The study examined whether taking Advanced Placement Program[R] (AP) courses and exams in high school improves student college performance. The study included students who graduated from Texas public high schools between 1998 and 2002 and then went on to attend a Texas public college or university. Data on students' college grade point average (GPA), credits earned, and graduation rates were drawn from a statewide database. The study compared the college outcomes of students who took both an AP course and exam in a particular subject to other groups of students who did not. When making these comparisons, students were grouped according to their SAT scores and socio-economic status. The study reported that students who took both the AP course and the AP exam had higher college GPAs, earned more credits, and had higher graduation rates than students who took only the AP course or a non-AP course in the same subject area. The study reported no differences between students who took both the course and the exam and students who took only the exam. What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) does not consider these results to be conclusive because the study does not provide evidence that the students were initially equivalent. The reported differences might reflect initial differences in the types of students who take AP courses and exams rather than the effect of AP courses and exams on college outcomes. [The study evaluated in this "Quick Review" was: "College Outcomes Comparisons by AP and Non-AP High School Experiences." L. Hargrove, D. Godin and B. Dodd (2008).]