2026 AP Exam Schedule
What’s Covered:
- 2026 AP Exam Schedule
- 2026 Late AP Exam Schedule
- How Do AP Exams Impact Your College Chances?
- How Do Most Students Do on Each AP Exam?
- Tips for AP Exam Success
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!
