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Duke University
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 UCLA
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Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
200
800
| 800 verbal
200
800

Extracurriculars

Low accuracy (4 of 18 factors)

2026 AP Exam Schedule

What’s Covered:

 

Performing well on AP exams has numerous benefits for college-bound applicants—good scores help students create attention-grabbing academic profiles and may allow them to test out of introductory college courses. Keep reading to learn the 2026 AP exam schedule and how to best prepare for test day.

 

2026 AP Exam Schedule

 

Date

8 am (local time)

12 pm (local time)

Monday, May 4

Biology

Latin

European History

Microeconomics

Tuesday, May 5

Chemistry

Human Geography

U.S. Government and Politics

Wednesday, May 6

English Literature and Composition

Comparative Government and Politics

Physics 1: Algebra-Based

Thursday, May 7

Physics 2: Algebra-Based

World History: Modern

African American Studies

Statistics

Friday, May 8

Italian Language and Culture

U.S. History

Chinese Language and Culture

Macroeconomics

Monday, May 11

Calculus AB

Calculus BC

Music Theory

Seminar

Tuesday, May 12

French Language and Culture

Precalculus

Japanese Language and Culture

Pyschology

Wednesday, May 13

English Language and Composition

German Language and Culture

Physics C: Mechanics

Spanish Literature and Culture

Thursday, May 14

Art History

Spanish Language and Culture

Computer Science Principles

Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

Friday, May 15

Environmental Science

Computer Science A

 

Digital Portfolio Due Date

 

The deadline to submit AP Art and Design digital portfolios is May 8th at 8 pm ET. To ensure digital portfolios are submitted on time, students are strongly encouraged to turn them in to their teachers well before the deadline.

 

2026 AP Late Exam Schedule

 

Date

8 am (local time)

12 pm (local time)

Monday, May 18

Comparative Government and Politics

European History

World History: Modern

English Literature and Composition

Human Geography

Latin

Tuesday, May 19

Japanese Language and Culture

U.S. Government and Politics

African American Studies

U.S. History

Wednesday, May 20

Microeconomics

Seminar

Statistics

Biology

Chemistry

French Language and Culture

Macroeconomics

Thursday, May 21

Chinese Language and Culture

Computer Science Principles

English Language and Composition

Music Theory

Precalculus

Art History

Calculus AB

Calculus BC

Italian Literature and Culture

Physics C: Mechanics

Physics 2: Algebra-Based

Friday, May 22

Environmental Science

Physics 1: Algebra-Based

Spanish Language and Culture

Spanish Literature and Culture

Computer Science A

German Language and Culture

Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

Psychology

 

How Do AP Exams Impact Your College Chances?

 

Top colleges are looking to admit students who are intellectually curious and who challenged themselves in high school with rigorous coursework. The more selective the school you’re applying to, the more beneficial AP classes are. At Ivy League schools and Top-30 colleges, it’s common for admitted students to have completed upwards of 12 AP classes.

 

Many high-ranking colleges use a tool known as the Academic Index to facilitate admissions decisions. Academic Index is a representation of your entire academic performance by a single numerical score, and failure to meet a school’s threshold can lead them to deem you unqualified for admission. AP classes will help boost your Academic Index and improve the odds that your application will receive serious consideration.

 

CollegeVine can help shed some light on how AP classes affect your odds of college admission. Our free chancing engine uses a variety of factors—like GPA, test scores, and extracurricular activities—to show how you stack up against other applicants and predict your odds of admission at hundreds of colleges across the country. It even provides tips to improve your profile (and your chances of getting into your dream school).

 

AP exams play a less significant role in college admissions than the AP classes themselves. However, they can make a difference, particularly at extremely selective schools. For example, scoring a bunch of 5s could help you stand out from other academically talented applicants. Conversely, a handful of 1s or 2s could lead a top-flight school to question your academic acumen. Luckily, AP scores are self-reported, and you’re under no obligation to submit subpar scores.

 

How Do Most Students Do on Each AP Exam?

 

Below is how students fared on the 2025 AP Exams. The percentage listed in each row indicates the percentage of students receiving the score in the corresponding column. For example, 12.6% of students got a 5 in AP Research.

 

Exam

5

4

3

2

1

Research

15%

28%

46%

10%

2%

Seminar

10%

19%

57%

12%

2%

2D Art and Design

12%

29%

42%

14%

3%

3D Art and Design

7% 

25%

40%

24%

4% 

Art History

16% 

24% 

26%

24%

10%

Drawing

17% 

32%

36% 

12% 

3%

Music Theory

18%

18%

24%

25%

15%

English Language and Composition

13%

28%

33%

16%

10%

English Literature and Composition

16%

27%

31%

16%

10%

African American Studies

16%

33%

30% 

16%

5%

Comparative Government and Politics

16%

23%

34%

16%

11%

European History

13%

35%

24%

19%

9%

Human Geography

17%

25%

23%

25%

10%

Macroeconomics

18%

23%

25%

22%

12%

Microeconomics

19%

24%

24%

21%

12%

U.S. Government and Politics

24%

25%

23%

19%

8%

World History

14%

33%

17%

27%

9%

Calculus AB

20%

29%

15%

23%

13%

Calculus BC

44% 

22%

13%

15%

6%

Computer Science A

25%

22%

20%

10%

23%

Computer Science Principles

11%

20%

32%

22%

15%

Precalculus

28%

26%

27%

11%

8%

Statistics

17%

21%

22%

16%

24%

Biology

19%`

24%

28%

21%

8%

Chemistry

17%

29% 

32%

16%

%6

Environmental Science

12%

28%

29%

15%

16%

Physics 1

18%

25%

23%

14%

20%

Physics 2

20%

29%

23%

21%

7%

Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

23%

24%

25%

19%

9%

Physics C: Mechanics

20%

24%

28%

17%

11%

Psychology

15%

32%

25%

19%

9%

Chinese Language and Culture

51%

19%

18%

5%

7%

French Language and Culture

13%

25%

35%

21%

6%

German Language and Culture

19%

23%

27%

19%

12%

Italian Language and Culture

21%

24%

28%

19%

12%

Japanese Language and Culture

40%

12%

21%

8%

19%

Latin

13%

17%

29%

25%

16%

Spanish Language and Culture

22%

32%

31%

12%

3%

Spanish Literature and Culture

8%

23%

39%

21%

9%

 

Tips for AP Exam Success

 

There is no surefire way to earn all 5s on your AP exams, but these tried-and-true tips will put you in the best possible position to achieve an attention-grabbing score.

 

Start Early

 

Like any other exam, you’ll want to avoid waiting until the last minute to begin studying for your AP exams. Consistency is key—start with regular review sessions and ramp up as you get closer to the test. Creating a study schedule can help you carve out time to study, keep you on track toward an enviable exam score, and ensure you have time for other important activities.

 

Practice Makes Perfect

 

One of the best ways to prepare for an AP exam is by taking practice exams. Practice exams not only test your knowledge of a subject but also help you become familiar with how the tests are structured, formatted, and timed. The closer you can simulate the real test, the better—so find a quiet place, remove distractions, and get to work. You can find numerous great free practice tests and resources available online.

 

Strengthen Weaknesses

 

Another benefit of practice tests is that they illuminate areas that need improvement. Knowing your weaknesses allows you to make the most of your study time and focus your attention on areas in which you may be underperforming. Don’t go overboard, though! It’s also important to remain confident in your strengths.

 

Study Strategy

 

Some simple, strategic test-taking can make the difference between a good and a great score. For example:

 

  • There is no guessing penalty on the AP exams, so it behooves you to answer every question.
  • Write something even if you don’t know the answer to a free-response question; there’s no penalty for guessing, and almost anything is better than leaving the page blank.
  • You can answer AP exam questions in any order, so go through and answer the easy questions first, then go back to the harder, more time-consuming questions.

 

Take a Break

 

You can only study for so long, and there is only so much information you can retain before you burn out. Pencil in a few breaks on your study schedule and take some time away from your notes, textbooks, and tests. Also, try to get a good night’s sleep—research shows that the more sleep students get, the better their grades are.

 

The Power of Positivity

 

Stressing over your AP exams will only do more harm than good. Keep a positive attitude and trust that your preparation will pay off. Remember, even if you don’t score that coveted 5 on your AP English Language and Composition exam, you don’t have to submit the score to the colleges you’re applying to. Good luck!


Short Bio
After graduating from Wesleyan University, Francesca Jette is pursuing a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at George Washington University. She has been helping high school seniors with college essays for three years now.