All About AP Exams!

AP exams are conducted after the completion of the AP courses of your choice. You are supposed to give an exam at the end of the year.

In a few courses like AP Art and Design, students are required to submit their portfolio for scoring instead of giving an exam. The AP exams are conducted mainly to see how well you have understood the specific AP course you have chosen.

AP exam structure

Every exam has its own specifications but the general instructions are mostly the same:

• Time duration 2–3 hours.
• The first section of the exam usually consists of multiple-choice questions.
• You have to choose 1 of 4–5 answer choices for each question.
• There is no reduction of marks or points if you leave questions unanswered or if the attempted answer is incorrect. 
• The total exam score on the multiple-choice section is marked on the answers that are correct. 
• The second section of the exam comprises questions wherein you must make up your responses according to your free will. Your response could be in the form of an essay, a spoken response, or a solution to the problem, it solely depends on the type of exam. 

How can you register for AP exams?

The College Board, which also directs the SAT, administers AP exams. However, not all AP exams are available at every school. If your school has an AP Coordinator, you should speak with them about registration.

If your school does not have an AP Coordinator, you must contact AP Services by March 1 to obtain the contact details of your nearest AP Coordinator. The number for AP services can be found on the College Board website.

AP exams calendar 2023

The AP exams will be held in school in the form of paper-pencil examinations in the time period of two weeks in the month of May ie. May 1-5 and May 8-12. 

Note- the AP exams in Chinese and Japanese are held in school on the computer.

Exam timings

There are local start times for the exams and they can begin up to around one hour after the start time. In the morning it can start around 8-9 am, in the afternoon slot it can start at 12-1 pm and 2-3 pm for Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism during the regularly scheduled exam administration.

Digital portfolios examinations

• AP Art and Design: The deadline for submission of your portfolio as final to the AP Program through the AP Digital Portfolio is May 5, 2023 (8 p.m. ET).
• AP Seminar and AP Research: The closing date to submit performance tasks as final and for your displays to be scored by your AP Seminar or AP Research teacher is May 1, 2023 (11:59 p.m. ET).
• AP Computer Science Principles: The deadline for sending in your Create performance task as final is May 1, 2023 (11:59 p.m. ET).

Week 1	8 am Local Time	12 pm Local Time
Monday, 1 May 2023	United States Government and Politics	ChemistrySpanish Literature and Culture
Tuesday, 2 May 2023	Chinese Language and CultureEnvironmental Science	Psychology
Wednesday, 3 May 2023	English Literature and Composition	Comparative Government and PoliticsComputer Science A
Thursday, 4 May 2023	Human GeographyMacroeconomics	SeminarStatistics
Friday, 5 May 2023	European HistoryUnited States History	Art HistoryMicroeconomics

Source- college board

Art and Design: Friday, May 5, 2023 (8 p.m. ET), is the deadline for AP Art and Design students to submit portfolios as final to the AP Program in the AP Digital Portfolio.

Week 2	8 a.m. Local Time	12 p.m. Local Time	2 p.m. Local Time
Monday, 8 May 2023	Calculus ABCalculus BC	Computer Science PrinciplesItalian Language and Culture
Tuesday, 9 May 2023	English Language and CompositionJapanese Language and Culture	Physics C: Mechanics	Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
Wednesday, 10 May 2023	Spanish Language and Culture	Biology
Thursday, 11 May 2023	French Language and CultureWorld History: Modern	Physics 1: Algebra-Based
Friday, 12 May 2023	German Language and CultureMusic Theory	LatinPhysics 2: Algebra-Based

Source- college board

Things to keep in mind for AP exams

1. Exam schedule/ timetable
   • Make sure you are aware of the AP timetable and schedule beforehand. Usually, the AP exam takes place every year in May.
2. Location of the exam
   • You can find out from your school counselor if your school administers AP exams. There are many schools and exam centers where the AP exams are held.
3. Scoring on the AP exam
   • The scoring of the AP exam is conducted by AP teachers and college professors.
4. Benefits of taking the exam
   • There are a lot of U.S colleges that grant credits or advance placement, in some cases even both for qualifying AP scores.
5. Past exam dates
   • In case you need to know when you took the exam you could look up the past exam dates. 
6. Scoring procedure
   • AP test scores on a scale of 1-5. Most schools do not grant credits if you have scored less than 4.

How to prepare for AP exams?

The most basic and easy way to prepare for AP exams is to answer more often in class and pay attention to the teacher, set aside time to study, and try to complete all your assignments timely. The AP program releases free response practice questions so you can go through that as well for a better understanding.

There are sample questions and answers posted on the official website along with the scoring pattern, so you can go through that for a better idea of why a student got a score they did. 

Instructions 

1. Start in your AP class
   • Ask your AP teacher to go through the exam format and explain everything so that you are clear about the kind of questions that will be asked. 
2. Be aware of the practice questions and papers in the AP classroom 
   • AP Classroom is a collection of digital tools teachers can use all year to help students prepare for the AP Exam. Progress checks with multiple-choice and free-response questions that your teacher can unlock for you to receive personalized feedback on the skills and topics you’re learning in the course are among the tools available. To enhance your learning, you can access AP Daily videos that cover all course content and skills.
3. Check out your course ‘Exam’ page
   • You can visit the course page and go to about the exam to find out details about the exam timetable, and structure as well as tips. You can find your course in the AP course index. 
4. Check out the practice material from the ‘exam preparation’ section
   • Here you will come across practice materials, past exam answers, guidelines for the exam, and sample students’ responses. 

When do the AP scores come out?

The AP scores are usually released two months after the exam is held which is mostly in July every year. In 2022 the AP scores were released on 5th July. 

How can you view your AP scores?

Follow the instructions on how you can view your AP scores:

1. Verify that you can access your College Board account
   • Log in before the scores are released in July to ensure that you remember your login information. This is the same account you use to log in to My AP or other College Board resources.
2. Please ensure that we have your current email address
   • If your email address has changed, please update it in your account.
3. If you already have an account, do not create a new one
   • Duplicate accounts may result in delays in receiving your AP scores. Sign in using the same account you used to register for and enroll in AP classes.

AP exams scores

The AP Exam is graded on a scale of 1 to 5. Many colleges in the United States give credit and/or advanced placement (which means you can skip the equivalent course once you get to college) for scores of 3 and above.

1. The sum of your section scores determines your overall score
   • Your score on most AP Exams is a weighted combination of your scores on the two sections, multiple-choice and free-response. Other scored components are included in some AP assessments.
2. The AP Exam is graded on a 5-point scale
   • The final score for each AP Exam is reported on a 5-point scale that recommends how qualified you are for college credit and placement—but each college makes its own decisions about which scores it will grant credit or placement for.
3. The AP score is determined through research
   • The AP Program conducts research in all AP subjects to compare AP students’ performance to that of college students in comparable college courses. These studies contribute to the establishment of “cut points” that determine how AP students’ composite scores are transformed into AP scores ranging from 1 to 5.

Sending AP scores to college 

You must request to send an official AP score report to the college in order to receive college credit or placement for your AP scores. You need to keep in mind the following steps while sending your AP Scores:

1. Send your free score by June 20
   • Every year that you take AP Exams, you can send your scores to one free recipient. Sign in to My AP, go to My AP Profile, select the Score Send tab, and select the college, university, or scholarship organization that you want to receive your score report from. Make sure to use your 2022 free score and send it before the June 20th deadline.
2. Scores can be sent online at any time for a fee
   • After the scores are released, you can order as many score reports as you need online. If you are unable to send your scores online, you can send them by mail or fax.
3. Score reports include current and previous AP Exam results
   • Your score report contains the results of all previous AP Exams you took. Unless you choose to withhold or cancel any of your scores, your entire score history will be sent to your designated college, university, or scholarship program.
4. You should look into college deadlines
   • Check your college’s AP score deadline if you’re a senior starting college in the fall. We encourage you to send your scores as soon as possible to ensure that they arrive on time.
5. Past AP Exam dates can be found online
   • If you need to know when you took an AP Exam in the last five years, you can look it up on the College Board website.

How to send a cancel scores request?

You can cancel your AP exam scores through the AP Program. Your exam will not be scored if you request cancellation, and if it has already been scored, the score will be completely deleted from our records. 

A score that has been canceled cannot be reinstated. This service is free, but your exam fee is not refunded. Scores that have been archived cannot be canceled.

Scores can be canceled at any time, but AP Services must receive your request by June 15 of the year you took the AP Exam in order for your scores to be sent to the college, university, or scholarship program indicated online through My AP.

Follow these Instructions if you need to cancel your score

1. Download and fill out the AP score cancellation form
   • Fill out the form with your information, including which exam scores you want to cancel, and sign it.
2. Score cancellation form
   • Send the form. Mail or fax the form to the address or fax number below. 

• Key Dates- THU, JUN 15, 2023 (Deadline to Request Score Cancellation)
• Requests to cancel 2023 AP scores must be received by this date to prevent them from being sent to the score recipient indicated online through My AP.

How to withhold your AP scores?

You can ask the AP Program to withhold one or more AP Exam scores from any college, university, or scholarship program you select as a score recipient. Any potential score reports sent to that college, university, or scholarship program will not include the score.

A proposal to withhold a score does not result in the permanent deletion of your score.

You may later release the score to the recipient by submitting a signed written request to AP Services.

There is no fee for releasing scores. AP Services must receive your request by June 15 of the year you took the AP Exam for your scores to be withheld from the college, university, or scholarship program indicated online through My AP.

Follow these Instructions in order to Withhold your AP Scores:

1. Download and fill out the AP score withholding form
   • Fill out the form with your information, including which exam scores you want to withhold and from which recipients, and sign it.
2. AP Score withholding form
   • Form to request AP Exam score withholding from a score recipient.
3. Have a form of payment ready
   • The fee to withhold a score is $10 per score recipient. Payment methods include mailing a check or money order or faxing your credit card information.
4. Send the form and payment
   • Mail or fax the form and payment to the appropriate address below.

• If you’re paying by check or money order (payable to College Board):

• If you’re paying by credit card:

Multiple-choice rescore service

1. Download and fill out the AP multiple-choice rescore service form
   • Fill out the form with your information, including which exams you want to request the multiple-choice rescore service for, and sign it.
2. AP multiple-choice rescore service form
   • Have a form of payment ready.
   • The fee to rescore is $30 per exam. Payment methods include mailing a check or money order or faxing your credit card information.
3. Send the form and payment
   • Mail or fax the form and payment to the appropriate address below.

• If you’re paying by check or money order (payable to College Board):

• If you’re paying by credit card:

Free-response booklet request form

If you took an AP Exam and want to review your free-response answers, you can request that your free-response booklet pages be mailed to you. Only booklet pages from the most current exam administration can be sent.

The College Board does not provide rescoring of AP Exam free-response questions. Pupils may request their free-response booklets and consult their responses with their AP teacher in accordance with the College Board’s scoring guidelines.

1. Download and fill out the AP free-response booklet request form
   • Fill out the form with your information, including which exam(s) you want to get your free-response booklet pages for. Sign the form.
2. AP free-response booklet request form
   • AP free-response booklet pages are available for AP Exams only if the free-response content is released on the College Board website two days after the regularly scheduled AP Exam administration.
3. Have a form of payment ready
   • The fee for this service is $10 per exam. Payment methods include mailing a check or money order or faxing your credit card information.
4. Send the form and payment
   • Mail or fax the form and payment to the appropriate address below.

• If you’re paying by check or money order (payable to College Board):

• If you’re paying by credit card:

AP awards and recognition

1. You can gain recognition
   • Academic distinctions such as AP awards and recognitions can be included on your résumé and college applications.
2. You can talk about your accomplishments
   • The majority of AP awards are listed in AP score reports, and students who receive them can view and print their award certificates from their online accounts. Any AP score report sent to colleges includes awards.
3. On this website, you can learn more about qualifying
   • Students can earn AP Scholar Awards by performing well on AP Exams. Some schools have programs where students can earn AP Capstone awards as well as the AP with WE Service recognition.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)