In the year 2014, 71% of the 271,043 students who took the AP US History exam scored a 3 or
below out of 5. AP US History, perhaps the most popular AP class to take at Langley, is also known to be one of the most challenging courses to take. In Virginia, 46.6% of test-takers (27,893 students) met the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark.The big question is which is harder- the AP exam or the SAT?
The Scholastic Aptitude Test, more commonly known as the SAT, is usually taken by high school
juniors. One thing I like about this test is that it is offered in the fall and spring so that students can have more than one chance to receive the score that they would like to send to colleges. The AP Exam on the other hand is only given once, and dictates how many credits a student will have when beginning their college years. This is the reason that many more students, including me, are stressed out when it comes to the time to take AP Exam.
When taking the Advanced Placement Exam, (though it differentiates between subjects) there is
a multiple choice section and an essay section, making the exam a total of four hours to take. The SAT has a much less painful twenty minute essay portion and 10 sections of multiple choice questions. The multiple choice questions only test students on mathematics learned through Algebra 2, as well as vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. All of these components make for a little longer than a three hour test that is a little less tortuous.
Overall, because students get multiple chances to take the SAT and it is shorter, the Scholastic Aptitude Test is much easier than the AP Exams. The best way to make sure that both tests are easy is to come prepared and try your best.