Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments How many is too many when it comes to AP?

A friend's son took over 16 AP exams, a few years back. He won a national prestigious award. His mother didn't want him to take as many AP classes as he did, it was all student driven. What the kid did not do was take 16 AP classes. Ones does not NEED to take a class to take the AP exam, and a number of them he just studies for the test. The kid loved it, he went to Cal Tech and is very happy there.

That said it is fairly normal these days for top honors kids at my sons High School to take 8-10 AP classes/exams. Starting with AP US in sophomore year. And then during the junior/senior year taking almost nothing but AP's. Top students typically take two English AP exams, US History, AP Government (semester), AP Economics (semester), AP Calculus and either AP Stats or AP Computer Science. At least 2 of AP Biology, AP Chemistry and AP Physics. And possibly one or more of AP World History, AP Music Theory, AP Psychology, or AP Art History depending on interest.

It's a different world out there in High School. The 8-10 above seem to many too me, and I already know my son won't be taking hat many. But I do expect that he will at least take 4, and probably more.

And the answer is YES the kids are extremely stressed out. Many of these kids are doing nothing but studying. Two of my best friends have high school juniors, and neither of them will have a life until AP exams are over in May. Some take the class without taking the exam particularly in senior year where the tests aren't needed for college apps, and the school they are going to limits the number of AP credits they transfer anyway.