AP Exams (Nationwide)

Overview

All high school level students are eligible to take Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Accommodations can be made for students with disabilities, home-schooled students, and students whose schools do not offer AP courses. For more information, see the College Board's AP Program Guide.

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Timing

AP exams are usually administered in the first two-weeks of May every year.

For the full exam schedules, visit the AP College Calendar.

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Test Structure

Each of the 38 exams has its own unique requirements; however, almost all of the exams have several things in common:

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- Most exams are two to three hours long.

- The first part of the exam usually consists of multiple-choice questions.

- Students will choose one of four or five answer choices for each question.

- Multiple-choice section: Students will not receive or lose points for incorrect answers or unanswered questions.

- The second part of the exam usually consists of free-response questions that require students to generate their own responses.

- Depending on the exam, responses could be in the form of an essay, a solution to a problem, or a spoken response.

- In most cases, students will write their response in pen in the free-response exam booklet.

 

Content

There are 38 types of AP exams offered in Arts, English, History and Social Sciences, Math and Computer Science, Sciences, World Languages and Cultures as well Interdisciplinary.  

The content for all can be found here.

 

Administration

Most exams are two to three hours long and are given in the first two-weeks of May every year.

 

Scoring

The AP Exam score is a weighted combination of scores on the multiple-choice section and the free-response section. AP Exam scores are reported on a 5-point scale that indicates how qualified students are to receive college credit and placement.