Advanced Placement (AP) is a nationwide program that is designed to prepare secondary students for higher education. AP classes provide rigorous, college-level curriculum in various subjects and the opportunity to earn college credits or advanced college standing. The AP program is made possible by the close cooperation of secondary schools, colleges, and the College Board. 

AP Course and Exam Descriptions and the corresponding exams are prepared by AP Development Committees of educators appointed to overlapping terms by College Board and aided by assessment specialists from Educational Testing Service (ETS®). Each committee normally has at least three members from colleges or universities and at least three members from secondary schools. In addition, the AP Exam chief reader serves as an ex officio member of the committee.

With the exception of Art and Design, which contains portfolio exams, Research, which contains through-course performance tasks, and Computer Science Principles and Seminar, each of which contains a through-course assessment and end-of-course exam, exams vary in length from two to three hours and contain both multiple-choice and free-response questions; exams in European History, United States History, and World History: Modern also contain short-answer questions. The AP Exams in World Languages and Cultures, Spanish Literature and Culture, and Music Theory have a listening component. The exams in World Languages and Cultures and Music Theory also have a speaking or sight singing part, respectively. The exams in Chinese and Japanese Language and Culture are administered through computers.

What is the College Board?

The College Board develops and administers standardized tests and curricula to promote college-readiness and as part of the college admissions process

The multiple-choice sections of the exams are scored by computer. The free-response sections and through-course performance assessments are evaluated by experienced AP teachers and college professors, called readers, who spend a week in June scoring answers at the AP Reading.

Development of Scores

While colleges and universities are responsible for setting their own credit and placement policies, AP scores offer a recommendation on how qualified students are to receive college credit or placement:

5 = extremely well qualified
4 = well qualified
3 = qualified
2 = possibly qualified
1 = no recommendation

Before these scores are determined, however, a number of intermediate steps are taken:

1. The multiple-choice section is scored by computer. Multiple-choice scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers or unanswered questions.
2. Scores are assigned to individual essays or problems in the free-response section by readers (high school and college educators) at the AP Reading. These scores are based on detailed scoring guidelines established by the Development Committee. All free responses on the end-of-course exam (including AP Seminar), AP Art and Design submissions, and individual written components of performance tasks (in AP Computer Science Principles, AP Seminar, and AP Research) are scored by readers. The Presentation and Oral Defense components of the AP Seminar and AP Research performance tasks are scored by the classroom teacher. All AP Seminar and AP Research teachers are certified to score their students' performance tasks within College Board guidelines.
3. A composite score is created from the combined scores on the multiple-choice and free-response sections.
4. The conversion from the composite scores to the reported AP scores is determined by establishing 4 score boundaries on the composite score scale. The score boundaries for each exam are based primarily on statistical equating to scores on a previous year’s exam. For new and redesigned exams, the initial score boundaries are established through the process of panel-based standard setting.

If you have a disability that affects how you test, you may be eligible for accommodations on your AP Exams. 

In order for you to receive accommodations on the exam, College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office has to approve your request. If you test using accommodations that haven’t been approved by College Board in advance, your scores will be canceled.

If you believe you may qualify for accommodations on your AP Exam, please contact Ellen Zambrowsky-Huls at ezambrowsky-huls@lwsd.org for information on how to submit your request to College Board. 

AP Exam scores may be used by colleges in awarding college credit, awarding advanced placement, or both for a course in a particular subject. Because preparation for AP Exams involves work equivalent to that for introductory college courses, College Board recommends that colleges award credit to students who receive AP scores of 3, 4, or 5 and admit such students to appropriately advanced courses. Students seeking credit through their AP scores should note that each college or university, not the AP Program or College Board, determines the nature and extent of its policies for awarding credit, advanced placement, or both.

College Credit Award

Many colleges offer credit for AP scores. For example, if you earn a 4 on the AP Computer Science exam a college might award you 4 credits toward an equivalent course offered by the college.

Advanced Placement Award 

Many colleges recognize that your AP scores demonstrate that you already know the material in certain courses they offer, so they’ll let you skip those courses and use your AP score to meet the prerequisite for more advanced courses. Letting you skip these courses is called granting you advanced placement.

Individual Colleges determine if credit or advanced placement is granted based on their institutional policies, and many have limits on the amount of AP credits they will award. Because policies regarding AP scores vary, students should consult the AP policy of individual colleges and universities. They can find this information in a college’s catalog or on its website, or by using the AP Credit Policy Info search at apstudents.org/creditpolicy.

AP score reports are cumulative and include scores for all AP Exams a student has ever taken, unless the student has requested that one or more scores be canceled or withheld from a college. AP scores and any information furnished by students to the AP Program are treated as confidential.

Students must sign in to apscore.org to view their scores. AP score reports are available in July to designated colleges and universities, students, high schools, and districts. They are released to a college only with the students’ authorization, as designated in My AP (myap.collegeboard.org) or on subsequent score report requests. Although most AP score reports are available in July, some reports take longer to process due to late testing or other special circumstances (e.g., late arrival of testing materials or extra time needed to match student records).

NOTE: There may be other circumstances that could delay a student’s score. If a student’s AP score is delayed, this will be indicated on their online score report. Students testing late may have their score(s) delayed up to a month.

More information about score reporting and the withholding or cancellation of scores is available at apstudents.org/srs.