Weeellllllllll, not necessarily, taking IB, AP level high school courses are not recognized by SA. Why you may ask? When you look across the country not all high schools offer this level of course work. And since SA select candidates for an appointment from all congressional districts that give nominations. This is why so many will tell you your competition is primarily from your congressional district. The most competitive and not surprising best and brightest, because of the competitiveness come from the north eastern area, Texas and So Cal areas. However, for your Plan B and C, I would encourage you to these courses if available at your school. Thus class ranking and GPA are extremely important to achieve the highest possible above the top 15 percent, plus be involved in team sports and seek leadership opportunities in scouts, Boys/Girls State, community organizations and clubs. Soon, during your sophomore year, you'll have the opportunity to take the PSAT, I too encourage you to take the ACT/SAT tests as many times as possible and continue to better your score.
Push Hard, Press Forward