AP

Some, perhaps more academically oriented students, take APs just for the challenge and to study something of interest.

However there are a host of very good reasons to take the AP beyond academic interest. These for the most part centre on financial gain, getting into a preferred university, and/or onto specific, popular or just more advanced courses.

AP exams do all of these wonderful things because they earn college credit. This can be exchanged for time - to leapfrog courses that otherwise could take up to a year.

Given the fees US institutions charge, shortening the number of terms spent at university could seriously reduce the size of a student loan and financial commitment.

AP exams are not required for university placement, although universities may well look to see if you are taking them, how many, and even how well you do, to determine how closely your academic profile aligns with your school report card.

Taking an AP course demonstrates you are capable of handling college-level work.

If you are interested in a specific subject, there is also no better way to demonstrate that than taking its associated AP exam(s).

There is no coursework for AP - your results are based on examinations taken at the end of the period of study. These are scored between 1 and 5, with anything above 3 considered passing.

Not every US curriculum school in the UAE will offer AP, but good ones will do. Some schools have prerequisite courses you have to take before you can sign up for an AP class.

Note, schools will not offer all of the AP courses listed below. However even where this is the case, there are often other ways you can take the AP course - even if only through a third party provider.

AP Capstone
AP Research
AP Seminar

Arts
AP Art History
AP Music Theory
AP Studio Art: 2-D Design
AP Studio Art: 3-D Design
AP Studio Art: Drawing

English
AP English Language and Composition
AP English Literature and Composition

History & Social Science
AP Comparative Government and Politics
AP European History
AP Human Geography
AP Macroeconomics
AP Microeconomics
AP Psychology
AP United States Government and Politics
AP United States History
AP World History

Math & Computer Science
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
AP Computer Science A
AP Computer Science Principles
AP Statistics

Sciences
AP Biology
AP Chemistry
AP Environmental Science
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
AP Physics C: Mechanics
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based

World Languages & Cultures
AP Chinese Language and Culture
AP French Language and Culture
AP German Language and Culture
AP Italian Language and Culture
AP Japanese Language and Culture
AP Latin
AP Spanish Language and Culture
AP Spanish Literature and Culture

For more information on Advanced Placements, visit the official site here.

5 Hong Kong Schools offering AP