Under the Advanced Placement program, high school students in the USA study undergraduate level foundation courses for one or two years. The Advanced Placement Examinations (APE) are several subject-wise tests held to assess the performance and skill level of students who have been studying AP courses for a year. Most tests follow a multiple choice pattern, though some subjects (e.g. Visual Arts) require portfolio submissions or programming tasks.
APE Scores
are reported for each student on a five point scale, similar to grades. An AP Grade of 5 implies that the student is Extremely Well Qualified in that subject, while a Grade of 1 means that the College Board does not issue any recommendation. Advanced Placement scores are accepted by almost all institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada, with many universities offering an offset of course credits against exceptional examination performance. The scores are also recognized in more than 100 countries worldwide for purposes of undergraduate program admissions.
| Exam Name | APE (Advanced Placement Exams) |
| Governing Organization | College Board |
| Official Website | https://ap.collegeboard.org/ |
| Registration Date | (for exams in May 2024) November 15, 2023 |
| Registration Fee | $128 per subject (international) $98 per subject (US and Canada) |
| Mode of Exam | Pen and Paper (primarily) Digital (in many schools) |
| Accepted in | All Universities in USA + Canada; recognized in 100+ countries |
| Exam Frequency | Once Per Year (May) |
| Exam Duration | 120 to 180 minutes (depending on paper) |
| Total Questions | Variable; up to 70 questions per subject |
Most students choose to register for their AP examinations of interest online. This can be done either from home or via school internet facilities. The entire process is closely linked with the test taker’s high school venue, and he/she should contact the AP Coordinator if there are any queries.
Four categories of students are eligible to attempt the AP Examination, as long as they can access a test center (either in their school or in a nearby authorized institution):
The pattern of the APE varies according to subject, with most papers having a mixture of multiple choice and essay type questions. The number of questions/tasks is decided so that the paper can be completed in 2-3 hours. There is no negative marking, and students are encouraged to attempt all questions.
| Question Type | Average Time Per Question/Task | Other Notes |
| Multiple Choice Questions | 60 seconds | No Negative Marking |
| Free-Response Section | 10-30 minutes | 2-7 Tasks per Paper |
| Creative Portfolio / Programming Task | Several Months | Submission 2 weeks before test dates |
Students are given a score between 1 and 5 for each subject attempted, based on their performance in the AP Examination. Candidates may use all scores above 3 to apply for AP Level College Courses.
There are currently 37 different AP examination subjects, with 36 of these having a written / digital test component, and the last (AP Art and Design) requiring submission of a detailed digital creative portfolio. AP Computer Science Principles has both a written test and a programming task to be submitted two weeks before the exam. The syllabus varies widely according to the subject. However, these are the main features of the APE for all subjects:
The AP syllabus of all subjects is at the same level as courses taught in the first and second years of undergraduate programs in related fields of study. Therefore, the APE is an ideal way for a candidate to evaluate if a certain course is right for him/her, while also being able to earn credits towards a UG degree and thereby reduce the tuition fee payable.
The AP syllabus requires careful preparation. The median number of AP examinations taken in a year by a candidate is 3; there are very few students who achieve certifications in more than 6. It requires careful guided study, and most students spend at least a year in preparation.
The difficulty of AP subject examinations is similar to those of A-Levels and IBDP papers. However, there is usually less time to prepare for the AP Examination, especially for international test takers, and the syllabus is quite different from the Year 12 higher secondary syllabus of most countries. Therefore, students should start preparations as early as possible, and consider attending regular coaching classes in order to boost their skills.
Most advanced high school examinations have primarily long-form questions. The APE has a high number of multiple choice questions, ensuring that the understanding and application skills of students are evaluated in a holistic manner. Some papers have practical tasks to be submitted, further increasing the real world value of the AP Score.
APE places emphasis on reasoning and application skills instead of rote learning. Question formats are unique, and candidates will need a deep understanding of multiple topics to ensure that they can get a score of 4 or 5 in each subject. The best way to improve one’s AP score is to work out several open ended questions from multiple textbooks.
AP scores are recognized in almost 100 countries across the world. The AP Course Ledger online lists all countries that have schools which offer the AP examination. Late registration will be allowed between November 16, 2023 and March 15, 2024. An additional fee is applicable for late registration and exam cancellation within this period. After March 16, 2024, registrations will not be allowed for the 2024 AP examinations.
| APE Test Date | Morning Session Subject Paper | Afternoon Session Subject Paper |
| May 6, 2024 | United States Government and Politics | Art History Chemistry |
| May 7, 2024 | Human Geography Microeconomics | Seminar Statistics |
| May 8, 2024 | English Literature and Composition | Comparative Government and Politics Computer Science A |
| May 9, 2024 | Chinese Language and Culture Environmental Science | Psychology |
| May 10, 2024 | European History United States History | Macroeconomics Spanish Literature and Culture |
| May 13, 2024 | Calculus AB Calculus BC | Italian Language and Culture Precalculus |
| May 14, 2024 | English Language and Composition | African American Studies Physics C: Mechanics Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism |
| May 15, 2024 | French Language and Culture World History: Modern | Computer Science Principles Music Theory |
| May 16, 2024 | Spanish Language and Culture | Biology Japanese Language and Culture |
| May 17, 2024 | German Language and Culture Physics 1: Algebra-Based | Latin Physics 2: Algebra-Based |
Students can only appear for each AP subject exam once a year when the test is held in May. A student can attempt the same subject multiple times over several years. All the scores will be reported to Universities, unless the student requests that one or more schools are either withheld or completely canceled.
To find a conveniently located test center, students can contact their school authorities to check if their institution hosts the APE or partners with an accredited AP test center, or visit the AP website to find a nearby AP testing school. If a student wishes to take the AP exams, but his/her school does not offer them, these steps are to be followed to attempt the exam from an authorized test center:
The AP Examination fees vary according to whether the test taker is in the US or abroad. The fees payable scale according to the number of AP subjects taken by a candidate.
| Service | APE Exam Fees |
| Registration Fee (per subject; within US and Canada) | $98 |
| Registration Fee (per subject; international location) | $128 |
| Registration Fee (AP Seminar and Research papers) | $148 |
| School Rebate (Discount per paper) | $9 |
| College Board Fee Reduction (per paper; for eligible students only) | $36 |
| Late Registration Fee (between November 16 2023 and March 15 2024) | $40 |
| Exam Cancellation Fee (within late registration period) | $40 |
| Late Testing Fee (per subject) | $40 |
Certain federal and state welfare programs allow for further fee reductions based on financial need. Candidates must apply to these directly or via their school testing center.
During the preparation phase for the AP Examination, either in a coaching class or at school, students should ensure that they complete all assignments diligently, as the only way to improve understanding is to work out sample questions. Free sample papers for different AP subjects are available on the College Board website. In addition, students should contact their center’s AP Coordinator to explore the possibility of purchasing sample papers, if more practice is required to improve their score.
Test takers can register for multiple AP subject tests even if they are scheduled for the same date and time. In order to take both tests, candidates should contact their school AP authorities, and explore the possibility of attempting one of the papers during the late testing period. The local AP Coordinator's decision will be final in this regard.
In schools where the digital AP exam option is available, it is conducted either in parallel with the paper test or instead of the normal format. Students can either use approved Chromebooks or school computer infrastructure to attempt the test. The questions are exactly the same as they would be in the case of the offline examination. Each school appoints authorized AP proctors to supervise the digital examination and ensure that it starts on time. They also take additional precautions, including checks that no candidates connect to external sites on the internet while the exam is in process.
AP examinations are held in two sessions: morning and afternoon. These are relative to the local time zone. Therefore, the exam does not take place simultaneously throughout the world, even though the calendar dates and local times are the same. The papers scheduled for the morning session may start at any time between 8 and 9 AM in the local time zone. Afternoon session tests may start between 12 and 1 PM.
More than 60% of all AP test takers attain a score of 3, 4, or 5, thereby qualifying for the AP certificate in that subject. The median score is 2.92. Therefore, with careful preparation and adequate subject understanding, candidates can be confident of performing well and achieving certificates of competence in most of their AP papers.
In this case, the candidate should follow the same steps as if his/her school is not an AP Center: check the online AP center ledge, and identify a nearby school that offers all the subjects that he/she is interested in. After this, the student should contact the AP Coordinator at the other school, and arrange to pay the fees via that institution, and appear for the examination at that test center. In this extraordinary case, some students are able to sign up after the November 15 deadline without paying late fees, given that they were not able to find all their subjects of interest in their own school. However, this is based on the discretion of the College Board, and a separate application must be submitted.
