2021 AP Exam Schedule + Study Tips
What’s Covered:
- 2021 AP Exam Schedule
- 2021 AP Late Exam Schedule
- Impact of COVID-19
- How AP Exams Impact Your College Chances
- Average AP Exam Scores
Performing well on AP exams has numerous benefits for college-bound applicants; they help students create attention-grabbing academic profiles and may allow them to test out of introductory college courses.
Consequently, AP students are always anxious to learn the AP Exam calendar. In this post, we’ll go over the 2021 AP exam schedule, discuss potential COVID-19 complications, and offer our tips for performing your best on test day.
2021 AP Exam Schedule
|
Date |
8 am (local time) |
12 pm (local time) |
2 pm (local time) |
|
Monday, May 3 |
United States Government Politics |
Physics C: Mechanics |
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism |
|
Tuesday, May 4 |
Calculus AB Calculus BC |
German Language and Culture Human Geography |
|
|
Wednesday, May 5 |
English Literature and Composition |
Japanese Language and Culture Physics 1: Algebra-Based |
|
|
Thursday, May 6 |
United States History |
Art History Computer Science A |
|
|
Friday, May 7 |
Chemistry Spanish Literature and Culture |
European History Physics 2: Algebra-Based |
|
|
Monday, May 10 |
French Language and Culture World History: Modern |
Macroeconomics |
|
|
Tuesday, May 11 |
Seminar Spanish Language and Culture |
Latin Psychology |
|
|
Wednesday, May 12 |
English Language and Composition |
Microeconomics Music Theory |
|
|
Thursday, May 13 |
Comparative Government and Politics Computer Science Principles |
Statistics |
|
|
Friday, May 14 |
Biology Italian Language and Culture |
Chinese Language and Culture Environmental Science |
The only exception to the AP Exam calendar is Alaska, where exams start an hour earlier than everywhere else—beginning at 7 am, 11 am, and 1 pm.
Digital Portfolio Due Date
The deadline for schools to submit the digital portfolios required in 2-D Art and Design, 3-D Art and Design, and Drawing is May 20, at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern time). Students are advised to submit their portfolios to their teachers well in advance of this date.
2021 AP Late Exam Schedule
|
Date |
8 am (local time) |
12 pm (local time) |
|
Tuesday, May 18 |
Comparative Government and Politics Computer Science Principles |
Statistics |
|
Wednesday, May 19 |
English Language and Composition European History Microeconomics Physics C: Mechanics Psychology World History: Modern |
Computer Science A
Chemistry
Japanese Language and Culture Latin Music Theory Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism |
|
Thursday, May 20 |
Biology Environmental Science Physics 1: Algebra-Based Seminar United States History |
Art History Chinese Language and Culture French Language and Culture Italian Language and Culture Physics 2: Algebra-Based |
|
Friday, May 21 |
Calculus AB Calculus BC English Literature and Composition Human Geography Spanish Language and Culture |
German Language and Culture
Macroeconomic Spanish Literature and Culture United States Government Politics |
AP Exams and COVID-19
COVID-19 has been extremely disruptive to seemingly every aspect of education and the AP Exams are not immune—for example, the 2020 AP exams were transitioned to 45-minute tests that were administered online. While we can’t look into a crystal ball and predict what will happen in 2021, we can look to the past for how the College Board—the organization that administers the AP Exams—will react if COVID-19 makes holding in-person exams a challenge.
In 2020, the College Board shifted exams to an online format that could be accessed from a computer, tablet, or smartphone. It’s safe to assume they will do this again if federal, state, or local rules or restrictions prevent them from holding in-person exams.
Unlike 2020, the College Board has had significantly more time to prepare a contingency plan for in-person exams. Even if moved online, students should prepare to take a version of the test that closely resembles the in-person exam, in contrast to the 45-minute, free-response-only exams of 2020. Similarly, they should ready themselves to be assessed on the entire course content, rather than just the covered content from the 2020 exams.
How Do AP Exams Impact Your College Chances?
Your course rigor significantly impacts your chances of acceptance. In fact, many selective schools use a metric called the Academic Index (AI) as a screening tool in admissions. This number represents the strength of your grades and test scores. If you don’t meet the college’s minimum AI threshold, you may be automatically rejected. (Some exceptions are first-generation, low-income, under-represented, and legacy students).
Taking AP classes will certainly help boost your AI. Not sure how if your current academic profile is competitive? We recommend using our free chancing engine. This tool will tell you how you stack up against other applicants, and give you tips on improving your profile (both for academics and extracurriculars).
How Do Most Students Do on Each AP Exam?
Interested in learning more about the score distribution of each exam? Check out the table below. For each row, the percentage listed indicates the percentage of students receiving the score in the corresponding column. For example, 8.8% of students got a 5 in AP Research.
|
Exam |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
AP Research |
8.8% |
32.1% |
31.5% |
25% |
2.5% |
|
AP Seminar |
6.4% |
14.5% |
59.8% |
17% |
2.2% |
|
AP Art History |
15.8% |
24.9% |
28% |
21.3% |
10% |
|
AP Music Theory |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
|
AP Studio Art: 2-D Design |
12.1% |
36.1% |
41.3% |
9.8% |
0.6% |
|
AP Studio Art: 3-D Design |
7.2% |
31.9% |
36.5% |
20.9% |
3.5% |
|
AP Studio Art: Drawing |
15.5% |
40.3% |
33.2% |
9.8% |
1.2% |
|
AP English Language and Composition |
12.6% |
20.4% |
29.1% |
26.2% |
11.8% |
|
AP English Literature and Composition |
9.3% |
17.3% |
33.5% |
27.8% |
12.2% |
|
AP Comparative Government and Politics |
24.4% |
27.4% |
18.4% |
17.3% |
12.5% |
|
AP European History |
13.7% |
20.1% |
25.5% |
29.2% |
11.5% |
|
AP Human Geography |
11.8% |
22.4% |
24.8% |
10.9% |
30.1% |
|
AP Macroeconomics |
19.7% |
25% |
18.5% |
16.2% |
20.5% |
|
AP Microeconomics |
23.3% |
29% |
16.6% |
14.2% |
16.9% |
|
AP Psychology |
22.4% |
25.4% |
23.5% |
9.6% |
19.1% |
|
AP United States Government and Politics |
15.5% |
16.5% |
25.5% |
22% |
20.5% |
|
AP United States History |
13% |
19.2% |
26.6% |
20.4% |
21% |
|
AP World History |
9.2% |
22.8% |
28.2% |
26.1% |
13.7% |
|
AP Calculus AB |
19.5% |
20.9% |
21% |
24.1% |
14.5% |
|
AP Calculus BC |
44.6% |
17.6% |
19.4% |
14.1% |
4.3% |
|
AP Computer Science A |
25.6% |
21.7% |
23.2% |
12.8% |
16.8% |
|
AP Computer Science Principles |
10.9% |
23.6% |
37.1% |
19.8% |
8.6% |
|
AP Statistics |
16.2% |
20.7% |
23.1% |
21.7% |
18.3% |
|
AP Biology |
9.5% |
22.7% |
36.9% |
24.1% |
6.9% |
|
AP Chemistry |
10.6% |
18.6% |
26.9% |
24% |
19.9% |
|
AP Environmental Science |
11.9% |
28.5% |
13% |
25.5% |
21% |
|
AP Physics 1 |
8.8% |
17.9% |
24.8% |
26.5% |
21.9% |
|
AP Physics 2 |
14% |
24.3% |
35% |
21.3% |
5.4% |
|
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism |
40.4% |
22.4% |
11.6% |
16.2% |
9.5% |
|
AP Physics C: Mechanics |
41.6% |
26.4% |
16.3% |
9.2% |
6.5% |
|
AP Chinese Language and Culture |
55.4% |
15.5% |
17.9% |
5.1% |
6.1% |
|
AP French Language and Culture |
23.3% |
31.7% |
28.3% |
12.3% |
4.4% |
|
AP German Language and Culture |
23.9% |
33.9% |
16% |
19.5% |
6.7% |
|
AP Italian Language and Culture |
18.5% |
16.8% |
401% |
19.5% |
5.1% |
|
AP Japanese Language and Culture |
53.7% |
9.6% |
20.3% |
7.7% |
8.8% |
|
AP Latin |
16.5% |
20.4% |
32.3% |
17.9% |
12.9% |
|
AP Spanish Language and Culture |
30.5% |
36.4% |
23.1% |
8.8% |
1.2% |
|
AP Spanish Literature and Culture |
17.6% |
18.6% |
38.8% |
20.7% |
4.3% |
Tips for AP Exam Success
No matter whether a test is taken in-person or online, there are some steps students can take to ensure an impressive AP exam score.
Prepare Early
Cramming for a test is no fun and ineffective; therefore, students should take a proactive course of action and begin studying early—at least a month before the exam date. Practice tests are a fantastic test-prep resource, as they:
- Highlight strengths and weaknesses (illuminating areas that need extra attention)
- Familiarize test-takers with question styles and exam formats
- Perfect test timing
- Ease test anxiety
- Track preparation progress
There are numerous great free practice tests and resources available online—for example, our Guides for Acing Your AP Exams.
Test-Day Preparation
Make sure you know ahead of time what is needed to have on hand for each AP exam, whether in-person or online. Must-have items for in-person AP exams include:
- #2 Pencils and black or dark blue colored pens
- Government or school-issued identification
- Six-digit school code
- A ruler or straight-edge for those taking the AP Physics exam
- An acceptable calculator if the exam allows or requires one
Just as important as what to bring to your in-person exam is what not to bring. These items include:
- Food and drinks—they’re not allowed in the exam room
- Smartphones and smartwatches
- Laptops and tablets
- Cameras
- Separate timers
Get caught with any of these prohibited items and risk consequences from having them confiscated to having your test score canceled and not being permitted to retest.
Relax
Studying is important for test day success, but so is showing up to the test well-rested and relaxed. Make sure in the weeks leading up to exam day that you’re getting enough sleep and eating a healthy, balanced diet. Sometimes getting an extra hour of sleep is more valuable than spending an extra hour reviewing material—this is especially true for students who started studying early and stuck to a consistent schedule.
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