AP Grades Explained for Students

As an AP student, it can be difficult to understand the AP grading system and know what each score means. You may have questions such as: What grades do I need to pass? What grades are required by my college? What grades do most students get in each subject? This article will give you the answers to these questions, as well as a comprehensive understanding of the AP grading system and how your scores are calculated. 

How Does The AP Grading System Work?

The AP grading system uses a score from 1 to 5 to indicate student ability, where 1 is the lowest score and 5 is the highest. 

Colleges tend to consider scores of 4 or 5 as good. Each college, however, sets its own advanced placement criteria, so a score of 3 could also be enough to gain advanced placement. Most colleges consider a score of 1 or 2 as low and do not permit advanced placement.

AP Exam Score, Recommendation, and College Grade Equivalent

This table lays out each AP exam score and the degree of recommendation the score indicates, along with an equivalent college score. 

How are AP Grades Calculated?

You will be given an AP score for each paper you take. For example, if you take AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2, you will be given two scores. 

Most courses are assessed by means of one written examination. This typically includes two sections, multiple choice followed by an essay or free response section. 

In different subjects and examinations, each section is weighted differently, as explained on the AP courses pages on the College Board website.

For example, in the AP Physics 1 examination, the 40 multiple-choice questions are weighted equally to the four free-response questions, even though the recommended timing allocations are different.

AP Physics 1 Exam Weighting

AP Calculus AB and BC Exam Weighting

Each free-response or essay question is evaluated for its overall effectiveness using a 1 to 9 scale. 1 is the least, and 9 the most effective response. Raw free response scores are added to the multiple choice total to give an overall composite score.

AP Art and Design (2-D, 3-D, drawing), AP language courses such as Chinese language and culture or Spanish language and culture and AP research are examples of courses not assessed in this way. 

How are AP Grade Boundaries Decided?

Exam composite scores vary between subject and paper, but normally fall between zero and 150, depending on the number of questions. 

The College Board ensures the same number of students annually achieve an advanced placement from each exam, so the composite to scaled score ratio changes yearly. 

The AP College Board applies a detailed process to determine the scaled score boundaries in each exam. The scores in both the AP and final exams are compared for a sample of college students on a comparable course. This predicts student success in a more advanced course, which changes depending on the difficulty of the papers.

How to Interpret Your AP Results

With only five possible grades, it’s easy to see how well you have performed and whether your college will accept you for advanced placement. Appeals and resits are possible if you are disappointed with your grade. 

If you achieve a 1 or 2, you can appeal for the multiple choice section of your test to be remarked, for a cost of $30. When multiple-choice tests are submitted, they are scored by a computer, so when you appeal, the test is then re-scored by a human. Your score can go up or down, and it cannot be appealed again. This is then the final score. 

The free-response section of an exam cannot be remarked, but you can request a copy, which costs $15. 

It is possible to resit an AP exam, but only in May of the following year. It is important to consider carefully whether resitting an AP exam is worth it. Will a higher score mean you can gain an advanced placement in that course? Will you be able to study hard and achieve a higher score with the time and resources you now have available? 

Improve Your Grades with Save My Exams

Here at Save My Exams, our revision resources provide clear, concise, and well-organized revision materials. 

Here's how Save My Exams can help you to improve your grades:

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7. By using these resources consistently, you’ll develop a stronger understanding of your AP courses, giving you the confidence to tackle challenging problems in exams.

Explore Our AP Revision Resources

References

About AP Scores, Collegeboard.org

2025 AP Exams: How Will They Work? Collegeboard.org

Score Setting and Scoring, Collegeboard.org

Decoding the AP score grading system, C2 educate

How are AP exams scored? Academic approach.com

How long are AP exams and can you retake them? Crimsoneducation.org.uk

When do AP scores come out in 2024? Collegetransitions.com