While API has some good qualities like basic swim/survival/etc, I thought the classes were a waste of time. It's a good program to weed people out, if the purpose is to simply thin the herd. However, to say it has the ability to legitimately determine whose going to succeed and fail beyond API is a stretch.
To be clear, I would have attrited out of the present API with my grades and I worked pretty hard; I just happened to be a terrible test taker. Granted I didn't have my back up against a wall or the additional pressure as many of you do now. I did poorly in academics in both primary and advanced but was otherwise a strong performer. It's more important how you handle yourself in the air rather than a classroom in my humble opinion.
I say this in case anyone is borderline near the cut, doubting themselves, and considering redes-ing. DON'T DO IT. You will forever regret it if you voluntarily give up Naval Aviation. I'd fight fangs out as long as possible if I was down there now near the cut. I'd let them tell me up and down that I'm about to be attrited, but I'd make them attrite me. Then, I'd fight the next fight as hard as possible for a redes. And so on.