Advanced Placement examinations are taken each May by students at participating Canadian, American, and international educational institutions. The tests are the culmination of year-long AP courses during high school. All but one of the AP exams combine multiple-choice questions with a free-response section in either essay or problem-solving format. AP Studio Art, the sole exception, requires students to submit a portfolio for review.
Each June, the free-response sections and Studio Art portfolios are scored by thousands of university faculty and Advanced Placement instructors.
The AP Grades that are reported to students, high schools, colleges, and universities in July are on AP’s five-point scale:
- 5: Extremely well-qualified
- 4: Well-qualified
- 3: Qualified
- 2: Possibly qualified
- 1: No recommendation
College Credit
Many colleges and universities in the U.S. grant credits or advanced placement based on AP grades; those in over twenty other countries do likewise. Policies vary by institution, but most schools require a score of 3 or higher on any given exam for credit to be granted or course prerequisites to be waived. Colleges may also take AP grades into account when deciding which students to accept, though this is not part of the official AP program.
Current AP Exams
- Art History
- Biology
- Calculus (AB & BC)
- Chemistry
- Chinese Language and Culture
- Comparative Government & Politics
- Computer Science A
- English Language & Composition
- English Literature & Composition
- Environmental Science
- European History
- French Language
- German Language
- Human Geography
- Japanese Language and Culture
- Latin: Vergil
- Macroeconomics
- Microeconomics
- Music Theory
- Physics B
- Physics C: Mechanics
- Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
- Psychology
- Russian Language and Culture
- Spanish Language
- Spanish Literature
- Statistics
- Studio Art (2-D, 3-D, & Drawing)
- U.S. History
- U.S. Government & Politics
- World History
To schedule a free, confidential consultation with an adviser at Jefferson Academics, please contact us today.