Giving College Credit Where it is Due: Advanced Placement Exam Scores and College Outcomes

Jonathan Smith, Michael Hurwitz and Christopher Avery

No 21147, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We implement a regression discontinuity design using the continuous raw Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores, which are mapped into the observed 1-5 integer scores, for over 4.5 million students. Earning higher AP integer scores positively impacts college completion and subsequent exam taking. Specifically, attaining credit-granting integer scores increases the probability that a student will receive a bachelor’s degree within four years by 1 to 2 percentage points per exam. We also find that receiving a score of 3 over a 2 on junior year AP exams causes students to take between 0.06 and 0.14 more AP exams senior year.

JEL-codes: I2 I23 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-05
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Published as Jonathan Smith & Michael Hurwitz & Christopher Avery, 2017. "Giving College Credit Where It Is Due: Advanced Placement Exam Scores and College Outcomes," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(1), pages 67-147.

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Journal Article: Giving College Credit Where It Is Due: Advanced Placement Exam Scores and College Outcomes (2017)
Working Paper: Giving College Credit Where It Is Due: Advanced Placement Exam Scores and College Outcomes (2015)
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