Since many high schools offer AP classes to their seniors, or to their juniors and seniors, you should gain some understanding about the significance of those classes during your sophomore year. That way, if you're interested in taking an AP class, you'll have plenty of time to talk to your counselor before you select your 11th grade classes.

AP classes are taught at a higher level than normal high school classes. When taught well, they are as challenging as many freshman-level college classes. For example, AP U.S. History is designed to be as challenging as a freshman U.S. history class at the typical college.

At the end of your AP class, you can choose to take the AP Exam, which is administered across the country in May. The exam is pretty tough, but if your class has been taught well and if you have earned an A or a B in the class, you should be fairly well prepared for the exam. By taking the exam, you have a chance to earn college credit for the course.

The AP Exams are scored on a scale from 1 to 5, with a score of 5 being the highest. Each college determines whether or not they will accept AP credit and, if so, what score you need. For example, Typical University (yes, a fictitious university invented for the sake of this example) will give you credit for their freshman English class if you earn a 3 or higher on the AP English Language Exam. Difficult University might also give you credit, but only if you earn a 4 or higher. When you earn college credit for a course, it means you will not be required to take that course in college. It will be as if you've already taken it!

So, when you think about it, there are actually three important things that result from taking an AP class:

1. Colleges will be impressed that you challenged yourself by taking such a difficult class.
   
   
2. The grade you earn in the class will impact your cumulative GPA, and will also be noticed by college admissions officers. High grades in AP classes are considered quite impressive. This grade also might be weighted at your high school, meaning that it will have a bigger impact on your GPA than a grade in a regular course. Ask your counselor if your high school weights grades. If they do, that's an added incentive for taking one.
   
   
3. If you take the AP Exam at the end of the course, a high grade on the exam might earn you college credit. For example, if you get a 4 on the AP Biology exam, you might earn credit for a three-hour freshman biology course at State U. If you attend State U., you will already have three hours of credit before you even start, and you won't have to take freshman biology in college. This could save you a lot of money, since college classes are very expensive. Imagine if you do well on two or three AP exams, and as a consequence you "test out" of two or three college classes. It could mean a savings of thousands of dollars, and will also mean you can enroll in fewer hours per semester and still graduate on time.