AP Capstone and AP exams

[Wrestling160]

I am currently a high school senior and I will be attending Kings Point next year and I have a couple questions regarding AP exams. I am in the process of completing an AP Capstone diploma which for those who are unfamiliar with it is taking and passing the AP Seminar, AP Research, and four other AP exams. I am at a point where I understand my AP credits will not transfer with me into college and spending a lot of money on six AP exams would not be worth it. The only thing that is still keeping this a question is that I will receive an AP Capstone seal on my diploma and will be one of the first of 15 students who started this program in my school system. Any advice would help thank you.

 

[joriebelle]

I'm confused what your two questions are. Were you asking if we thought you should take the six exams? I guess you need to answer whether you would like that as a personal achievement. It is a ton of work and I"m sure pretty stressful, but then you will receive that seal on your diploma and have the personal feeling of achievement that you were one of the first 15 students who started that program. Only you know how much that means to you.

On a lighter note, congratulations on your acceptance to KP!

 

[FMHS-79]

See page of https://www.usmma.edu/sites/usmma.e...class-2022-logging-reporting-instructions.pdf - this is the guide for the Class of 2022, but should give you an idea of the courses you may be able to get exemptions for if you score well on AP tests.

 

[Humey]

The irony being that once you graduate any college including an academy, the high school diploma doesnt seem so important. I am a CPA. On my office wall, i hang my cpa license, my diploma from AICPA and Calcpa (professional orgs) and my college diploma. My high school diploma is sitting in a draw in my side table at home. That isnt to say to you should try to get the AP capstone seal on your high school diploma, only that while it is a great achievement which you will enjoy for the next couple of years, I am not sure how much of a difference it will make in the long run.

 

[kinnem]

I can't say I'm too familiar with KP but is it possible to test out of classes there based on an AP Test score? That might make it seem worthwhile, aside from the sense of personal accomplishment. Finishing what you begin is always a good idea in my own mind, but that's just me.

 

[gabbyw]

We called to ask KP about AP exams and credit. The academic department said it depends on the exam, your score, and if that department accepts them. My son decided not to pay to take the AP exams at his school. He also felt that even if the courses were validated by KP he wasn't sure he wanted to start a rigorous KP journey with advanced classes.
That is in contrast to our oldest son who entered USAFA with AP credit (he went to a different high school where AP exams were free). He was able to validate 4 or 5 classes and jump right to the next level. He was ready for that advanced coursework and it allowed him to take more electives in his major (aero engineering) when he was a senior.
I think you need to weigh the cost of the exams, how much you want to have that special diploma, and if the AP exams will allow you to validate those courses at KP - if you are ready to take on the advance course load in addition to everything else you'll be facing your first year.

 

[kpmom2013]

My DS and DD were both IB diploma candidates. My DS (KP class of 2013) tested. It was a lot of money and added senior year stress. He advised my DD (KP class of 2021) not to bother to test and she did not. There is no advantage at KP to have these particular achievements. You will be tested during INDOC for math and English placement regardless of your AP/IB test status. So I would say you should make your own decision knowing that it will not matter at KP.

 

[Maysaber]

So I’m in a similar position as you where I have taken a number of AP classes and I have to decide whether or not to take the exams for final AP credit.

After speaking to several USMMA grads, I decided to save over 500 dollars and not take the exams. I was told that if I successfully tested out of say.. Calculus, I wouldn’t be given free time, rather, I’d be expected to take the next class in the curriculum .. calculus 2. The issue with that is, you have enough to deal with.. new regiment life, a heavy class load, sports, etc... i was told by a professor that each teacher/institution puts its own twist on teaching a subject, skipping say calculus 1 and going into calculus 2 with a twist might put more stress on you and your grades. The choice is yours, for me, You can’t graduate any sooner and since I’m not technically paying for these classes, I’ll retake them with a solid base and be ahead of the game..,, hopefully. In fact, I spent some time at Annapolis last month, I had to help the freshmen cadets win th their calculus homework. Lol!! Good luck with your choice.

 

[beyond]

So I’m in a similar position as you where I have taken a number of AP classes and I have to decide whether or not to take the exams for final AP credit.

After speaking to several USMMA grads, I decided to save over 500 dollars and not take the exams. I was told that if I successfully tested out of say.. Calculus, I wouldn’t be given free time, rather, I’d be expected to take the next class in the curriculum .. calculus 2. The issue with that is, you have enough to deal with.. new regiment life, a heavy class load, sports, etc... i was told by a professor that each teacher/institution puts its own twist on teaching a subject, skipping say calculus 1 and going into calculus 2 with a twist might put more stress on you and your grades. The choice is yours, for me, You can’t graduate any sooner and since I’m not technically paying for these classes, I’ll retake them with a solid base and be ahead of the game..,, hopefully. In fact, I spent some time at Annapolis last month, I had to help the freshmen cadets win th their calculus homework. Lol!! Good luck with your choice.

This is pretty much spot on with one caveat. Try to find a current mid who can tell you which classes you might want to place out of. When I was at KP there was only one statistics class, so I placed out of that, my best friend at school did the same thing with Econ and managed to miss the circus that was Michael Cohn. Some classes are easy to place out of, and you can just avoid the subject all together which makes life better.

 

[Mr2020]

So I’m in a similar position as you where I have taken a number of AP classes and I have to decide whether or not to take the exams for final AP credit.

After speaking to several USMMA grads, I decided to save over 500 dollars and not take the exams. I was told that if I successfully tested out of say.. Calculus, I wouldn’t be given free time, rather, I’d be expected to take the next class in the curriculum .. calculus 2. The issue with that is, you have enough to deal with.. new regiment life, a heavy class load, sports, etc... i was told by a professor that each teacher/institution puts its own twist on teaching a subject, skipping say calculus 1 and going into calculus 2 with a twist might put more stress on you and your grades. The choice is yours, for me, You can’t graduate any sooner and since I’m not technically paying for these classes, I’ll retake them with a solid base and be ahead of the game..,, hopefully. In fact, I spent some time at Annapolis last month, I had to help the freshmen cadets win th their calculus homework. Lol!! Good luck with your choice.

This is pretty much spot on with one caveat. Try to find a current mid who can tell you which classes you might want to place out of. When I was at KP there was only one statistics class, so I placed out of that, my best friend at school did the same thing with Econ and managed to miss the circus that was Michael Cohn. Some classes are easy to place out of, and you can just avoid the subject all together which makes life better.

I would want to place out of physics or calc, the first English, and Modern World with AP World History. You can't place out of statistics anymore, econ is easy now. Physics II with Serafino was a real tough class, totally worth avoiding that if you can. I thought Calc wasn't too bad.

 

[kpmom2013]

Just because you CAN place out of a class does not mean that you SHOULD. Keep in mind that placing out of classes that might be easier for you will result in a missed opportunity to keep your GPA up when you get the first C or D of your life in a difficult class.

 

[beyond]

Just because you CAN place out of a class does not mean that you SHOULD. Keep in mind that placing out of classes that might be easier for you will result in a missed opportunity to keep your GPA up when you get the first C or D of your life in a difficult class.

Ehhh. I disagree. Either you’re really smart, in which case placing out isn’t going to hurt you (you’ll make good grades in other classes) or you’re not so smart, in which case placing out will keep a hard class like physics from hurting you. When I placed out of statistics I was at a 3.3ish GPA I would have needed a B+ or better to maintain that GPA,and that would have required a lot of hustle.

I hear this advice of not placing out of classes from parents, but I don’t know of any mids that would suggest it. If you know you can get an A without studying for even a second, then go for it if you really want, but even then, having an extra 3 or 4 hours off during the week is HUGGGGEEE at KP. I’d be strategic about it, but place out of anything you can.

 

[Maysaber]

I was told that you don’t get the extra time off and that you have to take the next class. Could someone confirm this?

 

[Mr2020]

Just because you CAN place out of a class does not mean that you SHOULD. Keep in mind that placing out of classes that might be easier for you will result in a missed opportunity to keep your GPA up when you get the first C or D of your life in a difficult class.

Ehhh. I disagree. Either you’re really smart, in which case placing out isn’t going to hurt you (you’ll make good grades in other classes) or you’re not so smart, in which case placing out will keep a hard class like physics from hurting you. When I placed out of statistics I was at a 3.3ish GPA I would have needed a B+ or better to maintain that GPA,and that would have required a lot of hustle.

I hear this advice of not placing out of classes from parents, but I don’t know of any mids that would suggest it. If you know you can get an A without studying for even a second, then go for it if you really want, but even then, having an extra 3 or 4 hours off during the week is HUGGGGEEE at KP. I’d be strategic about it, but place out of anything you can.

He's right. If you can place out of anything TAKE THE CREDIT. And don't think twice. I knew I was good at Calc, so I took the A, but I didn't place out of physics, and that hurt me. I couldn't place out of physics though, because I didn't have the credit. I think you can place out of 4 classes max. I would place out of two Math/Science and 2 Humanity. Or if you know you are bad at math and science try and place out of more.

I was told that you don’t get the extra time off and that you have to take the next class. Could someone confirm this?

And no, that's not true... The rule is you have to take 12 credits per term. I placed out of English 1 a long time ago and I was taking 13 credits that term. It was really nice. I would recommend using your AP credits.

 

[KPButterflyer]

Just because you CAN place out of a class does not mean that you SHOULD. Keep in mind that placing out of classes that might be easier for you will result in a missed opportunity to keep your GPA up when you get the first C or D of your life in a difficult class.

Ehhh. I disagree. Either you’re really smart, in which case placing out isn’t going to hurt you (you’ll make good grades in other classes) or you’re not so smart, in which case placing out will keep a hard class like physics from hurting you. When I placed out of statistics I was at a 3.3ish GPA I would have needed a B+ or better to maintain that GPA,and that would have required a lot of hustle.

I hear this advice of not placing out of classes from parents, but I don’t know of any mids that would suggest it. If you know you can get an A without studying for even a second, then go for it if you really want, but even then, having an extra 3 or 4 hours off during the week is HUGGGGEEE at KP. I’d be strategic about it, but place out of anything you can.

He's right. If you can place out of anything TAKE THE CREDIT. And don't think twice. I knew I was good at Calc, so I took the A, but I didn't place out of physics, and that hurt me. I couldn't place out of physics though, because I didn't have the credit. I think you can place out of 4 classes max. I would place out of two Math/Science and 2 Humanity. Or if you know you are bad at math and science try and place out of more.

I was told that you don’t get the extra time off and that you have to take the next class. Could someone confirm this?

And no, that's not true... The rule is you have to take 12 credits per term. I placed out of English 1 a long time ago and I was taking 13 credits that term. It was really nice. I would recommend using your AP credits.

So how would we go about using our AP credits? I have 2 humanities APs (world and US history), as well as Calc AB, APLAC, and Chemistry at a 4 or above.

 

[Mr2020]

Just because you CAN place out of a class does not mean that you SHOULD. Keep in mind that placing out of classes that might be easier for you will result in a missed opportunity to keep your GPA up when you get the first C or D of your life in a difficult class.

Ehhh. I disagree. Either you’re really smart, in which case placing out isn’t going to hurt you (you’ll make good grades in other classes) or you’re not so smart, in which case placing out will keep a hard class like physics from hurting you. When I placed out of statistics I was at a 3.3ish GPA I would have needed a B+ or better to maintain that GPA,and that would have required a lot of hustle.

I hear this advice of not placing out of classes from parents, but I don’t know of any mids that would suggest it. If you know you can get an A without studying for even a second, then go for it if you really want, but even then, having an extra 3 or 4 hours off during the week is HUGGGGEEE at KP. I’d be strategic about it, but place out of anything you can.

He's right. If you can place out of anything TAKE THE CREDIT. And don't think twice. I knew I was good at Calc, so I took the A, but I didn't place out of physics, and that hurt me. I couldn't place out of physics though, because I didn't have the credit. I think you can place out of 4 classes max. I would place out of two Math/Science and 2 Humanity. Or if you know you are bad at math and science try and place out of more.

I was told that you don’t get the extra time off and that you have to take the next class. Could someone confirm this?

And no, that's not true... The rule is you have to take 12 credits per term. I placed out of English 1 a long time ago and I was taking 13 credits that term. It was really nice. I would recommend using your AP credits.

So how would we go about using our AP credits? I have 2 humanities APs (world and US history), as well as Calc AB, APLAC, and Chemistry at a 4 or above.

AP US History is worthless, AP World History gets you out of Modern World at KP and exempt that, but its a senior class so you have to wait. That class was pretty bad. Calc AB would probably work for Calc 1, I would exempt that. Assuming APLAC is language arts that's English 1 and I would exempt that too. I believe Chem needs a 5 on the AP exam, but the others are fine with 4.

If they make you take another course in place of exempted classes just do it. Certain terms suck, and you could potentially alleviate that by taking more classes earlier on.

 

[Pmaclax]

AP US History is worthless, AP World History gets you out of Modern World at KP and exempt that, but its a senior class so you have to wait. That class was pretty bad. Calc AB would probably work for Calc 1, I would exempt that. Assuming APLAC is language arts that's English 1 and I would exempt that too. I believe Chem needs a 5 on the AP exam, but the others are fine with 4.

If they make you take another course in place of exempted classes just do it. Certain terms suck, and you could potentially alleviate that by taking more classes earlier on.

Can someone confirm AP US History is still worthless please. I see this class listed as required for freshman HIST300 US History.
Found at this link. https://catalog.usmma.edu/mime/media/3/246/Class+of+2024.pdf

 

[randomplebe]

There's a limit now on what you can test out of, I know prepsters that are being required to take classes they "tested out" of because they decided to test out of too many classes. I would definitely pursue testing out of Chemistry, especially if you're going the marine transportation route, because you only take One Chemistry. If you want to know more about the process of testing out just hit me up I will go through that with you.

You cannot test out of world history and it's next to impossible to test out of English. In the entire class of 2025, only four plebes were granted exemptions for English this year.

 

[dakiti~]

There's a limit now on what you can test out of, I know prepsters that are being required to take classes they "tested out" of because they decided to test out of too many classes. I would definitely pursue testing out of Chemistry, especially if you're going the marine transportation route, because you only take One Chemistry. If you want to know more about the process of testing out just hit me up I will go through that with you.

You cannot test out of world history and it's next to impossible to test out of English. In the entire class of 2025, only four plebes were granted exemptions for English this year.

That's a good idea to test out Chemistry for marine transportation. Can they allow to test out Econ too? And how long is the assessment test in general?

 

[acpacesetter]

There's a limit now on what you can test out of, I know prepsters that are being required to take classes they "tested out" of because they decided to test out of too many classes. I would definitely pursue testing out of Chemistry, especially if you're going the marine transportation route, because you only take One Chemistry. If you want to know more about the process of testing out just hit me up I will go through that with you.

You cannot test out of world history and it's next to impossible to test out of English. In the entire class of 2025, only four plebes were granted exemptions for English this year.

For Marine Transportation, can you test out of Calc 1? Would you advise against doing that? Also is the calculus at KP calculator or no calculator?