Your AP Score
The College Board grades AP exams on a scale from 1 to 5 with each grade meaning the following:
5: Extremely well qualified
4: Well qualified
3: Qualified
2: Possibly qualified
1: No recommendation
In practice, most colleges require at least a 3 and many of the more selective universities demand a 4 or 5 before granting credit.
Who Sees Your Scores?
In July, AP grades are sent to you, your high school, and the college you designated when you signed up for the test. For an $8 fee, you can receive them by phone on July 1. These transcripts contain the scores from all the AP exams you have ever taken—this year's results and the results of exams you may have taken in previous years.
You can have your transcript sent to as many additional colleges as you want for $15 each. Or you can have your scores withheld or even cancelled if you contact the College Board before July 15. Generally speaking, if you are a senior, you do not want to cancel; most colleges have already made their decisions. If you are a junior and are certain you did not do well, you might want to cancel the scores and take the test again during your senior year. If you do not cancel the score, you can still take the exam again, but both scores will show up on your transcript.
