The AP tests often allow incoming students to skip introductory college courses, or gain credit toward graduation based on their test results. More than 2.6 million high school students globally took 4.7 million AP exams in the 2015-16 school year, both up 5% from the prior cycle. AP exams cost $93 each—well below the tuition equivalent for the same amount of credit at most colleges. But some colleges are pushing back, saying the AP courses aren’t on par with their classes. At the University of Pennsylvania, French, physics and a few other departments award credit or advanced standing based on a student’s AP scores.

Source: Wall Street Journal February 15, 2017 10:30 UTC