How Important Are AP Exams to Colleges?

AP exams matter. A lot. More than they used to, honestly.

Sure, colleges love to drop buzzwords like “holistic” and “test-optional” like confetti—but behind the scenes, they’re still hunting for real, national-level proof that your kid can compete. Especially if you’re coming from a public school that isn’t already on admissions officers’ radar.

GPAs Are Inflated—And Colleges Know It

Let’s start here: grades are no longer the gold standard.

Colleges love a strong GPA, sure, but they also know those numbers are messy. Some high schools inflate like crazy. Others grade like your kid is applying to NASA. It’s completely inconsistent, and admissions officers are drowning in straight-As.

So, how do they figure out which students are academically strong? They look for standardized proof—something that measures every applicant uniformly, across every school in the country.

That’s where AP exams come in.

AP Exams Are National Proof of Talent

When your kid takes an AP exam, they’re not just competing with classmates—they’re going toe-to-toe with students nationwide. A 5 on AP Calc BC? That’s not a fluke. That’s a signal.

Colleges don’t say this out loud, but they trust AP scores more than they trust a perfect GPA from a school they’ve never heard of. Especially now, when so many schools are test-optional and the old data points have disappeared.

And that brings us to this:

SAT Subject Tests Are Gone—APs Replaced Them

Remember SAT Subject Tests? If not, don’t worry, most people outside this world don’t.

Here’s the deal: SAT Subject Tests were 1-hour, multiple-choice exams you could take in specific subjects (like Math, Literature, Chemistry) to prove strength in that area. They used to be the go-to move for high-achieving kids trying to show subject mastery.

Then in 2021, the College Board scrapped them entirely. Poof. Gone.

Which means AP exams? They’re now it. They’re the closest thing left to a trusted, subject-specific, national signal of academic strength.

As Summit Prep put it: in a post-subject-test world, AP scores are “essential context.” Translation? Colleges lean on them more than ever, especially for students applying into STEM, business, or selective programs that demand academic rigor.

If You’re Not at a Fancy High School, APs Are Even More Important

Let’s be real. If your child goes to a top-tier, name-brand prep school, colleges already have a sense of how hard the coursework is.

But if you’re coming from a public school in a district the admissions officer has never heard of? You need a way to stand out.

That’s what AP scores do. They say, “Yes, I got As. But I also crushed a national exam. My performance wasn’t handed to me. I earned it.”

This is especially true for first-gen students, public school kids, and students from under-resourced areas. AP scores can level the playing field in ways that transcripts alone simply can't.

Should You Submit the Score? Yes—If It’s Strong

If your child receives a 4 or 5 on an AP exam, they should definitely report it. Even to test-optional schools. Even if a teacher says, “It’s just for placement.”

That score might be the deciding factor between being waitlisted and receiving an offer. It’s proof of work ethic, intellectual ability, and follow-through. It’s also a subtle way of saying: “Hey, I didn’t just take the class. I mastered it.”

Top Dog Covers Every AP. And We Know What We’re Doing.

Top Dog College Admissions offers support for every AP subject under the sun—from APUSH to AP Physics C. We’re not pulling lesson plans off the internet. We work with students one-on-one, helping them understand why the right answer is right and how to outsmart the test.

Our tutors? They’ve gotten 5s themselves. They’re brilliant, relatable, and trained to turn your kid’s stress into strategy.

This isn’t about test mania or perfectionism. This is about giving your child an edge in an increasingly unpredictable, often unfair system.

If they want a shot at selective colleges, and especially if they’re not coming from a school with built-in prestige, AP exams are their best shot at proving they belong.

So yes, it’s worth it to study hard. It’s worth it to aim high. And it’s worth it to submit that score.

Let the work speak for itself—and make sure colleges hear it.