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Guest post by Lisa Marker-Robbins, Host of the College and Career Clarity Podcast
As a parent of a college-bound teen, you’ve likely been told that GPA is one of the most important parts of your student’s college application. But what if I told you that an A in an AP class no longer means what it used to—and selective colleges know it?
On my recent episode of the College and Career Clarity podcast, I sat down with David Blobaum, co-founder of Summit Prep and a nationally recognized expert on college admissions and standardized testing. We explored a major shift in the admission criteria of top colleges: the growing demand for objective proof of academic readiness, beyond inflated grade point averages (GPAs).
If your teen is aiming for competitive majors or top-tier schools, this is a must-know trend that could change how your teen builds their academic resume.
Why Are AP Exam Scores Suddenly So Important?
David explained that colleges are increasingly looking to AP exam scores to verify content mastery. This shift is driven by one major factor: rampant grade inflation.
As David shared on the show, back in 1966, only about 20% of students entering four-year universities had an A average. Fast forward to 2023, and that number has ballooned to 86%. With such inflated GPAs, admissions officers no longer trust that an A in a high school class, especially an AP class, reflects true academic rigor.
Enter the AP exam.
Top colleges like Caltech, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, and Princeton have gone on record saying they now expect students to submit their AP scores. Caltech became the first to require them in 2025. While AP exams were once primarily for earning college credit, they’re now functioning as academic proof points—a way for admissions committees to gauge whether your teen is truly prepared for college-level work.
What If Your Teen Doesn’t Have Access to APs?
For students at schools that don’t offer AP courses, including homeschoolers, David recommended using Schoolhouse.world. This free platform, backed by partners like Caltech and Brown, allows students to earn certifications in subjects like calculus and physics, providing verifiable academic data to colleges.
We also discussed CLEP exams and academic competitions like the AMC (American Mathematics Competitions) as additional ways to demonstrate subject mastery—especially important for selective majors like engineering and computer science.
These alternatives are particularly valuable for students in under-resourced schools, small high schools with limited AP options, or non-traditional educational paths.
College Major Selectivity Matters Just As Much as College Selectivity
Another insight David shared: It’s not just the college’s acceptance rate that matters—it’s how competitive the major is.
Take the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), for example. While the university admits about 50% of applicants overall, its computer science program accepts only 6%. Because this major has capacity caps, only first-time freshmen can apply; there’s no option to switch into it later, as former UIUC Admissions Director Andy Borst explained in episode 57 of College and Career Clarity, College Admission by Major. At the University of Illinois, 81% of engineering students who enrolled submitted standardized test scores, far above the overall school average.
The same is true at other public flagship schools like The Ohio State University and the University of Tennessee, where test scores and AP data often weigh heavily in admissions for STEM and business programs.
If your teen is applying to a direct admit major, especially in STEM or business, submitting objective measures, such as AP exam scores, CLEP exams, or certifications, can be critical, even if the university isn’t among the nation’s most selective.
What Families Should Do Now
This shift doesn’t mean adding more stress to an already complex college admissions process—it means planning smarter.
Here are a few steps David and I recommend for families:
- Review your teen’s AP courses and exam plans: Are they prepared to sit for each AP exam they’ve taken courses for?
- Explore Schoolhouse.world if your student doesn’t have access to APs.
- Include certifications or CLEP exams in the “Additional Information” section of the Common App when appropriate.
- Watch out for competitive majors: Even at less selective schools, the standards may be higher for specific programs.
And remember: if your student didn’t take an AP exam due to illness or travel, they can explain that in the Common App’s additional information section to avoid creating unnecessary doubt.
Listen to the Full Episode
To hear our full conversation and learn more data-backed strategies for navigating the evolving college admissions landscape, listen to the episode here:
#178 The New Admissions Reality: Prove Your Academic Preparedness with David Blobaum
Questions? We’re Here to Help
If you have questions about college planning, academic support, or test prep, David Blobaum and the team at Summit Prep are trusted experts who can help your teen stand out with confidence.
For questions about career advising, choosing a best-fit major, or how admission by major works, I’m always happy to help – just email me.
Feel free to reach out to either of us—we’re here to support your family’s college journey.
