Does anyone here know if it's possible for an adult with a bachelor's degree to take AP exams? I know that these exams are normally administered by participating high schools to their own students, but I'm hoping that it's possible for anyone to take them.
If it's there, I couldn't find it. The information all seems to be targeted at high school students and their parents. I was hoping that someone here might have direct or indirect experience with taking these exams as an adult.
I believe anyone can take them, but how would you get credit for them? I believe they test credit at the freshman/sophmore level. If you already have a Bachelors degree, I can't see how they would be of benefit.
If someone wants to pursue a graduate or professional degree in a field unrelated to their previous studies, it may be necessary to take certain background courses. For example, pharmacy programs require numerous freshman and sophomore level science courses as prerequisites to admission, and AP exams could reduce the time it would take to satisfy these requirements. I imagine that this scenario is not terribly unusual.
I am probably wrong but I really thought they were at the really basic introductory level. Also, just taking the tests would not necessarily satisfy the grad school requirements. In any event good luck in your search.
Depending upon the score and the school, the AP exams can result in credit for, e.g.: the first two semesters (8 credits) of chemistry for science majors, with lab; the first two semesters (8 credits) of biology for science majors, with lab; etc. This can sometimes result in credit for required background courses, where the corresponding CLEP exam may not (depending upon the school). Also, the AP exams are offered in some subjects that don't have a corresponding CLEP exam. A combination of AP and CLEP exams can generally be used to satisfy requirements for the first year of science courses for science majors, which can save quite a bit of time for someone with a degree unrelated to the natural sciences who is looking to pursue a degree in another field, such as pharmacy.
Dear Mr. Rients: As you've discovered, if there is some way for a non-highschool student to take AP tests, no one knows about it. (This question has come up before, and the garnered replies were as useless as those you have received.) Among your viable alternatives, you might want to consider "College Credit by Examination" (CCE) tests administered by UNC (http://www.fridaycenter.unc.edu/iscatalog/creditby.html) or Ohio University (http://www.ohiou.edu/independent/ccewords.htm), as well as CLEP & DANTES exams. While the information would come too late to do me any good, if you discover anything useful about AP tests for adults, perhaps you'll be good enough to share the information. Cordially, Richard Kanarek
