I love a good bargain and here’s a great one… 3 to 6 college hours for under a hundred dollars. I’m talking about your child earning college credit by self-studying and passing AP tests. Homeschoolers do it all the time, and so do CBHS students. Your student can take an AP test in a subject that CBHS doesn’t offer or in one that CBHS does offer but that he or she is not enrolled in. The tests will cost you $83 plus the cost of a good prep manual, which is crucial. These are usually $12-17 from Amazon.com or more at your local Barnes and Noble store. Flipping through these prep manuals at a bookstore is a great way to see if your child thinks he or she can handle the test.
Word on the street (sites like College Confidential) is that the easiest subjects to self study are Computer Science, Environmental Science and Statistics. But CBHS is blessed with at least one outstanding Honors English teacher and his top students have been known to parlay all the hard work in his class into high scores on the AP English Language exam.
If you want to have your child sign up for an AP test and he or she is not taking the class, Dr. Ed Pisani is the coordinator of testing this year and he is the one you should contact (x230). The College Board lists a March deadline but I’d play it safe and call Dr. Pisani in February.
