About the APID (AP International Diploma)

What is the APID (Advanced Placement International Diploma?)

Resource Review:

This is as official as it gets. Directly from the maker of the tests and the granter of the diploma, the webpage (from collegeboard.com) explains how prestigious the diploma is, as well as listing out exactly what you have to do in order to earn the Diploma, showing exactly what exams from each "section" you must take, how many from each, and what score you should earn in order to qualify. Furthermore, links are provided to each exam so that any student can find out more about each exam. Ambiguities regarding special cases (such as how the credits work with Computer Science and Calculus) are neatly sorted out. -- Check it out!

Remember as College Board offers the technical information, I am beginning to compile personal experiences from other students (as well as me, who is currently eyeing the diploma, not that it is a physical substance, but a webpage...that says APID on it...anyways), so be sure to check out the AP Tips as well as the 'Personal Experiences' section of the blog!

Resource #2 > Adapted from Wikipedia

Resource Review:

What is the resource that everyone uses, almost trusts due to its reliable references, explains almost everything, and is usually the first web page that appears in every Google search? It is Wikipedia! (The ancestor of this attempt at a "wiki"). The below is a condensed however very concise and organized version of the above. Enjoy:

"The AP program also awards the AP International Diploma for Overseas Study (APID) to students who have applied to colleges outside of the United States that have completed a sequence of AP exams with satisfactory grades. Prior to May 2006, a student had to earn a grade of 3 or better on four or more AP exams in three of the five subject areas shown in the table below, with certain subject area requirements. As of May 2006, the College Board had implemented new requirements for awarding the AP International Diploma"

AP International Diploma

Course Area	Exams
Languages	English Language & Composition English Literature & Composition French Language French Literature German Language Latin Literature Latin: Vergil Spanish Language Spanish Literature Chinese Language & Culture Italian Language & Culture Japanese Language & Culture
Sciences	Biology Chemistry Environmental Science Physics B Physics C: Mechanics Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
Mathematics	Calculus AB Calculus BC Statistics Computer Science A Computer Science AB
Social Studies	Human Geography Comparative Government and Politics United States Government and Politics European History United States History World History Macroeconomics Microeconomics Psychology
Fine Arts	Art History Music Theory Studio Art

AP Scholar Information

Resource 1 > Adapted from Wikipedia

Each year, the AP program recognizes students who have performed exceptionally well on AP examinations. Exams are taken in May and awards are usually granted in September. The following designations can be earned:

AP Scholar Awards

Designation	Criteria
AP Scholar	Grades of 3 or better on three or more AP exams.
AP Scholar with Honor	Grades of 3 or better on four or more AP exams and an average of 3.25 on all* AP exams taken.
AP Scholar with Distinction	Grades of 3 or better on five or more AP exams and an average of 3.5 on all* AP exams taken.
National AP Scholar	Grades of 4 or better on eight or more AP exams and an average of 4 on all* AP exams. Must be a student in the United States.
National AP Scholar (Canada)	Grades of 4 or better on five or more AP exams and an average of 4 on all* AP exams taken. Must be a student in Canada.
AP State Scholar	Top male and female student in each U.S. state (and the District of Columbia) ranked first by the greatest number of exams with a grade 3 or higher and then by highest average on all* AP exams taken.
Department of Defense for Education Activity (DoDEA) Scholar	Top male and female student among all DoDEA schools, ranked first by the greatest number of exams with a grade 3 or higher and then by highest average on all* AP exams taken. Any recipient of this award must also at least meet the criteria for an AP Scholar.
AP International Scholar	Same as the AP State Scholar Award and DoDEA Scholar awards except the student must attend an American international school (which must also not be a DoDEA school).

Note: "All AP exams taken" refers to all AP exams taken. It is not restricted to the year in which the award is issued.

Resource 2 >> AP Scholar Information from the College Board

Resource Review:

This resource is as official as it gets, as it comes from the test-maker itself. It offers a more comprehensive introduction than resource 1, and also offers statistics of how many students were awarded with each award described above last year (these are quite interesting statistics!). Then the resource covers the basic descriptions of each AP scholarship > it is not recommended to use this resource as the above offers the same in a much more concise manner. However, this resource does finally include some further notes, some self-explanatory and obvious as well as the some of the non-obvious ones including which grades to include/exclude when determining the national AP scholar for example. Finally, this official source mentions some exceptions, including which the AP exams that are not included in the calculation process. Worth checking out if you would like to clear up some ambiguities.