AP tests are too expensive

[Obnoxious]

Damn this price of education!! What happened to American socialism?!?!

[swansont]

Are they more expensive than the college credits for which you might exchange them?

[ecoli]

Damn this price of education!! What happened to American socialism?!?!

 

My high school used to pay for them, for everyone, not just on financial need basis. Of course, you were required to take an AP test if you took the class.

 

It seems, however, that I graduated just in time. My high school has gotten rid of about 3/4 of it's AP program (actually, it wasn't even that big) and replaced it with "college courses" offering credit from Syracuse university. Those credits don't transfer to Ivy league or many other schools. The classes, for credit, would be about $800 per class, and, to put the icing on the cake, if you don't pay for the credits, you're not allowed to take the class.

 

Why did they get rid of AP classes, you ask? Because the administrators claim that our students - our white-bred, middle-class, affluent students - couldn't handle an AP level class. What a load of bullshit. They just don't realize that they hired shit teachers, and pay them far too much money. In my AP Bio class, I'm one of the few who got a 5, which I accomplished by learning the course on my own.

 

The few good AP teachers we've had (my AP US history teacher comes to mind) were so good, that they were promoted out of the classroom and into administration. The new teacher, so I've heard, has no idea how to teach an AP class, and spends most of his time teaching the students mundane details, when you're supposed to focus and major themes... and how to write large research papers... which you don't need for the test. The only good teacher left in AP English.

 

/rant.

[AzurePhoenix]

We had AP that we had to pay for, as well as college-classes that only cost about two hundred, with credits that were accepted at most colleges and universities.

[-Demosthenes-]

My high school used to pay for them, for everyone, not just on financial need basis. Of course, you were required to take an AP test if you took the class.

 

It seems, however, that I graduated just in time. My high school has gotten rid of about 3/4 of it's AP program (actually, it wasn't even that big) and replaced it with "college courses" offering credit from Syracuse university. Those credits don't transfer to Ivy league or many other schools. The classes, for credit, would be about $800 per class, and, to put the icing on the cake, if you don't pay for the credits, you're not allowed to take the class.

 

Why did they get rid of AP classes, you ask? Because the administrators claim that our students - our white-bred, middle-class, affluent students - couldn't handle an AP level class. What a load of bullshit. They just don't realize that they hired shit teachers, and pay them far too much money. In my AP Bio class, I'm one of the few who got a 5, which I accomplished by learning the course on my own.

 

The few good AP teachers we've had (my AP US history teacher comes to mind) were so good, that they were promoted out of the classroom and into administration. The new teacher, so I've heard, has no idea how to teach an AP class, and spends most of his time teaching the students mundane details, when you're supposed to focus and major themes... and how to write large research papers... which you don't need for the test. The only good teacher left in AP English.

 

We had a good Ap Bio teacher, he invented some kind of medical test for a chemical in blood, and now it's the standard test for the chemical (I can't remember what it is). Yeah, so he's rich and he teaches for fun (or he used to, he retired last year).

 

The AP bio test was the easier one I took last year, I got a 4. It did cost me like 80 for each test bucks, but at 8 credits (each) I'll take it.

[Mokele]

Ditto what Demosthenes said: I spent $70 to take the AP bio test, and it got me out of 3 quarters (fall, winter, spring, rather than semesters) of intro to bio, which would have cost a total of $3600.

[ecoli]

You guys are lucky, then. I only got out of 1 semester out BIO 150, just 4 measley credits.

[Bluenoise]

Just wait if you want to take the GRE. It comes with no classes, it can't be used as a credit. You basically pay $150 to sit in a room with 50 other people for 3 hours and fill in ovals. What a scam.

[ecoli]

Just wait if you want to take the GRE. It comes with no classes, it can't be used as a credit. You basically pay $150 to sit in a room with 50 other people for 3 hours and fill in ovals. What a scam.

 

SAT's is the high school version... only $20 but plenty of 3 hour oval-filling and no credit.

 

But, I thought GRE was an internet-based test now.

[Obnoxious]

Oh well, I guess it's about time I find myself a job...Oh well, at least I could still take community college courses for free.

[ecoli]

Oh well, I guess it's about time I find myself a job...Oh well, at least I could still take community college courses for free.

 

What community college are you going to??

[Mokele]

But, I thought GRE was an internet-based test now.

 

The GRE general is computer-based, but not online. You still have to go to a test center and take it there. The GRE subject tests, however, are still paper/pencil.

[Bluenoise]

Right I did the biochem subject test.

 

Basically this is what I believe happened. A buch of guys at Stanford were sitting around thinking geeze we need a way to make alot of money fast we need a scam. Hey! lots of people think we're really smart so why don't we put together a test to test if people are smart and make it mandator for admittance to higher level education. That way we can force them to pay us for basically nothing, because they have no other choice if they want to suceed. We'll just claim that we're the smart autority and take it from there.

 

Oh did I forget to mention that it's an additional $20 per school if you want to request a copy of your results sent to a school?

[Mokele]

I had to do both, and I need to do the general *again* sometime before I apply for PhD position, because my other scores are already just over 5 years old (long story).

 

Welcome to the "$400 and 9 hours of my life which I'll never get back" show!

[Bluenoise]

It's pretty rediculous.

 

They have it pretty sweet though. They have a manopoly on something that people are forced to buy if they want to continue with education. So they just charge the most that they can possible charge and get away with.

 

Yeah I think I'm going to take the general test as well soon. I'm probably going to need it unfortunatley.

[Obnoxious]

I'm still in high school, so I get to take community college courses (namely at East Los Angles Community College and Pasadena Community College) for free (w00t California)!!