Advanced Placement FAQs

• Am I eligible to enroll in AP courses?
• Can I enroll in AP courses even though I am not in high school yet?
• How many AP courses can a student take?
• Why do students enroll in AP courses and take AP exams?
• Are CTY Online Programs AP courses approved by the College Board?
• Do CTY Online Programs AP science courses include labs?
• When are AP courses offered?
• Can students take an AP course for review and not for a grade?
• Can I take a vacation during my CTY Online Programs AP course?
• Will I be able to access course materials to study for the AP exam?
• Where can I take the AP exams?
• How can I get more information about the AP exams?
• What codes should CTY Online Programs students enter on their College Board AP application forms?

Am I eligible to enroll in AP courses?

To see the programs and courses for which you are eligible, check the CTY Eligibility Assessment if you have test scores for SCAT, STB, SAT, PSAT 8/9 or ACT tests, or check the tables showing eligibility guidelines on the Eligibility page. You should also review the course descriptions by clicking on the course title in the Course Catalog, since many courses have prerequisites.

Can I enroll in AP courses even though I am not in high school yet?

Some, but not all, AP courses are restricted to students in grade 9 and above; check course descriptions for more details prior to enrolling.

If a student wishes to take an AP-level Online Programs course prior to 9th grade and receive school credit, the student must obtain approval from their school prior to enrolling in the course. If the student’s school approves the student to take a CTY AP course for school credit, please note that the student may not use AP courses taken prior to 9th grade for college credit. Only AP courses taken in 9th grade and beyond will be eligible for college advanced placement credit by the enrolling institution. With the exception of World Language course, the AP label cannot be affixed to courses and school transcripts prior to ninth grade.

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How many AP courses can a student take?

CTY Online Programs AP courses are demanding and require a significant time commitment. (For example, AP Physics 1 requires 20 hours per week during spring and summer.) Students should not attempt more than one AP course at a time. Students considering enrolling in multiple AP courses at one time should first confer with program administration by email before registering.

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Why do students enroll in AP courses and take AP exams?

Students who undertake AP level course work in high school demonstrate their readiness for college-level work and their willingness to tackle challenging academic material. Many universities and colleges award advanced standing or credit for college-level courses based on the scores a student achieves on AP tests taken in high school. Depending on the university's policies, the student may be able to begin studying the subject at a higher level or be awarded credit that will count toward a degree with that university. Policies about awards, advanced standing, and required AP scores vary by university. Some AP courses also prepare students to take SAT Subject Tests.

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Are CTY Online Programs AP courses approved by the College Board?

All CTY Online Programs courses with “AP” in the title have been reviewed and approved by the College Board to use the "AP" designation. To view the College Board’s AP Course Ledger that lists all AP courses offered worldwide that were reviewed by the Advanced Placement Program Audit and are authorized to include the “AP” designation, visit the AP Course Ledger website and type in "Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University" as the high school name.

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Do CTY Online Programs AP science courses include labs?

CTY Online Programs AP science courses include 20-25 (depending on the course) "hybrid labs."  Our Hybrid labs include both hands-on experiments that students can safely perform at home with easy to obtain materials, and virtual experiments for components of the labs that would not be feasible for students to do at home. Our virtual experiments are real experiments (not simulations), and each student's results differ according to the accuracy and precision of his or her data-gathering techniques. Students who enroll in our AP Chemistry course must purchase a chemistry kit containing chemicals and instruments necessary for the hands-on experiments. (Please note that this is not included in the course tuition.) This combined hands-on and virtual approach allows students to develop practical skills in manipulating instruments and materials, and to perform multiple trials of lab procedures that would be dangerous, costly, and time-consuming in the physical lab. In CTY Online Programs AP science courses, students perform all of the labs on which they will be tested on the AP exams.

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When are CTY's AP courses offered?

All CTY Online Programs AP courses are offered in a session-based format, with specific start and end dates. All courses are offered during 30-week sessions in the fall; most are also offered during intensive 12-week winter, spring and summer sessions. Students receive a course schedule specifying due dates for assignments and tests. View the AP Calendar for specific start and end dates.

AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, Calculus C, and AP Statistics are also offered in the individually paced format. Students may enroll in AP Calculus and AP Statistics at any time during the year.  Students intending to take one of the AP exams should enroll by early January at the latest to allow enough time to complete the course before the AP tests in May.

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Can students take an AP course for review and not for a grade?

CTY allows a student to audit an online course. To audit an online course means:

• The course is not taken for a grade.
• A student on audit status still has access to all course materials and their CTY Online Programs instructor, who will meet with the student as needed, monitor progress, email weekly as usual, and send grades or feedback as appropriate.
• A student on audit status taking any graded assessments must follow all exam, course and CTY policies (in particular, the honor code).
• No course completion documents (for individually paced courses) or final evaluations (for session-based courses) will be sent once the enrollment ends.
• An audited course will not appear on the student’s official academic record.

A student can go on audit status at any time during their enrollment, but cannot go back and cannot re-take an audited class for a grade. A student cannot audit a course if the student is on a provisional admission.  Auditing a course does not satisfy any prerequisite conditions for future courses that require successful completion of the course taken for audit. There is no change in tuition for a student on audit status.

To go on audit status, a parent/guardian must send an email request to the instructor.

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Can I take a vacation during my CTY Online Programs AP course?

In general, students who are unable to participate in a session-based AP course for an extended period of time are discouraged from applying for that session. Students who will be away for a vacation (one week or less) should let the instructor know as early in the session as possible. The instructor will try to work with them to arrange a schedule for make-up assignments.

Students in the individually paced AP Calculus and AP Statistics courses are the exception to this general rule. AP Calculus and AP Statistics students can pause their time through MyCTY if they will be away for 7 days or longer. Pause requests cannot be made retroactively, or by phone, email, or through the student’s instructor. 

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Will I be able to access course materials to study for the AP exam?

Students will be able to access their session-based AP courses for review until the next AP test dates. Students enrolled in individually paced AP courses (AP Calculus and AP Statistics) will have access to the course content while the course is active. Once an individually paced AP course is complete, students will no longer have access to the online course materials.

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Where can I take the AP exams?

AP Examinations begin in early May, and it is your responsibility to register your student for the exam by late October. Registration information and test dates can be found on the College Board website. While there, please review the official testing calendar.   

Communicate with your school counselor or local high school for guidance on where to take the AP exam. AP exams are not administered at CTY.

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How can I get more information about the AP exams?

The College Board offers Advanced Placement Examinations each May. You must register and pay a fee for each test. Contact the College Board for information about registration and testing dates, fees, and application information.

It is very important to begin this process early. Students considering applying to specific colleges or universities may want to review those institutions' AP credit policies. Information about the AP exams is also available from AP Central on the College Board website, where a list of AP exam dates is posted.

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What codes should CTY Online Programs students enter on their College Board AP application forms?

The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth School Code is 992101. Please use School Code 992101 when completion the registration form for an AP exam. On the day of the exam, students should provide the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Online Provider Code 062.

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