So, are AP courses harder than honors courses?
A. The short answer to this question is: yes. However, “hard” and “difficult” are relative terms. Overall, the answer to this question depends on the nature of the honors courses your student has taken in the past and the standards upheld in those courses. It is likely that students will initially find this course to be more challenging and demanding than past courses. However, many students have benefited from taking AP World History, and may find the course comparable. The main distinction to remember is that while honors courses generally have higher standards than regular courses, AP courses go beyond this. The courses are designed to be representative of what students would expect in a university style course; thus, the course is taught in such a manner that places full responsibility on students for their learning. The expectations are likely to be higher than those of the traditional honors courses are.
