When I graduated from high school, my exam scores were worth about $16,000.

Exams work a little differently in the US.

In my experience as a student in the US and now a reporter covering Scottish education, American AP tests are one of the closest parallels to the type of high-stakes SQA exams that students sit, particularly the Highers and Advanced Highers.

They play a crucial role in university admissions and progression, and they offer a few key learning points and warning signs for attempts to reform the Scottish system.

In my home state of North Carolina, it's easiest to describe high school courses as split into three levels: College Prep (CP), Honours and Advanced Placement (AP).

Each classification is meant to denote a different degree of rigour and has very different worth and outcomes.

Grading in the US is typically done on a 10-point scale, and each grade A-F carries an assigned point value:

A student's Grade Point Average (GPA) is one of the influential factors in university admissions. In theory, a straight-A student leaves school with a 4.0 GPA.

Except that is not always true. Not all 4.0s are created equal.

In most school systems, CP, Honours and AP grades are weighted differently. An A in a CP course earns four grade points. Honours level As are worth five, and an A in an AP course is worth six.

You see how quickly a "perfect" 4.0 becomes more complicated. This is why universities usually ask for weighted and unweighted GPAs on applications.

AP courses are at the top of the scale and carry so much weight because........

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