and least time-consuming are in the bottom-left corner. Computer Science Principles earns the easiest difficulty rating based on real student reviews.

For students aiming for the Ivy League and Top 20 schools in the United States, a good target is to take (and pass) 10-14 AP classes throughout your high school career — or 3-4 each year.

IB is more rigorous than AP because it requires higher grades than other classes do (i.e., A). This means that students who take IB won't necessarily be able to take as many classes at their local community college or state university—they'll need to apply for admission through another route first!

Take as many as you can handle without spreading yourself thin, and make sure you will have time to study for the ACT or SAT this year. An Ivy League hopeful might take 3 to 5 AP classes, while if you're aiming for less-selective schools, 2 to 4 would be enough.

AP classes, however, are more challenging than honors classes. These courses cover information, teach skills and give assignments that correspond to college classes. High school students taking AP courses will be held to the same standard as college students.

The scores for AP exams are provided from a range of 1 to 5. Here the lowest score is one, while 5 is the highest or perfect score. Students who earn a score of 2 or below will not get any college credit or rewards. However, there are no fail or pass criteria for AP exams.

The good news is that a failed exam does not affect your GPA. In addition, you can retake the AP exam the next year. To prepare, you can re-enroll in the class, study on your own, or hire a tutor who can help you tackle the more challenging subjects on the test.

All AP exams have a passing rate of at least 50%.

According to the College Board, AP English Language and Composition is the most popular AP class. This AP course was taken by 520,771 students in 2022. AP United States History, AP Psychology, AP Calculus AB, and AP Spanish Language and Culture follow after it respectively.

Is AP Economics hard? ›

As mentioned previously, AP Microeconomics course material was designed to mimic an introductory college-level course, so it will certainly be more difficult than a standard high school class. Students unfamiliar with economic topics — or how to work with data — may find it challenging.

Is a 50% a 5 on the AP Test? No, if you only answer 50% of the questions correctly on an AP test, you are extremely unlikely to score a 5. As an example, one of the hardest AP exams, AP Physics C: Mechanics, had a 55.6% cutoff to earn a 5 in 2022.

Hardworking high school students are eager to make their college applications stand out, and AP classes are one way to impress college admission boards. While it would be easy if there were a set number of AP courses needed to guarantee a spot in a top college, the truth is there is no magic number.

To be competitive at some of the most highly selective colleges in the country, 8-12 AP courses may be the sweet spot amount, assuming the student can handle that level of rigor. There are no colleges out there that require you to take 14, 17, or some other obscene number of Advanced Placement offerings.

Test Scores

Your goal should be to submit three AP or IB scores, with at least one related to the area you want to major in (so a math/science score if you want to be a biology major, a social science score if you want to major in history, etc.).

Yes, there's a curve on AP exams, especially in relation to the AP Physics C tests. They have a heavy curve, as can be seen by the scoring distributions. A large majority of the test takers pass the exam, and 50 percent score a 5.

Honors English = B+ (3.8 x 1.0) = 3.8. Algebra II. = B+ (3.3 x 1.0) = 3.3. AP US History = B+ (4.3 x 1.0) = 4.3. Honors Chemistry = C+ (2.8 x 1.0) = 2.8.

The first thing that you should do is check the AP Score credit policy for the colleges that you are applying to. If they will give you credit for the 3, then by all means report it! On the other hand, if they only give credit for a 5 on that exam (not even for a 4), you may want to hold off.

What is the easiest AP to take? ›

Psychology

AP Psychology maintains its reputation as an "easy" course due to its relatively uncomplicated course content. Students complete projects, tests, and quizzes throughout the year as they prepare for the exam.

Self-studying for and scoring well on AP exams shows that you have a deep understanding of college-level subject matter. This is especially impressive to college admissions officers, who are looking for students willing to push themselves and take on challenging coursework.

Environmental Science:

The second hardest AP class is environmental science, with a passing rate of 53.4%. This class is often known for students underestimating the course. It's 2 hours and 40 minutes exam with 80 MCQs and 3 free-response questions. It provides methodologies, concepts, scientific principles.

AP in-class sessions are rigorous, whereas college homework and other assignments demand more time. In both cases, time for self-study and time you spend on your classes vary. The workload is also more in both cases, from time to time.

Is the late AP exam difficult? No, it is set according to the same curriculum, it is just a different set of questions than the first exam. The late AP exam questions are different from the first test for security reasons.

Additionally, starting with the class of 2027, students must take at least six advanced placement, dual enrollment or early college classes to be considered for valedictorian status.

Be cautious of overloading your schedule: Harvard would rather see a high GPA with 4 AP courses each year than a low GPA and a daunting 8 AP courses. Consider your AP, honors, and regular options carefully each semester based upon your own self-knowledge, schedule flexibility, and course offerings.

How many AP classes should you take? Students accepted to a top 10 school like Stanford typically complete between 8 to 12, but it's not uncommon for a student to have taken even more.

While AP and IB classes allow you to take the end-of-course exams for college credit, MIT generally does not accept the credit from these tests. The school wants all of its incoming freshmen to start at MIT on equal footing. However, MIT does grant credit for specific AP tests on which you score a five.

Students who take IB classes in high school have higher acceptance rates into Ivy League schools, but this doesn't necessarily mean a higher acceptance rate than AP students; it just means that IB students have a higher acceptance rate than the general application pool.

What does Harvard prefer IB or AP? ›

Does Harvard prefer IB or AP courses? Harvard does not explicitly state a preference for IB or AP courses. To receive credit for IB classes, accepted students must earn an IB diploma. Incoming students must earn a score of 5 on at least four AP exams to earn college credit at Harvard.

Students looking to earn admission to highly selective colleges should take multiple AP classes to bolster their applications and demonstrate they can handle challenging coursework. Some college admissions experts recommend taking as many as 7-12 AP courses before applying to the most elite universities.

I recommend taking only 2 APs sophom*ore year, 4-5 Junior year, and 3 to 4 Senior year. That puts you in the 9-11 range which more than enough. Also keep in mind that if you apply to Brown with 12 APs, you've wasted your time since they give you ZERO AP credit.

There is no minimum or recommended number of AP courses. AP scores are not part of an admission formula.

Colleges like them both. Both honors and AP courses are rigorous courses that most high schools weight more heavily on your transcript. AP courses, however, culminate in the AP Exam. Good AP scores show colleges you are ready to succeed at college-level work and can even earn you college credits.

GPA Weight

At many high schools, honors and AP classes both offer more heavily weighted training compared to regular classes. While honors courses usually add 0.5 points to your GPA, AP classes often add 1 point. In other words, a 3.5 GPA would be boosted to a 4.0 in an honors class and a 4.5 in an AP class.

While receiving a “C” will impact your GPA, it will certainly not ruin it. That “C” won't ruin your chances of getting into college either.

No, it's not! My research assures that neither AP chem nor AP bio is tougher than one other. But as AP chemistry is more application based, students who take this subject need to spend more study hours for this subject. The difficulty of an AP class is based on the student's interest and likeness to the subject.

Algebra I is the single most failed course in American high schools. Thirty-three percent of students in California, for example, took Algebra I at least twice during their high school careers. And students of color or those experiencing poverty are overrepresented in this group.

What is the most difficult high school in us? ›

For students aiming for the Ivy League and Top 20 schools in the United States, a good target is to take (and pass) 10-14 AP classes throughout your high school career — or 3-4 each year.

AP Bio is slightly harder than APES, but will look better on your transcript if you only plan on taking one science AP.

Be cautious of overloading your schedule: Harvard would rather see a high GPA with 4 AP courses each year than a low GPA and a daunting 8 AP courses. Consider your AP, honors, and regular options carefully each semester based upon your own self-knowledge, schedule flexibility, and course offerings.

This is the big year for all levels of student.

Depending on what kind of school you want to go to, you should be taking between 3 and 5 AP® classes this year. You will need to manage your time well, however, as you also need to study for the SAT® or ACT® during this time.

Take as many as you can handle without spreading yourself thin, and make sure you will have time to study for the ACT or SAT this year. An Ivy League hopeful might take 3 to 5 AP classes, while if you're aiming for less-selective schools, 2 to 4 would be enough.

As mentioned previously, AP Microeconomics course material was designed to mimic an introductory college-level course, so it will certainly be more difficult than a standard high school class. Students unfamiliar with economic topics — or how to work with data — may find it challenging.

The Hardest AP Classes

Traditionally, courses like English Literature, Physics 1, and Chemistry are difficult to self-study for or complete at home because of the need for conversation and 1:1 instruction — like the lab element necessary to understand the science courses' material.

The record for the most Advanced Placement tests ever taken is 30 — AP scholar Justin Zhu even earned the highest score possible on 26 of the 30 tests he took. Is it a good idea to encourage your child to break Justin's record? Absolutely not.