AN ANALYSIS OF ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP^®) EXAMINATIONS IN ECONOMICS AND COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Abstract

Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) Examinations in Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Comparative Government and Politics were studied to examine college course performance and gender differences. It was concluded that students who had received college credit for AP performed as well or better in higher‐level college courses in Macroeconomics and Microeconomics than students who had not taken AP courses. Gender differences in performance were observed in all three examinations, but the greatest gender differences, favoring male students, were observed for Comparative Government and Politics. A survey of instructors of Comparative Government and Politics indicated that only a small percentage of instructors had observed gender differences in performance in their courses, however.

A Narrow Escape

“…Students who received credit for introductory courses based on success on AP exams have been compared in subsequent courses to those who took the college introductory courses. Those students who earned AP credit received significantly higher grades than those students who took the college courses (Breland & Oltman, 2001;Morgan & Ramist, 1998). However, subsequent examination of these studies by a panel of the National Research Council (2002) resulted in the conclusion that The methodology used in conducting the studies makes it difficult to determine how often and under what circumstances there is a positive advantage for AP students.…”