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Ambitious college-bound U.South. high school students go on to accept a deep disfavor to math and science, according to my reading of the latest Avant-garde Placement (AP) exam data released by the College Lath on February 11, 2014. In this table I compiled of the top 10 subjects, merely Calculus AB (the easier of the two math tests) makes it into the peak five. Physics and information science aren't in the running.

10 Well-nigh Popular AP Exams for the Class of 2013

AP Subject

Total Number of Exams Taken past the Class of 2013 During High School

3+

("qualified" in subject)

v

(top score)

1

English Language and Composition

390,754

57.6%

ix.viii%

two

United States History

366,641

52.1%

10.5%

3

English Literature and Composition

325,108

55%

half-dozen.8%

4

Calculus AB

223,444

57.7%

22.half-dozen%

5

Usa Regime and Politics

216,944

50.5%

11.ane%

half dozen

Psychology

199,222

66%

20.iii%

seven

World History

175,065

47.2%

8.3%

8

Biological science

162,381

55.half-dozen%

12.7%

9

Statistics

141,335

56.9%

12%

ten

Chemistry

107,431

54.5%

15.7%

Information technology's relatively hard to get a 5 in these popular subjects, except for calculus and psychology, in which more a fifth of the test takers do. I wonder if that's because these English and history exams are harder? Or is it that a broader range of students is attempting these "softer" subjects?

For the fun of information technology, I made a table of the least popular AP subjects and, not surprisingly, foreign languages dominate. I was surprised that only i science course (Physics) was among them. What really pops out, however, are the crazy high scores for Chinese. More than than 70% of the test takers are getting 5's. Wowza! Mostly, the scores are higher for these less popular exams.

10 To the lowest degree Popular AP Exams for the Course of 2013

AP Field of study

Full Number of Exams Taken by the Class of 2013 During High School

3+

("qualified" in subject field)

5

(summit score)

one

Japanese Language and Culture

one,477

71.9%

38.2%

2

Italian Language and Culture

1,495

68%

13.6%

3

Studio Art: iii-D Blueprint

three,261

65.vii%

10.1%

4

Latin

3,545

58.5%

12.9%

five

German Language and Civilization

4,152

74.1%

18.9%

6

Chinese Language and Culture

5,684

94.half-dozen%

70.ane%

7

Studio Art: Drawing

xiii,098

77.5%

fourteen.viii%

8

Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

14,045

67.four%

27.9%

nine

French Language and Civilisation

fourteen,121

73.3%

fourteen.2%

10

Spanish Literature and Civilisation

15,249

68%

8.9%

I drilled a bit deeper into the College Lath's report on the Chinese language subject test and learned that 90.viii% of the test takers are "Asian, Asian-American or Pacific Islander." Presumably, many of these students speak some Mandarin at dwelling. For students who finish upward going to colleges that grant credits for loftier AP scores, that's a clever way to reduce college costs. The College Board has a searchable database on what every higher and university'due south AP credit policy is. I was surprised to come across that even Harvard will grant students permit yous relieve tuition if you get a 5 on at least four AP tests. (Check the fine print. Harvard docks some AP tests by one-half.)

Overall, the Higher Board is very successful in getting more than students to take AP exams. Despite criticism of the curriculum, in that location seems to exist no slow down to the proliferation of AP courses. Total AP exams taken have more than doubled in the past decade to 3.2 million past the high school class of 2013. The high schoolhouse class of 2003 took a total of i.iii one thousand thousand exams. Even in the past year, the number of exams has increased 10 pct from 2.nine one thousand thousand exams taken past the high schoolhouse class of 2012.

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Jill Barshay writes the weekly "Proof Points" cavalcade nearly education research and data, roofing a range of topics from early childhood to higher teaching. She taught algebra to 9th-graders for...