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Understanding Your AP Scores
By
Lisa Freedland
Lisa Freedland is a Scholarships360 writer with personal experience in psychological research and content writing. She has written content for an online fact-checking organization and has conducted research at the University of Southern California as well as the University of California, Irvine. Lisa graduated from the University of Southern California in Fall 2021 with a degree in Psychology.
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Caitlyn Cole is a college access professional with a decade of experience in non-profit program and project management for college readiness and access organizations.
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Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Every year, millions of students take Advanced Placement (AP) exams. For those who have never taken one before, it can certainly be a struggle to understand your scores. Luckily for you, there’s no need to fear. We’ve gone through and created this article to help you interpret your AP scores, no matter what exam you took or score you received.
So, if that sounds of use to you, keep on reading to learn how exams are scored. We also cover what each AP score means and look at the most recent score distributions (for every exam)!
How are AP exams scored?
Due to the new digital nature of the AP exams in 2024, the College Board has not made a statement regarding how exactly these digital exams will be scored. Stay tuned for any updates by viewing the official College Board website.
Check out: How to study for AP exams
Interpreting your AP Scores
Now onto the fun part: interpreting your scores! AP exams are scored on a 1-5 scale. This means that the lowest score you can earn is a “1”, the highest is a “5.” And, while any score of 3 or above is considered “passing,” many universities will require scores of 4 or 5 for students to receive college credit for their AP exam scores.
So, with that said, what does each score mean?
Also see: How does AP credit work?
AP score of 1
A score of “1” is the lowest score students can receive on an AP exam, and typically indicates that a student was largely or entirely unfamiliar with a course’s content. While receiving a score of “1” is very rare on some exams, it is quite common on others (you’ll see what we mean when you get to the score distributions later!). However, either way, students will unfortunately be unable to receive college credit with an AP score of 1.
Check out: Honors vs AP courses: what are the differences?
AP score of 2
According to the College Board, students who receive a score of 2 on an AP exam are considered “possibly qualified” to pass a college course focusing on the same subject matter. However, since students who receive a 2 are only deemed “possibly” (and not certainly) qualified to pass a similar college-level course, they are unable to receive college credit with an AP score of 2.
Although students who receive a score of 1 or 2 on an AP exam will not be able to receive college credit for their scores, we want to reassure these students that this is certainly not the end of the world. AP scores are not factored into college admissions, and students often go on to have great college careers even if they weren’t able to “pass” a few of their AP exams.
Related: How many AP classes should you take in high school
AP score of 3
An AP score of 3 is the lowest score one can receive in order to “pass” an AP exam. The College Board deems students who receive a 3 on any AP exam “qualified” to pass a college course on the same topic. Despite this, since “passing” is often equated with a grade of a B- or C, more competitive schools may not give students credit for an AP score of 3. A 3, however, is the most common score achieved for the majority of AP exams.
AP score of 4
Receiving a score of “4” on an AP exam indicates that a student has a strong grasp of the course material and is able to use that understanding to effectively answer questions about the topic. It is often equated with receiving a grade of “B” and suggests that students would have no issue passing a college course testing the same material. The vast majority of colleges, besides those that are deemed the “most selective,” will typically give students college credit for an AP score of 4.
AP score of 5
And last, but certainly not least, is an AP score of 5! A score of 5 suggests that a student has studied hard and has a very solid understanding of the subject matter. All colleges, except those few that don’t allow students to receive college credit for their AP scores, will generally give students credit for an AP score of 5.
Related: What are AP Scholars awards?
2024 AP Score Distributions
You now know how to interpret your AP scores, but how do your scores stack up compared to your peers? Every year, the College Board releases score distributions for each AP exam, giving students an idea of how many students got a score of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on each exam. While this isn’t essential information to know you, you may be curious to review the distributions to learn more about which AP exams are more or less challenging to help you prepare.
Arts
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2-D Art and Design | 11% | 29% | 43% | 14% | 3% |
| 3-D Art and Design | 7% | 24% | 41% | 23% | 5% |
| Art History | 14% | 21% | 28% | 25% | 12% |
| Music Theory | 19% | 18% | 24% | 25% | 14% |
| Drawing | 15% | 31% | 38% | 13% | 3% |
English
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| English Language and Composition | 9% | 21% | 24% | 29% | 17% |
| English Literature and Composition | 13% | 27% | 32% | 17% | 11% |
History and Social Sciences
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| African American Studies | 15% | 30% | 28% | 19% | 8% |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 16% | 24% | 33% | 15% | 12% |
| European History | 13% | 34% | 25% | 21% | 7% |
| Human Geography | 18% | 20% | 18% | 14% | 30% |
| Macroeconomics | 16% | 21% | 25% | 23% | 15% |
| Microeconomics | 17% | 25% | 23% | 21% | 14% |
| Psychology | 18% | 23% | 20% | 12% | 27% |
| United States Government and Politics | 24% | 25% | 24% | 18% | 9% |
| United States History | 13% | 33% | 26% | 20% | 8% |
| World History | 12% | 32% | 20% | 28% | 9% |
Math and Computer Science
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Calculus AB | 21% | 28% | 15% | 23% | 13% |
| Calculus BC | 45% | 22% | 13% | 15% | 5% |
| Computer Science A | 24% | 22% | 20% | 11% | 23% |
| Computer Science Principles | 11% | 21% | 33% | 21% | 14% |
| Precalculus | 25% | 24% | 26% | 15% | 10% |
| Statistics | 17% | 22% | 23% | 16% | 22% |
Sciences
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Biology | 16% | 23% | 29% | 22% | 10% |
| Chemistry | 17% | 27% | 31% | 17% | 8% |
| Environmental Science | 9% | 27% | 18% | 26% | 20% |
| Physics 1 | 8% | 18% | 20% | 27% | 27% |
| Physics 2 | 15% | 18% | 35% | 25% | 7% |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 27% | 23% | 17% | 20% | 13% |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 23% | 29% | 23% | 14% | 11% |
World Languages and Cultures
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 50% | 20% | 17% | 6% | 7% |
| French Language and Culture | 14% | 24% | 33% | 23% | 6% |
| German Language and Culture | 24% | 18% | 25% | 22% | 11% |
| Italian Language and Culture | 20% | 22% | 29% | 18% | 11% |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 47% | 10% | 17% | 8% | 18% |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 21% | 31% | 31% | 14% | 3% |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 9% | 23% | 34% | 22% | 12% |
| Latin | 12% | 17% | 28% | 23% | 20% |
Capstone Diploma Program
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Research | 12% | 26% | 47% | 12% | 3% |
| Seminar | 9% | 20% | 60% | 10% | 1% |
Don’t miss: 2025 AP Exam schedule
Do AP scores impact college admissions?
We hope that the 2024 score distributions were able to give you a good idea of how you performed against your peers. If you’ve taken the test(s) and did particularly well, congratulations! If you didn’t perform exactly how you wished, however, there’s no need to worry!
Ultimately, students can choose whether or not to send in their AP scores to colleges they apply to. So, for students who did perform well, it may be beneficial to send your scores off to colleges and give your application that extra little “bump” (and possibly get you some college credit if you’re accepted). However, if you didn’t perform up to your expectations, you don’t need to send your scores in at all – and they will not be seen by college admission panels.
While your AP scores certainly won’t be a defining factor in whether or not you’re accepted to colleges, you can definitely reap the benefits of performing well on them (they look good on your application plus are a potential to earn college credit!). Thus, we highly recommend students study hard and try their best on their AP exams.
So, if you’re not exactly sure how to practice for your AP exams or need some advice on how to do so, we highly recommend checking out the College Board’s Practice for the exams page.
Related: Ultimate guide to self-studying AP Exams
Additional resources for AP exams
If you’ve recently taken AP exams, you might have questions about how your scores will impact your future. We’ve got a guide to help you understand how AP credit works, so you can get an idea of what to expect for college. If you have more time left in high school, we can show you how to self-study for your next AP exam, and show you the easiest exams to self-study for.If you’re considering finding a new way to earn college credit, we can also walk you through the steps of dual enrollment. Finally, for students who are wondering whether their AP-boosted GPA will take precedence over their standard GPA, check out our guide to weighted vs unweighted GPAs. Best of luck, and now that AP tests are behind you, make sure you apply for all the scholarships you are eligible for!
Frequently asked questions about AP scores
Do colleges prefer AP or honors?
To learn more about the differences (and similarities) between AP and honors, be sure to check out Honors vs. AP courses: What are the differences? And, if you’re interested in learning about the differences between the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs, consider checking out IB vs AP: What you need to know!
Can I use AP scores for college credit?
What is a good AP score?
What happens if you fail an AP exam?
Can you take an AP Exam without taking the class?
Do you have to take an AP Exam if you take an AP course?