Should I report my AP Lang Score of 3 for top tier colleges?

Answered

As I've mentioned in a few of my previous answers I've been going through old questions and providing answers when they seem pertinent. While you got answers here, and they're good ones, I still wanted to chime in. If I was in your position I most likely would not submit the 3. However, having said that, if you do decide to submit the 3 (or if you already did) there will likely be minimal impact on your chances and I'm skeptical if it would have any impact at all.

AP scores are great for deciding between two or more nearly identical students and for determining if you can get a few extra credits when you enroll in a school but that's really it. If an admissions officer was looking at a group of students who they considered equal with all things considered (I'm talking ECs, grades, class rigor, essays, etc.) then the scores you get on an AP test might come into play. And in your case of applying to top tier colleges they might come into play a bit earlier but the actual weight an AP score has on your admissions chances is essentially negligible in my opinion. There are just too many factors in an application that can be used to evaluate and separate students that AP scores just don't come into play often. Chances are high that there is going to be some aspect of your application, or the students you're competing against, that will put you ahead/behind long before the need to consider AP scores arises. People tend to put more weight and importance on AP scores than is necessary. It's definitely smart to still check if it makes sense to submit certain scores and is 100% the right thing to do in most cases but your actual AP scores are just less important than most people seem to think. Rather, it's going to be the academic rigor and grades that you received in those AP classes that actually matter (along with other factors of course).