Step 1: Understanding AP Exams
Each year, CollegeBoard offers a number of exams called AP exams on most core subjects. These include Calculus, Chemistry, US History, Spanish, etc. For the full list, (click here). Every exam has both a multiple choice and a free-response section.Each test is intended for students who have completed an “AP” course in the relevant subject. For example, students taking the class AP Chemistry in school are advised to take the AP Chemistry Examination. However, students who have taken AP classes do not have to take AP Exams, and students who have not taken AP classes can still take AP Exams. Students can take as many AP Exams as they wish.
These exams are offered in May and each high school releases a list of AP exams that it will be hosting sometime in the spring. If a school does not offer a particular AP exam, students may take that exam at a different high school or ask their school to provide that exam. Registration is done through high schools around March.
AP exams are graded each summer by qualified teachers in the respective subjects. Exam grades are out of 5. So, while AP Exam questions are significantly more difficult than those of the SAT, the grading curve is also easier. Each exam has its own curve (details on [link to PathAspire page], but generally 75% accuracy will earn a 5. A 3 is considered to be “passing”. While each college has different standards, scores of 3 to 5 are usually good for college credit at public state universities. More prestigious schools only award credit for scores of 4 or 5, and the "elite" schools usually demand 5's.
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