RCS Advanced Placement Program

AP is short for "Advanced Placement" and is given to collegiate-level courses taught at high schools nationwide. The AP program is developed and overseen by the College Board, the non-profit organization that also administers the SAT testing program. Each AP course has a standardized curriculum to ensure that all students have access to the same content.

About The AP Program

AP Exams:

Every student who takes an AP course has the opportunity to take that course's AP exam on the designated school day in May. The AP exam is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. A passing score is considered to be a 3 or higher. Some colleges and universities award college credit for certain AP test scores and will have specific requirements: refer to the AP Scores tab for more information.

For an overview of the testing schedule window, visit AP Exam Dates on the College Board website.

Benefits:

Additional benefits for students who take AP level courses include developing college-level academic skills, study habits, and self-discipline. College admissions offices look at applicants to determine future success and successfully completing AP classes often indicates that a student is ready for collegiate-level coursework.

Courses at RCS:

When considering taking an AP course, students must be sure they meet the prerequisite requirements for the course as outlined in the Course Description Book. They should also consult with teachers and counselors.

How to Order an AP Exam

The Advanced Placement exams will be offered by Rochester Community Schools off-site at Oakland University, with the exception of a few other exams, such as the World Language exams and Studio Art (check the AP schedule for exact locations). Students scoring well on the AP exam(s) may potentially waive college requirements or receive college credit. Students should check the individual university they plan to attend to verify their AP policy either by going on the college website or by contacting the college directly. If there are any questions regarding the AP exams, the students should consult their counselor, building AP Coordinator, or AP teacher.

Registration

Registration period for Semester 1 & Full Year Courses: Early September – Late October (specific dates TBD)
Registration period for Semester 2 Courses: Beginning of semester 2 (specific dates TBD)

Step 1: Get your join code(s). Your AP teacher will give you a join code so you can join his or her class section online. You’ll receive a unique code for each AP class you’re taking and will need to enter each separately. Join your AP class using the join code provided by your teacher. This will need to be completed for every AP class in which you are enrolled.
Step 2: For any class in which students are planning to test, students will need to log in to their “my AP Classroom” (through their College Board account) and click on the yellow “Register for Exam” button. Once they have done this, they will see “Registered for Exam” as well as the date and time of that exam. If they do NOT wish to test, they should choose the option on the right, “No, I wish to remove myself from taking this assessment.” (* Fill out registration information. If this is your first time joining a class, you’ll need to provide some additional information. You only have to do this once.)
Step 3: Payment - Online payment using a credit card is preferred. See below for directions.
Step 4: Confirmation - Turn in your proof of payment to your counseling office with the names of the exams you are registering for.

Cost

Payment

For Online Payment (preferred payment option), follow the steps below:

Step 1: Click “Online Payment”. The tab for Online Payments is located on the district website.
Step 2: If you do not already have a household account, you need to first create a student profile.
Step 3: Once your profile has been created, select “School Fees” from the Welcome Page (of the Online Payment tab) and then select “AP Testing.” You can also search AP Testing in the search box.
Step 4: “Add to Cart” the number of AP test(s) you will be taking.
Step 5: Check out, complete payment, and print out your receipt. Bring a copy of your online payment confirmation to the counseling office the next school day as well as a copy of your AP registration email. This step confirms that you are on our testing roster!

For payment by cash or check, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Complete the registration steps in the registration tab above.
Step 2: Bring a check made out to Rochester Community Schools (RCS) or your cash payment to your school’s counseling office. You will be given a receipt upon payment.

Payment Assistance

Students who are enrolled in the Free/Reduced Lunch Program qualify for a reduced AP exam price.

Step 1: Complete the registration steps in the registration tab above.
Step 2: Fill out the Free/Reduced Lunch release of information form.
Step 3: Bring your payment to the counseling office along with your completed Free/Reduced Lunch form to your school’s counseling office. The Free/Reduced Lunch fee is $20 per test.

*Should you not qualify for the Free/Reduced Lunch Program, but would like to be considered for a reduced exam price, please speak to your building AP coordinator.

Problems with College Board Login

Should you have a problem logging into your College Board account, you will need to contact College Board directly. DO NOT create a 2nd College Board account. This will cause issues with your score report.

AP Services for Students Hours: M-F, 9 am - 6 pm ET

Phone: 888-225-5427

AP Credit and Scores

One of the many benefits of taking an AP class is the possibility of earning college level credit based on the end of the year exam. Here you will find information about AP credit as well as how to send your scores to colleges. It is important to note that this information is meant as a guide, and it is imperative that students and parents check with universities to ensure that information has not changed. Specific colleges and areas of study within universities often have specific requirements that fall outside of general guidelines. Checking with universities is a MUST!

What does “credit” and “advanced placement” mean?

Most U.S. colleges offer credit or advanced placement, or both, for qualifying AP scores.

College Credit: Most colleges require that you earn a certain number of credits before you can graduate. Credits are a recognition of the academic work you’ve done—the classes you’ve taken and passed. You’ll usually need 120 credits to get a bachelor’s degree. Many colleges offer credit for AP scores. Suppose you earn a 4 on your AP Biology Exam, and your college grants you 8 credits for that score. That means you walk into your college with 8 credits under your belt—before you even take your first class there. Some students graduate from college early because of the credits they earn in high school through AP. This saves them money in tuition.
Advanced Placement: Many colleges recognize that your AP scores demonstrate that you already know the material in certain courses they offer. So they’ll let you skip those courses. These could be introductory courses required in your major, or core courses that the college requires all its students to take. Letting you skip these courses (so you can go right into advanced courses) is called granting you advanced placement. Some students use the advanced placement earned through AP to free up space in their schedule so they can pursue a double major or take part in an internship or other special program.
Both Credit and Placement: In some cases, you’ll get both credit and advanced placement for a qualifying AP score. You’ll earn the credits and be able to skip a course. Be sure to look at your college's credit policies when considering college credit. You can also check the College Board website: AP Credit Search.

Important Links

Sending Scores to Colleges
How to Cancel AP Scores (Request must be received by June 15 of the year you took the AP Exam).

AP Exam Resources

As you begin to prepare for your AP exams, you’ll need to consider which kinds of study tools will help you make the most of your prep time and help you meet your target score.

One of the most important study tools in your arsenal is the AP practice test. This is true no matter which AP exam you’re taking. There’s one major reason to use practice tests in your studying: so you become comfortable with the exam. The truth is that knowledge can only get you so far on AP exams—you need to be able to use that knowledge the way the College Board wants you to. If you’ve never looked at an AP question or written a practice essay, you could still be totally blindsided on test day simply because you’re confused by the way questions are written or don't know how to structure your essay.

There are three main ways AP practice exams can make your preparation process more effective:

Practice Tests Make You More Familiar With AP Format and Question Styles
Practice Tests Help You Identify Gaps in Your Knowledge and Skills
Practice Tests Track Your Progress Over Time

The College Board has the best AP practice tests. This is because they make the test! So their practice materials are going to be the most like the real test. You can even get old AP tests on the College Board website because they release complete exams every once in a while. There are three different official College Board sources you can look for:

Sample Questions From the Course and Exam Description: AP Course and Exam Description” booklet that includes AP practice questions for all sections of the exam.
Official Released Free-Response Questions: You can get released free-response questions and sample responses from many years back into the past. From the College Board’s AP exam information page, click on your desired exam; scrolling down will take you to the released free-response questions.
Complete Released AP Exams: Google the name of your exam with “previously released materials college board” or “complete released exams college board.” You should then be able to find the “previously released materials” page for your given exam.

With these tips in mind, you should be able to build a robust library of practice exam resources for your AP studying purposes!

Resources

AP Classroom

AP Classroom is a digital resource provided by College Board to schools that teach AP classes. Connect with your teacher for the code to join their AP Classroom.

AP Youtube

The AP YouTube channel has hundreds of videos that contain content reviews of all AP classes offered from AP teachers around the country selected by College Board.

AP YouTube

Khan Academy

College Board and Khan Academy have teamed up to revolutionize the way millions of students get ready for AP Exams. Get free world-class test practice and see improvements.
Khan Acadmey

Still Need Help?

Contact your AP Teacher or your home high school's AP coordinator if you still have questions, need further information or another resource.

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