AP Exams

Created by the College Board, the AP Exams are 2-3 hours long and are designed to test students’ mastery of content and skill sets. Most exams consist of both multiple-choice and free-response questions.  Some AP Exams require students to complete performance tasks, either in place of or in addition to multiple-choice and free-response questions. These include AP Computer Science Principles, AP Research, AP Seminar, and AP Art & Design.

The AP Exams are designed to align with the AP Course framework, content, and conformity of questions that students learn throughout the year.  The College Board consults with AP Course teachers across the country to design and grade each exam, and they revisit exam design on an annual basis.

Test Dates

The 2025 AP Exam test dates have not yet been posted.

Test Format

The AP Exams are 2-3 hours long and are designed to test students’ mastery of content and skill sets. Most exams consist of both multiple-choice and free-response questions.  Some AP Exams require students to complete performance tasks, either in place of or in addition to multiple-choice and free-response questions. These include AP Computer Science Principles, AP Research, AP Seminar, and AP Art & Design.

Most AP exams will be administered in-person, as paper-to-pencil tests, with the exception of AP Chinese and AP Japanese language which are in-school, computer-based tests. Starting in 2025, the College Board will administer the following AP Exams digitally via Bluebook: AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP European History, AP U.S. History, AP World History: Modern,  AP Psychology, AP Seminar, and AP African American Studies (for 2023-24 pilot schools online). Digital administration will be the only option for these nine exams.

Scoring

The multiple-choice sections of the AP Exams are scored digitally. For the free-response questions and performance tasks, the College Board consults with experienced AP teachers and college professors to score each exam. A rubric is developed for each question. The score cutoffs of each rubric take into account a number of factors, including: previous years’ scoring percentiles, the difficulty level of the multiple-choice questions and other free-response questions, the overall quality of answers in the entire pool of test-takers, and how college students fare on the exam.  AP scores are released in July.

AP Exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score possible. The College Board defines the scores as follows:

AP Exam scores are released in July.

Colleges and universities often use high scores for course credit, and/or as a method of placement in order to exempt students from lower-level prerequisites. Additionally, AP scores play a significant role in the college admissions process.

Score Distribution

The score distributions vary from test to test. See the table below for more detailed scoring information.

Test Registration

The College Board’s deadline to register for AP Exams is November 15. However, the College Board allows students to register between November 16 – March 15 as long as they pay an additional $40 late fee.

Students register for the AP Exams through their school. If students have any questions, they should contact their school’s AP coordinator.

If students are not taking the AP Exams through their school, they can still register!  This might be the case if: 

• A student would like to take an AP Exam that is not offered at the student’s school
• A student’s school does not offer AP courses
• A student is home-schooled
• A student is taking an AP Exam without having taken the corresponding course

Here’s what these students need to do:

1. Search the AP Course Ledger to find a school where students might be able to take specific AP Exams. After finding schools close by that offer the test, call them directly, ask to speak with the AP coordinator, and find out whether the school is planning to allow outside students to test there this year.
2. The AP coordinator will take care of ordering exam materials, communicating test-day information, and collecting exam fees.

Please note that schools often have their own deadlines and policies for receiving requests from outside students. It’s best to contact them as soon as possible!

For more information, please click here to visit the College Board website.

Accommodations

Students who have been approved for College Board accommodations for the PSAT and SAT will receive the same accommodations for AP Exams.

Students who receive accommodations in school will most likely be approved for similar accommodations on the AP Exams. Students should contact their school directly to confirm that they have been approved for accommodations on the AP Exams. For more information, click here.