AP Exams (Advanced Placement) Requirements & Prerequisites
Everything you need to know before registering for the AP Exams (Advanced Placement), eligibility, cost, format, and what to expect on exam day.
Cost
$98 per exam
Provider
College Board
Validity
Lifetime
Available
USA/Global
Education
Check official exam requirements
Experience
1-3 years of hands-on experience recommended
Specific Requirements
- None set by the College Board for most exams. There is no minimum grade point average, no required prior course and no age requirement to sit an AP exam.
- An exam order placed by your school's AP coordinator. Students cannot register or pay on the College Board website; the school submits the order and collects payment.
- An order by the deadline: 13 November 2026 for full-year and first-semester courses and exam-only sections, or 12 March 2027 for courses that start after 13 November. Orders after 13 November attract a 40 dollar late order fee.
- A College Board account, used to join AP class sections in My AP, sign in to Bluebook on exam day, and view and send scores in July.
- Bluebook installed on the testing device before exam day, with the subject's test preview completed.
- AP Seminar completed before AP Research. The College Board states you must take AP Seminar first, and each is a yearlong course.
- For AP Capstone Diploma candidates, scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research plus four additional AP exams, which may be taken at any point in high school.
- For fee reductions, documented significant financial need, indicated by the school in AP Registration and Ordering. The College Board reduction is 37 dollars per exam and some states add further funding.
- For accommodations, prior approval from the College Board Services for Students with Disabilities office before the exam date, since otherwise-prohibited items are permitted only when preapproved.
Number of Questions
Set per subject. AP U.S. History has 60 questions: 55 multiple choice, 3 short answer, and 2 essays (a document-based question and a long essay). AP English Language and Composition has 48: 45 multiple choice and 3 essays. AP Biology has 66: 60 multiple choice and 6 free response, of which 2 are long questions worth 9 points and 4 are short questions worth 4 points. AP Calculus AB has 48: 42 multiple choice and 6 free response.
Duration
Set per subject, not per programme. AP U.S. History runs 195 minutes: 55 minutes for Section I Part A, 40 minutes for Section I Part B, and 1 hour 40 minutes for Section II. AP English Language and Composition also runs 195 minutes: 1 hour for Section I and 2 hours 15 minutes for Section II including a 15-minute reading period. AP Biology runs 180 minutes, 1 hour 30 minutes per section. AP Calculus AB runs 190 minutes: 1 hour 40 minutes for Section I and 1 hour 30 minutes for Section II.
Question Format
Multiple choice, often in sets of three to five questions tied to one shared stimulus such as a source, image, graph or map, Short answer questions requiring a few sentences, as in the three 40-minute AP history short answers, Document-based questions, where AP U.S. History gives seven documents and asks for an argument built on them, Long essay questions with a broad prompt drawn from roughly half the course period, Free-response mathematics and science problems, handwritten in paper booklets on hybrid digital exams, Synthesis, rhetorical analysis and argument essays in AP English Language and Composition, Portfolio components submitted through the AP Digital Portfolio for AP Art and Design and AP Research, Presentations and an oral defence, used in AP Research alongside an academic paper
Passing Requirement
The College Board publishes no pass mark. It states that many United States colleges grant credit, advanced placement or both for scores of 3 and above, and that each college makes its own decisions about which scores earn credit or placement. Several selective institutions require a 4 or a 5 in specific subjects, and some grant no credit at all, which is why the College Board runs an AP Credit Policy Search.
How It Is Delivered
Digital, through the Bluebook testing application, on a school-provided or student device with Bluebook installed. Fully digital exams submit all responses automatically at the end. Hybrid digital exams pair Bluebook multiple choice with handwritten free-response booklets returned for scoring. AP Art and Design and AP Research are submitted through the AP Digital Portfolio instead of an end-of-course exam in Bluebook.
Languages Offered
English for most subjects, Target-language exams in AP Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Spanish Language and Spanish Literature. AP Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish Language move to fully digital delivery for 2027 with listening and recording handled in Bluebook and wired headsets with microphones required; AP Spanish Literature also moves to fully digital with audio prompts in Bluebook; AP Latin is already fully digital and has no audio component
Visit the official College Board certification page
Create an account and select your exam
Choose a test center or online proctoring option
Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
Score Scale
1 to 5 for every AP exam. The College Board maps 5 to extremely well qualified and a college course grade of A+ or A, 4 to very well qualified and A-, B+ or B, 3 to qualified and B-, C+ or C, 2 to possibly qualified with no grade equivalent, and 1 to no recommendation with no grade equivalent.
Score You Need
The College Board publishes no pass mark. It states that many United States colleges grant credit, advanced placement or both for scores of 3 and above, and that each college makes its own decisions about which scores earn credit or placement. Several selective institutions require a 4 or a 5 in specific subjects, and some grant no credit at all, which is why the College Board runs an AP Credit Policy Search.
How It Is Calculated
For most subjects the multiple-choice section is scored by computer and the raw score is simply the number of correct responses. The free-response section and any through-course performance tasks are scored at the AP Reading during the first two weeks of June by appointed college professors and experienced AP teachers working to published rubrics. The two totals are combined using the published section weights, for example 45 per cent and 55 per cent in AP English Language and Composition, to form a composite score. The composite is then translated to the 1 to 5 scale using statistical processes designed to ensure that a 3 this year reflects the same level of achievement as a 3 last year. Cut points come from studies correlating AP student performance with that of college students in comparable courses. AP Seminar, AP Research, AP Computer Science Principles, the three AP Art and Design courses and AP African American Studies use different assessment structures set out on their course pages.
When You Get Results
Scores are released in July through your College Board account. Some scores take longer because of later testing dates, late arrival of materials or record matching, and you are emailed when a delayed score is added. If you have not received your scores by 15 August, contact AP Services for Students. Colleges designated with your free score send by the 20 June deadline should receive your report by early July, and paid additional reports are available for download within 24 hours or less.
- Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo)
- Appointment confirmation email
- For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet
What are the prerequisites for the AP Exams (Advanced Placement)?
None set by the College Board for most exams. There is no minimum grade point average, no required prior course and no age requirement to sit an AP exam.. An exam order placed by your school's AP coordinator. Students cannot register or pay on the College Board website; the school submits the order and collects payment.. An order by the deadline: 13 November 2026 for full-year and first-semester courses and exam-only sections, or 12 March 2027 for courses that start after 13 November. Orders after 13 November attract a 40 dollar late order fee.. A College Board account, used to join AP class sections in My AP, sign in to Bluebook on exam day, and view and send scores in July.. Bluebook installed on the testing device before exam day, with the subject's test preview completed.. AP Seminar completed before AP Research. The College Board states you must take AP Seminar first, and each is a yearlong course.. For AP Capstone Diploma candidates, scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research plus four additional AP exams, which may be taken at any point in high school.. For fee reductions, documented significant financial need, indicated by the school in AP Registration and Ordering. The College Board reduction is 37 dollars per exam and some states add further funding.. For accommodations, prior approval from the College Board Services for Students with Disabilities office before the exam date, since otherwise-prohibited items are permitted only when preapproved..
How much does the AP Exams (Advanced Placement) cost?
The AP Exams (Advanced Placement) exam costs $98 per exam. This includes the exam fee only, study materials are additional.
How do I register for the AP Exams (Advanced Placement)?
Visit the official College Board certification page → Create an account and select your exam → Choose a test center or online proctoring option → Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
What should I bring to the AP Exams (Advanced Placement)?
Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo). Appointment confirmation email. For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet.
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