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AP Exams (Advanced Placement)

AP Exams are College Board's end-of-course exams in 42 subjects, scored 1–5 and given at school in two weeks of May. Each exam costs $99 in the U.S.; many colleges give credit for a 3 or higher.

Subjects42
Score1–5College decides credit
Fee$99$129 outside the U.S.
2027 examsMay 3–14
Test datesFees and fee helpFree official practice

Made by College Board. Who: Usually grades 10–12, after an AP course. Checked on the owner's own pages, 21 Oct 2026.

Who takes it

  • Most AP courses end in an exam that measures how well you mastered the course; a few courses are assessed in other ways (portfolios, performance tasks).
    College Board
    What to Know About AP ExamsCollege Board
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    21 Oct 2026
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  • Exams are given at many high schools and exam centers; your AP coordinator orders them and tells you when and where to report.
    College Board
    What to Know About AP ExamsCollege Board
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    21 Oct 2026
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Format and sections

Digital exams in the Bluebook app; some are hybrid (multiple choice on screen, free response handwritten in a booklet). AP Biology, for example, is 3 hours: 60 multiple-choice questions in 1 h 30 min (50%) and 6 free-response questions in 1 h 30 min (50%).

College Board
AP Biology: About the Exam (example course exam page: duration, sections, practice links)College Board
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21 Oct 2026
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  • For most exams the score is a weighted mix of the multiple-choice and free-response sections; some courses include other scored components.
    College Board
    About AP ScoresCollege Board
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    21 Oct 2026
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  • Portfolio and performance-task deadlines (11:59 p.m. ET): AP Art and Design May 7, 2027; Computer Science Principles, Seminar, Research and the new World Languages Personalized Project Reference April 30, 2027.
    College Board
    2027 AP Exam DatesCollege Board
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    21 Oct 2026
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Scoring

  • Scored 1–5: 5 extremely well qualified, 4 very well qualified, 3 qualified, 2 possibly qualified, 1 no recommendation.
    College Board
    About AP ScoresCollege Board
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    21 Oct 2026
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  • Many U.S. colleges grant credit or advanced placement for 3 and above, but each college decides.
    College Board
    About AP ScoresCollege Board
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    21 Oct 2026
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  • One free score send a year: choose the college or scholarship program by June 20, 2027.
    College Board
    Getting Credit and PlacementCollege Board
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    22 Oct 2026
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Fees and fee waivers

2027 AP Exam fees, per exam:

College Board
2027 AP Exam FeesCollege Board
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21 Oct 2026
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ItemFee
AP Exam in the U.S., U.S. territories, Canada and DoWEA schools (incl. Seminar and Research)$99
AP Exam at schools outside the U.S.$129
Late order (Nov 14, 2026 – Mar 12, 2027, full-year or first-semester courses)+$40
Unused or canceled exam after Nov 13$40
  • Fee reduction: $37 per exam from College Board for students with significant financial need; some states add more. Ask your AP coordinator; you pay through your school, not online.
    College Board
    2027 AP Exam FeesCollege Board
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    21 Oct 2026
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  • Your school may charge more to cover proctoring. Order deadline: November 13, 2026 (March 12, 2027 for courses starting later). New in 2026-27: no unused-exam fee for AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity in their launch year.
    College Board
    AP Exam Fees: ordering deadlines, rebate, late and unused-exam fees (AP Central)College Board
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    21 Oct 2026
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Test dates

2027 AP Exams: May 3–7 and May 10–14, 2027, in two sessions a day (usually morning and afternoon). Every subject's day and session is in the table below.

College Board
2027 AP Exam DatesCollege Board
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21 Oct 2026
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AP subjectGroup2027 examLengthDigital Portfolio due
AP 2-D Art and DesignArtsPortfolio, no exam—May 7, 2027
AP 3-D Art and DesignArtsPortfolio, no exam—May 7, 2027
AP DrawingArtsPortfolio, no exam—May 7, 2027
AP Art HistoryArtsWed May 12 · Session 23 h
Fully digital		—
AP Music TheoryArtsMon May 10 · Session 2About 2 h 40 min
Hybrid digital		—
AP English Language and CompositionEnglishWed May 12 · Session 13 h 15 min
Fully digital		—
AP English Literature and CompositionEnglishWed May 5 · Session 13 h
Fully digital		—
AP African American StudiesHistory and Social SciencesThu May 6 · Session 22 h 45 min
Fully digital		—
AP Comparative Government and PoliticsHistory and Social SciencesFri May 14 · Session 12 h 30 min
Fully digital		—
AP European HistoryHistory and Social SciencesTue May 4 · Session 23 h 15 min
Fully digital		—
AP Human GeographyHistory and Social SciencesMon May 3 · Session 12 h 15 min
Fully digital		—
AP MacroeconomicsHistory and Social SciencesFri May 7 · Session 22 h 10 min
Hybrid digital		—
AP MicroeconomicsHistory and Social SciencesTue May 4 · Session 22 h 10 min
Hybrid digital		—
AP PsychologyHistory and Social SciencesFri May 14 · Session 22 h 40 min
Fully digital		—
AP United States Government and PoliticsHistory and Social SciencesTue May 4 · Session 13 h
Fully digital		—
AP United States HistoryHistory and Social SciencesFri May 7 · Session 13 h 15 min
Fully digital		—
AP World History: ModernHistory and Social SciencesThu May 6 · Session 13 h 15 min
Fully digital		—
AP Calculus ABMath and Computer ScienceMon May 10 · Session 13 h 10 min
Hybrid digital		—
AP Calculus BCMath and Computer ScienceMon May 10 · Session 13 h 10 min
Hybrid digital		—
AP Computer Science AMath and Computer ScienceWed May 12 · Session 23 h
Fully digital		—
AP Computer Science PrinciplesMath and Computer ScienceFri May 14 · Session 13 hApr 30, 2027
AP PrecalculusMath and Computer ScienceTue May 11 · Session 12 h 55 min
Hybrid digital		—
AP StatisticsMath and Computer ScienceTue May 11 · Session 23 h
Fully digital		—
AP BiologySciencesMon May 3 · Session 23 h
Hybrid digital		—
AP ChemistrySciencesThu May 6 · Session 23 h 15 min
Hybrid digital		—
AP Environmental ScienceSciencesThu May 13 · Session 22 h 40 min
Fully digital		—
AP Physics 1: Algebra-BasedSciencesWed May 5 · Session 23 h
Hybrid digital		—
AP Physics 2: Algebra-BasedSciencesThu May 6 · Session 13 h
Hybrid digital		—
AP Physics C: Electricity and MagnetismSciencesWed May 5 · Session 23 h
Hybrid digital		—
AP Physics C: MechanicsSciencesMon May 3 · Session 13 h
Hybrid digital		—
AP Chinese Language and CultureWorld Languages and CulturesThu May 13 · Session 2About 2 h
Fully digital		—
AP French Language and CultureWorld Languages and CulturesThu May 6 · Session 1About 2 h 30 min
Fully digital		—
AP German Language and CultureWorld Languages and CulturesFri May 7 · Session 1About 2 h 30 min
Fully digital		—
AP Italian Language and CultureWorld Languages and CulturesMon May 3 · Session 2About 2 h 30 min
Fully digital		—
AP Japanese Language and CultureWorld Languages and CulturesTue May 11 · Session 1About 2 h
Fully digital		—
AP LatinWorld Languages and CulturesFri May 14 · Session 23 h
Fully digital		—
AP Spanish Language and CultureWorld Languages and CulturesThu May 13 · Session 1About 2 h 30 min
Fully digital		—
AP Spanish Literature and CultureWorld Languages and CulturesFri May 14 · Session 13 h
Fully digital		—
AP ResearchAP CapstonePerformance tasks, no exam—Apr 30, 2027
AP SeminarAP CapstoneMon May 10 · Session 22 hApr 30, 2027
AP Business with Personal FinanceAP Career KickstartTue May 4 · Session 12 h 40 min
Fully digital		—
AP CybersecurityAP Career KickstartWed May 5 · Session 12 h 10 min
Fully digital		—

42 subjects, as listed on College Board's AP Courses and Exams page; each name opens its official course page. Session 1 is usually the morning, Session 2 the afternoon.

College Board
AP Courses and ExamsCollege Board
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21 Oct 2026
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College Board
2027 AP Exam DatesCollege Board
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21 Oct 2026
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Where it is accepted

  • Each college publishes which scores earn credit or placement; College Board's AP Credit Policy Search lists them.
    College Board
    Getting Credit and PlacementCollege Board
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    22 Oct 2026
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Free official practice

  • Free-response questions from the past three years, with scoring guidelines and sample responses, on each course's AP Central page; AP Classroom practice once you join your class in My AP; test previews in Bluebook.
    College Board
    AP Biology Exam Questions: past free-response questions and scoring guidelines (AP Central)College Board
    Checked
    21 Oct 2026
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Used by these careers and colleges

Careers on this site where BLS lists a bachelor's degree or more as the typical way in. A college may ask for this test on the way, depending on its own policy.

Careers (77)

Show the 77 careers

Next on this site

Sources

Where these facts come from

Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.