AP® Exam Scores
Are you planning to take the AP® exam this May? Ever wondered how the AP exams get graded? Do you want to know how your AP scores can affect your chances of getting into college? Don't worry! This page will explain the AP scoring system and provide some assistance in understanding your score. We'll also show you how to access your AP exam scores.
How AP Exams Are Scored
The AP exam is scored on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is the minimum score and 5 is the maximum. This number becomes your final AP score. However, your final AP score is calculated based on your composite score, which is the subtotal of your raw scores from Sections I and II of the AP exam.
The AP exam consists of two sections: multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and free-response questions (FRQs). Each question in these sections is worth a specific number of points. These points are multiplied by specific numbers called “multipliers” by the College Board®, producing a raw score for each answer. In short,
Points per Answer x Multiplier = Raw Score per Answer
The multipliers vary with each question type, section, and subject, and they are kept confidential by the College Board. After all your answers from a section are individually graded, they are added up to produce your net raw score for that section. These scores are then added up to produce your composite score.
Composite score = Section I (MCQ) score + Section II (FRQ) Score
The College Board converts your final composite score into the AP scoring scale of 1 to 5 using a statistical process to maintain consistency. This is your final AP score that is recorded and presented on your AP score sheet.
Let’s take the AP Biology exam, for example. The AP Biology exam has two sections, the MCQ section and the FRQ section. Each section is worth a score of 60, making up a total score of 120 on the AP Biology exam. The number of points you receive out of 120 is your composite score, which is then translated into the AP scoring scale.
Now let’s learn how the MCQ and FRQ sections are assessed and scored on the AP exam.
Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)
The first part of your AP exam consists of MCQs, where you need to pick the correct answer from the choices given to you for each question. For most AP exams, the MCQ section usually accounts for 40-50% of your final score. A machine scans your MCQ answer sheet, and a raw score is provided based on the number of correct answers.
Remember that you won't be penalized for a wrong answer. The machine will only score you based on the number of correct answers. So, if you are not sure of a certain answer, feel free to take a guess!
Section II: Free-Response Questions (FRQs)
The second part of your AP exam will assess you based on your analytical and problem-solving skills. As the name suggests, the FRQ section allows you to come up with your own response to the given questions. As such, this section does not come with a preset formula.
If you are taking the AP English language exam, you will respond to questions after reading a comprehensive passage. If you are taking one of the AP Math exams, you will have to meticulously solve a math problem step-by-step on your answer sheet. Therefore, it is not possible for a machine to score your responses.
The FRQ section is scored by readers at the annual AP reading in June each year. The annual AP Reading is a convention where college professors and experienced AP teachers appointed by the College Board gather to score the free-response answer sheets. For most AP exams, the FRQ section accounts for around 50-60% of your composite AP score.
Because scoring this section takes a long time and your free-response answer sheets aren’t graded until mid-June, your AP scores are published around mid-July each year. This timeline is expected for the 2024 AP exams.
How are FRQs graded?
The College Board administers a set of universal scoring criteria developed for each specific response/prompt by the student. Most free-response answers are scored on a scale between 1 and 10, with one being the least appropriate and ten being nearly perfect. However, some exams can have questions worth as much as 12 points, while shorter questions are scored on a smaller scale.
AP readers will evaluate your response using the scoring criteria provided by the College Board for that particular prompt and will award you between 1 and 10 points for your answer. Each free-response is graded with a "holistic" score. That means your responses are evaluated for their overall effectiveness or correctness. Points are not usually deducted for the occasional small errors, such as spelling or grammar mistakes.
As you may already know, your final raw score for the FRQ section is added to the MCQ raw score to produce your composite score. Because composite scores usually fall between 0 and 100 or 0 and 150, depending on your course, a range of different composite scores can translate to a specific scaled score. The College Board never publishes your composite score. Instead, you only get to see your AP scaled score that is reported for college placement and other academic purposes.
Some AP exams have a sub-score, like the AP Calculus BC exam and the AP Music Theory exam. Subscores on these exams enable the colleges to have more information about your specific abilities. This can then shape decisions about your placement or how much college credit you are eligible for.
What Are AP Scores Used for?
Your AP scores are a very important part of your college admission portfolio. Since AP exams are conducted on college-level curricula, AP scores play a vital role in your college admission and graduation. So, do AP scores matter? Let’s find out!
- AP scores determine the eligibility of a student during college admissions. Most colleges use AP scores as a benchmark to select prospective students. A good AP score sets your application apart and gives you an edge over your peers. It boosts your chances of selection exponentially, and college admissions officers often give your application more weight if you have taken AP exams. In fact, a recent survey reported that a student’s AP experience favorably impacts admission decisions in 85% of colleges across the country.
- AP scores are used as indicators of your college readiness. A good AP score implies that you have mastered the elementary-level college course and are now ready to take on advanced college courses. This assures the college admission officers and the faculty of your eligibility to take secondary-level courses and also boosts your chances of successfully graduating from college.
- Good AP scores improve your chances of pursuing challenging career paths like engineering, medicine, and law. Some colleges, like Ivy League schools and top 20 colleges, assess your AP scores to decide whether you can pursue the majors you’ve applied for. Insufficient AP scores might affect your chances of choosing certain courses.
- AP scores on core courses like English Language and Calculus AB are very important for admission into good colleges. Admissions officers and college faculty tend to view good scores in these core AP courses when assessing your application portfolio.
“Having AP scores is not mandatory; however, it has a huge impact on college admissions, with AP students getting an immense edge over non-AP students.”
What Is Advanced Placement® and Credit?
The main purpose of taking AP exams is to get advanced placement and course credits in colleges for scoring high on the AP exams. As a beginner, these concepts might be a bit tricky to follow. Let's break these down to understand the impact of having a good AP score on your transcript.
Advanced Placement
If you score a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam, most colleges will offer you the chance to skip elementary courses for that subject during your freshman year. Since AP courses are equivalent to introductory courses in college, earning a high score on an AP exam allows you to jump into the next-level courses for that particular subject. In other words, based on your AP scores, the colleges will offer you an ‘advanced placement’ into higher-level courses by skipping the elementary ones. Of course, this provision is only valid for the courses that you have taken your AP exam in and earned a qualifying score. Most students take several core AP courses during 11th and 12th grade so that they can bypass the elementary courses in college, which are sometimes a requirement for graduation.
Now let’s take a look at how the concept of credits works with AP exams.
Credits
Once you have a good score on your AP exams, you are eligible to get college credit. These credits are a way of acknowledging that you have mastered the elementary or core courses that are required for you to graduate. The credits you earn for your AP exam scores count towards the total credits required for you to graduate from college.
Most colleges offer advanced placement and college credit for a good AP score (3 or higher). Some colleges, however, offer either placement or college credit. If you are seeking credit or placement for AP exam scores, you must ensure that the colleges and universities in which you're interested accept the Advanced Placement program. Your AP scores are sent directly to the college or university of your choice by the College Board. You can also send your score report to multiple institutions from your official College Board account for an additional fee ($15/report). Remember that the policies on granting placement or credit based on AP exam scores vary from institution to institution.
What AP Exam Scores Do Colleges and Universities Accept?
Most colleges and universities give credit for AP scores of 3 or higher. However, not all colleges and universities accept all AP exam scores. Institutions generally acknowledge a 4 or a 5 on the AP exam, but some may grant credit for a 3. These scores indicate that you are qualified for an introductory-level college course.
In most colleges, however, you will see that they have different score requirements for different subjects. A university might accept a 3 in AP Statistics but a 5 in AP English Language. Also, the number of credits offered for a particular exam score varies from college to college. Below is an indicative table of what colleges usually accept AP scores for offering credits:
| AP Exam Score | Recommendation | College Grade Equivalent | Probability of AP credit being applied |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Extremely Well-Qualified | A+ or A | Usually |
| 4 | Well-Qualified | A-, B+, or B | Usually |
| 3 | Qualified | B-, C+, or C | Maybe |
| 2 | Possibly Qualified | — | Very rarely |
| 1 | No recommendation | — | No |
As mentioned earlier, each college has its own placement and credit policy for each AP subject. For example, Harvard accepts only a 5 on the AP Calculus AB exam to grant placement but doesn't offer any credits for the score. However, LSU accepts AP Calculus AB scores of 3, 4, and 5 plus offers both placement and credit for each score. Therefore, it is essential that you check on your college's AP policies well ahead of time. Visit the official College Board website to conduct an AP credit policy search on the institution of your choice to determine what AP scores the institution accepts.
AP Exam Score Distribution
If you’re thinking of taking one or more AP exams, looking at how students scored on the AP exams over the past few years can help you figure out which subjects might require more test prep. A score of 3 or higher is considered the passing score for AP exams. Below is a list of AP exam passing rates for the last three years for every subject to help you choose the right one!
| Course | Average Passing Rates (2020-2023) |
|---|
| AP Research | 80.2% |
| AP Seminar | 84.7% |
| AP 2-D Art and Design | 86.7% |
| AP 3-D Art and Design | 73.18% |
| AP Art History | 62.5% |
| AP Drawing | 87.1% |
| AP Music Theory | 63.2% |
| AP English Language and Composition | 57.8% |
| AP English Literature and Composition | 64.7% |
| AP Comparative Government and Politics | 70.5% |
| AP European History | 57.9% |
| AP Human Geography | 54.7% |
| AP Macroeconomics | 57.4% |
| AP Microeconomics | 63.2% |
| AP Psychology | 60.6% |
| AP United States Government and Politics | 51.5% |
| AP United States History | 50.4% |
| AP World History | 59.8% |
| AP Calculus AB | 56.4% |
| AP Calculus BC | 77.4% |
| AP Computer Science A | 67.5% |
| AP Computer Science Principles | 67.4% |
| AP Statistics | 59.4% |
| AP Biology | 65.1% |
| AP Chemistry | 58.8% |
| AP Environmental Science | 52.8% |
| AP Physics 1 | 45.4% |
| AP Physics 2 | 69.2% |
| AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 70.7% |
| AP Physics C: Mechanics | 76.2% |
| AP Chinese Language and Culture | 87.4% |
| AP French Language and Culture | 75.1% |
| AP German Language and Culture | 67.5% |
| AP Italian Language and Culture | 72.2% |
| AP Japanese Language and Culture | 76.8% |
| AP Latin | 59.9% |
| AP Spanish Language and Culture | 83.9% |
| AP Spanish Literature and Culture | 53.7% |
Overall, AP exam passing rates reveal a success rate of more than 50% in every subject, with minor exceptions like AP Physics 1. AP courses and exams are challenging, but the reward of passing is worth the hard work and effort! If you are curious how other students performed on the 2023 AP exams, here's a list for that as well!
| Course | Total Test takers | AP Success Rates 2023 | 5s | 4s | 3s | 2s | 1s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Research | 28,402 | 84.4% | 13.3% | 26.4% | 44.7% | 12.5% | 3.1% |
| AP Seminar | 73,334 | 85% | 11.4% | 19.7% | 53.9% | 11.2% | 3.8% |
| Course | Total Test takers | AP Success Rates 2023 | 5s | 4s | 3s | 2s | 1s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP 2-D Art and Design | 43,854 | 83.6% | 11.5% | 31.5% | 40.7% | 14.4% | 2% |
| AP 3-D Art and Design | 7,505 | 72.1% | 7.1% | 25.2% | 39.9% | 23.5% | 4.4% |
| AP Art History | 24,624 | 64.6% | 13.8% | 23.8% | 27% | 23.8% | 11.6% |
| AP Drawing | 22,555 | 84.8% | 15.7% | 32.9% | 36.1% | 13.1% | 2.1% |
| AP Music tdeory | 17,834 | 60.7% | 19.8% | 16.9% | 24% | 24.1% | 15.2% |
| Course | Total Test takers | AP Success Rates 2023 | 5s | 4s | 3s | 2s | 1s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP English Language and Composition | 562,328 | 56.1% | 10.3% | 19.7% | 26.1% | 29.5% | 14.4% |
| AP English Literature and Composition | 356,043 | 77.2% | 14.9% | 27.8% | 34.5% | 14.4% | 8.4% |
| Course | Total Test takers | AP Success Rates 2023 | 5s | 4s | 3s | 2s | 1s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Comparative Government and Politics | 23,611 | 70.8% | 16.4% | 23.2% | 31.2% | 16.2% | 13% |
| AP European History | 81,788 | 59.4% | 12.9% | 21.3% | 25.2% | 29% | 11.6% |
| AP Human Geography | 247,043 | 54.4% | 16% | 20% | 18.4% | 14% | 31.6% |
| AP Macroeconomics | 148,836 | 64.7% | 17.1% | 22.9% | 24.7% | 21.6% | 13.7% |
| AP Microeconomics | 94,772 | 68% | 16% | 22.1% | 20.6% | 19.9% | 12.1% |
| AP Psychology | 321,329 | 59.6% | 16.9% | 23.2% | 19.5% | 12.4% | 28% |
| AP United States Government and Politics | 329,132 | 49.2% | 12.8% | 11.3% | 25.1% | 24% | 26.8% |
| AP United States History | 467,975 | 47.5% | 10.6% | 14.8% | 22.1% | 22.7% | 29.8% |
| AP World History | 350,353 | 64.7% | 15.3% | 21.9% | 27.4% | 22.3% | 13% |
| Course | Total Test takers | AP Success Rates 2023 | 5s | 4s | 3s | 2s | 1s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Calculus AB | 273,987 | 58% | 22.4% | 16.2% | 19.4% | 21.7% | 20.3% |
| AP Calculus BC | 135,458 | 78.5% | 43.5% | 15.9% | 19% | 15.2% | 6.3% |
| AP Computer Science A | 94,438 | 68% | 26.8% | 22.4% | 18.8% | 9.5% | 22.5% |
| AP Computer Science Principles | 164,505 | 63.1% | 11.5% | 20.6% | 31.1% | 20.5% | 16.4% |
| AP Statistics | 242,929 | 60% | 15.1% | 22.2% | 22.7% | 16.2% | 23.8% |
| Course | Total Test takers | AP Success Rates 2023 | 5s | 4s | 3s | 2s | 1s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Biology | 239,470 | 64.4% | 14.3% | 23% | 27.2% | 23.6% | 12% |
| AP Chemistry | 139,448 | 75.1% | 16% | 27.1% | 32% | 16.9% | 8% |
| AP Environmental Science | 209,757 | 53.7% | 8.3% | 28.4% | 17% | 26.4% | 19.9% |
| AP Physics 1 | 159,582 | 45.6% | 8.8% | 18.3% | 18.5% | 28% | 26.4% |
| AP Physics 2 | 20,453 | 69.8% | 16.5% | 18.5% | 34.9% | 23.8% | 6.4% |
| Physics C E&M | 24,179 | 70.2% | 33.6% | 23.5% | 13.1% | 17.9% | 11.9% |
| Physics C Mech. | 55,602 | 73.5% | 26.4% | 26.3% | 20.7% | 14% | 12.5% |
| Course | Total Test takers | AP Success Rates 2023 | 5s | 4s | 3s | 2s | 1s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Chinese Language and Culture | 16,495 | 88.4% | 54.2% | 18.8% | 15.4% | 5% | 6.6% |
| AP French Language and Culture | 18,655 | 74.7% | 13.2% | 25.1% | 36.4% | 19.8% | 5.5% |
| AP German Language and Culture | 4,375 | 68% | 21.8% | 21.3% | 24.9% | 19.2% | 12.8% |
| AP Italian Language and Culture | 2,034 | 72.9% | 23.2% | 22.8% | 26.9% | 17.1% | 10.1% |
| AP Japanese Language and Culture | 3,089 | 76.9% | 50.8% | 8.6% | 17.5% | 8.2% | 14.9% |
| AP Latin | 4,533 | 56.7% | 12.3% | 16.5% | 28% | 24.9% | 18.4% |
| AP Spanish Language and Culture | 164,434 | 83.8% | 24.3% | 30% | 29.6% | 13.5% | 2.7% |
| AP Spanish Literature and Culture | 22,860 | 67.4% | 8.5% | 23.3% | 35.6% | 22.5% | 10.1% |
The AP score distribution helps you understand the scoring trends for every subject. These trends usually indicate the average difficulty of an AP subject. Based on the data, you can gauge whether a particular subject is your cup of tea! Having said this, persistence, grit, aptitude, and learning habits determine your success on an AP exam more than any other aspect. If you are interested in finding out more about AP courses or need help finding the right course for you, UWorld is here to help you!
References
- AP Score Reporting Services – AP Students | College Board. (n.d.). https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/score-reporting-services
- Student Score Distributions* AP Exams - May 2020. (2020). reports.collegeboard.org. Retrieved January 2022, from https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/Student-Score-Distributions-2020_1.pdf
- Student Score Distributions* AP Exams - May 2021. (2021). reports.collegeboard.org. Retrieved 2022, from https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/2021-ap-student-score-distributions_1.pdf
- Student Score Distributions* AP Exams - May 2022. (2022). apcentral.collegeboard.org. Retrieved 2022, from https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-score-distributions-by-subject-2022.pdf
- Student Score Distributions* AP Exams - May 2023. (2023). apcentral.collegeboard.org. Retrieved 2024, from https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-score-distributions-by-subject-2023.pdf
- Crux Research Inc. (2007, March). 3 Reasons to Take AP Exams: Unpublished Research.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a passing AP exam score?
What’s the average score for AP exams?
What percent is a 5 on an AP exam?
Is the AP exam scored on a curve?
How do I check my AP exam scores?
How do I get my AP scores early?
Many students wonder if they can get their AP exam scores early. The short answer is no; the College Board doesn’t allow scores to be released ahead of the official date. However, if you allow the College Board to send your scores directly to colleges, these institutions might receive them slightly earlier in the day. So, you might be able to see your scores through the college’s system before they show up on your College Board account.
Don’t fall for any third-party websites that claim to give you your scores earlier than the scheduled date and time.
Who receives my AP scores?
Do colleges look at AP exam scores?
When do AP scores come out?
AP exam scores are released each year in July.
How do I save a copy of my AP score report?
How do I send AP scores to colleges?
To send an official score report to a college or university, sign in to AP Scores for Students to order one ($15/report). The College Board will send an official score report to the college on your request.
Do low AP scores affect college admission?
When were AP exam scores released in 2023?
The 2023 AP exam scores were released on July 5.
How can you cancel your AP scores?
To cancel your AP scores for the exams administered in 2023, you must fill out the AP Score Cancellation form available on the College Board website and submit it to your nearest AP coordinator. Alternatively, you can also mail or fax the duly filled form to:
AP Services
P.O. Box 6671
Princeton, NJ 08541-6671
Fax: 610-290-8979
To ensure that the institution you selected does not receive your score, AP Services must get your request by June 15, 2023.