AP stands for Advanced Placement, which is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers college-level courses and exams that high school students can take, and colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere may grant placement and course credit to students who obtain qualifying scores on the examinations. AP courses are designed to give students the experience of an intro-level college class while theyre still in high school, and they are associated with a large test that occurs at the end of the year and usually consists of a multiple-choice and writing portion. Depending on the students performance on the AP test, they will be given a score from one to five (1-5), with a three being good, a four being really good, and a five being outstanding. AP courses give students an opportunity to challenge themselves in a particular field of interest, and research consistently shows that AP students are better prepared for college than students who don’t take AP, regardless of their exam score. AP scores won’t affect a students high school GPA or their chances of college admission, but good AP scores can earn them college credit.