Admissions Officers Beware: Some Advanced Placement Scores Are Inflated
Most frequently taken exams scored under new, relaxed system
While high school GPAs have been gliding upwards for years, college admissions officers have relied on Advanced Placement (AP) exams as a more stable, rigorous measure of college readiness. That confidence is now misplaced—at least for most of the exams that dominate the AP landscape.
The College Board has phased in a new scoring system that has inflated student results on nine of the most frequently taken AP exams. The share of students receiving the top score of 5 on these exams has jumped by an average of 61 percent in just four years. The share receiving a passing score (3 or higher) has risen by 37 percent.
Some less common AP exams still appear to function as reliable indicators of high academic achievement. But for the most popular exams, high school counselors and college admissions committees must go beyond a quick glance at the AP scores listed on an application. They now need to look closely at which AP exams a student took, and in which years.
Trevor Packer, the senior vice president in charge of AP programs, denies that any score inflation has occurred. He has described the claim that AP is being “dumbed down” as “entirely false.” This essay explains how the scoring system has changed, demonstrates that inflation has occurred, and shows why the official denials are misleading.
To read more about my analysis of AP’s new scoring system, read my full blog post at Education Next.
Paul E. Peterson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government at Harvard University.
Luka Pavikjevikj provided research assistance.