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Articles / Applying to College / Are AP Exam Scores Accurate?

Are AP Exam Scores Accurate?

Sally Rubenstone
Written by Sally Rubenstone | July 16, 2020
Are AP Exam Scores Accurate?
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Are AP Scores Accurate?

How Can I Tell If My AP Scores Are Accurate?

From the Dean:

I'm not sure what you mean by “accurate." Are you worried that your exam was not graded properly or merely that the score doesn't reflect your true ability?

If you suspect that there might have been an error in the scoring of multiple choice section, you can order a rescoring of your answer sheet. See this link to order yours. This service costs $30 per exam, must be requested by October 31 (in the fall after the test was given) and can take up two months (!) to be completed.

You can also request a copy of your “Free-Response" booklet. This costs only $10 per exam (and is only available for the most recent exam administration), but it does NOT include any comments or grades. There is no re-scoring service offered for free responses nor is there any avenue offered for appealing your score. You can find additional information about this service and its deadlines here.

If you suspect scoring mistakes, you might want to spend the 30 bucks on the Multiple-Choice Rescore Service, even if the odds are slim that errors were actually made. But, given what college costs these days, the price of a pizza or two could bring you some peace of mind … or perhaps even some “I told you so" satisfaction.

Good luck!

About the Ask the Dean Column

Sally Rubenstone is a veteran of the college admissions process and is the co-author of three books covering admissions. She worked as a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years and has also served as an independent college counselor, in addition to working as a senior advisor at College Confidential since 2002. If you'd like to submit a question to The Dean please email us at editorial@collegeconfidential.com.

Written by

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.

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