Advanced Placement

The College Board, a non-profit organization with operations in the United States and Canada, established the Advanced Placement (AP) program as an educational initiative. It provides high school students with college-level coursework and examinations. 

The Advanced Placement (AP) program, initially established in 1955, is now accessible to a vast number of students globally prior to college. Its primary objective is to facilitate a smoother transition into university life by allowing students to enroll in college-level courses throughout their high school education. While AP does not serve as a replacement for high school graduation, it does grant a certificate of academic proficiency to students who partake in the program.

Colleges and universities in over 60 countries acknowledge Advanced Placement, and students who achieve high scores on the AP tests can attend these institutions and have their courses credited. The Advanced Placement Curriculum is developed by a panel of subject matter experts and university-level educators for each course offered in the program. 

The same group of experts who created the program administers the examinations, and seasoned educators as well as academics from colleges and universities score the exams on a scale of 1 to 5. Authorized schools and testing institutions administer Advanced Placement tests.

The Advanced Placement curriculum is characterized by its rigorous academic requirements, and students who aspire to partake in the program must demonstrate a willingness to embrace the program's demanding nature. 

The Advanced Placement program requires specific prerequisites for its offered courses. Prior to enrolling in specific courses, students in the program are required to complete prerequisite courses that will serve as the foundation for the subsequent courses. The Advanced Placement (AP) education and examination program enhances students' prospects of admission to a university. Depending on the specific AP courses completed and the university of interest, the university may provide course exemptions or lessen the required course load. 

Conversely, the inclusion of a student's participation and completion of an Advanced Placement (AP) education and examination program, along with the inclusion of AP courses on official transcripts submitted during university applications, conveys the impression that the student is eager to learn, willing to undertake a rigorous study program, and possesses the desired academic abilities sought in university students.

The Advanced Placement program has the potential to elevate students' rankings in university applications and provide access to a range of academic scholarships and honors, contingent upon their achievement in the program. 

Those who attain a score of 3 or above in the examinations conducted as a component of the Advanced Placement program experience greater academic achievement during their university years and exhibit a higher percentage of graduation compared to those who do not partake in the program. The Advanced Placement (AP) education and examination program, initially established in the United States and subsequently globalized, has become a recognized symbol of academic merit for universities worldwide. 

These institutions hold highly regard for students who participate in the program and successfully complete the requirements. Numerous colleges all over the world accept the Advanced Placement program, and it is valid in more than 100 nations.

How AP Exams are taken

If you are picturing a hall full of paper booklets, that picture is out of date. Standard paper testing has been discontinued for 28 of the 36 AP subjects that have an end-of-course exam. Most exams now run through Bluebook, College Board's testing app, and the rest use formats built around what the subject actually needs.

How it is taken	What that means for you	Which subjects
Fully digital	Multiple-choice and free-response both answered in Bluebook, submitted automatically at the end	16 subjects, including AP Psychology, AP United States History and AP English Literature
Hybrid digital	Multiple-choice answered in Bluebook and free-response prompts read there, but you handwrite your answers in a paper booklet	12 subjects, mostly maths and science: AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Biology
Portfolio	No sit-down exam; you submit your work through the AP Digital Portfolio	AP 2-D Art and Design, AP 3-D Art and Design, AP Drawing
Separate app	Taken on school devices in a dedicated exam application	AP Chinese and AP Japanese Language and Culture
Paper plus recording	Written sections on paper, spoken answers recorded on a device the school provides	AP French, German, Italian and Spanish Language and Culture; AP Music Theory pairs paper with recorded sight-singing

Two subjects sit slightly outside all of this. AP Computer Science Principles and AP Seminar have a fully digital end-of-course exam in Bluebook and performance tasks submitted through the AP Digital Portfolio. AP Research has no written exam at all — it is assessed on the project you build across the year.

The practical step is simple: find out which mode your subject uses before you start revising. Practising handwritten essays for an exam you will type, or typing for one you will handwrite, wastes preparation you cannot get back. Your school's AP coordinator will know.

Curriculum

The AP Capstone Diploma Program

AP Capstone is a two-year programme built on two courses, AP Seminar and AP Research, and it works differently from a normal AP subject. Universities around the world recognise the diploma students earn by completing it.

In AP Seminar your grade comes from work spread across the year as well as a final exam. During the year you produce a team project and an individual project. The team project involves a group research report and a joint multimedia presentation. The individual project is built from source material and consists of a written argument, a presentation and an oral defence of what you have argued.

The end-of-course exam has two parts and no multiple-choice section at all. In the first you read a single source and answer three questions on it. In the second you read four sources, work out what connects them, and build your own argument from that connection. Your final grade combines the year's work with that exam, and it is reported on the same 5-point scale as every other AP subject.

AP Research follows on from Seminar and is assessed entirely on the year-long investigation you carry out. If you like working independently over a long stretch rather than performing under exam conditions, this pair of courses will suit you better than most.

Advanced Placement courses

These are the AP courses currently offered, grouped by subject area:

AP Capstone Diploma Program

• AP Research
• AP Seminar

Arts

• AP 2-D Art and Design
• AP 3-D Art and Design
• AP Drawing
• AP Art History
• AP Music Theory

English

• AP English Language and Composition
• AP English Literature and Composition

History and Social Sciences

• AP African American Studies
• AP Comparative Government and Politics
• AP European History
• AP Human Geography
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Psychology
• AP United States Government and Politics
• AP United States History
• AP World History: Modern

Maths and Computer Science

• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Computer Science A
• AP Computer Science Principles
• AP Precalculus
• AP Statistics

Sciences

• AP Biology
• AP Chemistry
• AP Environmental Science
• AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
• AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based
• AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
• AP Physics C: Mechanics

World Languages and Cultures

• AP Chinese Language and Culture
• AP French Language and Culture
• AP German Language and Culture
• AP Italian Language and Culture
• AP Japanese Language and Culture
• AP Latin
• AP Spanish Language and Culture
• AP Spanish Literature and Culture

Scoring

Every AP Exam is reported on a 5-point scale. The number is not a mark out of five — it is College Board's recommendation about how ready you are for university work in that subject.

Score	What College Board calls it	Equivalent university grade
5	Extremely well qualified	A+ or A
4	Very well qualified	A-, B+ or B
3	Qualified	B-, C+ or C
2	Possibly qualified	—
1	No recommendation	—

For most subjects the score comes from a weighted combination of your multiple-choice and free-response performance. Some courses work differently: AP Computer Science Principles, AP Seminar and the Art and Design subjects are scored partly or entirely on work you complete during the year.

Will my score get me university credit?

This is the part worth being precise about, because it is where students are most often misinformed.

Many universities in the United States grant credit or advanced placement for a score of 3 or above. But College Board does not decide this — each university sets its own policy. One institution may want a 4 in your subject, another may accept a 3, and a third may give placement without credit. A score that earns a semester's credit at one university may earn nothing at another.

So do not work towards a general target. Look up the AP credit policy of each university on your list, for the specific subjects you are taking, and aim at what those pages actually say.

To be considered at all, you have to send your official score report directly to the institution. Credit is not awarded on the strength of a number you write on your application.

Frequently asked questions

Are AP Exams still taken on paper?

Mostly no. Standard paper testing has been discontinued for 28 of the 36 AP subjects with end-of-course exams. Those are now taken in Bluebook, either fully digital or hybrid digital, and a handful of subjects use their own formats.

What is the difference between a fully digital and a hybrid digital AP Exam?

In a fully digital exam you answer everything inside Bluebook, including the free-response questions. In a hybrid digital exam you answer the multiple-choice questions in Bluebook and read the free-response prompts there, but you handwrite your answers in a paper booklet that is collected for marking.

What AP score do I need for college credit?

Many US universities grant credit or advanced placement for a 3 or above, but College Board does not decide this. Each university sets its own policy, so check the specific institutions you are applying to rather than assuming a 3 will be enough everywhere.

What does each AP score mean?

5 is extremely well qualified, 4 is very well qualified, 3 is qualified, 2 is possibly qualified and 1 carries no recommendation. College Board maps 5 to an A+ or A at university level, 4 to an A-, B+ or B, and 3 to a B-, C+ or C.

How is my AP score worked out?

For most subjects it is a weighted combination of your multiple-choice and free-response performance. Some courses, including AP Computer Science Principles, AP Seminar and the Art and Design subjects, are scored partly or wholly on work you complete during the year rather than in an exam.

Do I have to take the AP course to sit the exam?

The course and the exam are separate things, and it is the exam score that universities look at when deciding on credit or placement. Your school's AP coordinator is the person to speak to about sitting a particular exam.

How do universities receive my AP scores?

You send your official score report to them directly. Credit and placement decisions are made on that report, so make sure it reaches every institution that needs it.