2023 AP Exam Schedule
What’s Covered:
- 2023 AP Exam Schedule
- 2023 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—they help students create attention-grabbing academic profiles and may allow them to test out of introductory college courses. Keep reading to learn the 2023 AP exam schedule and how to best prepare for test day.
2023 AP Exam Schedule
|
Date |
8 am (local time) |
12 pm (local time) |
2 pm (local time) |
|
Monday, May 1 |
United States Government and Politics |
Chemistry Spanish Literature and Culture |
|
|
Tuesday, May 2 |
Chinese Language and Culture Environmental Science |
Psychology |
|
|
Wednesday, May 3 |
English Literature and Composition |
Comparative Government and Politics Computer Science A |
|
|
Thursday, May 4 |
Human Geography Macroeconomics |
Seminar Statistics |
|
|
Friday, May 5 |
European History United States History |
Art History Microeconomics |
|
|
Monday, May 8 |
Calculus AB Calculus BC |
Computer Science Principles Italian Language and Culture |
|
|
Tuesday, May 9 |
English Language and Composition Japanese Language and Culture |
Physics C: Mechanics |
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism |
|
Wednesday, May 10 |
Spanish Language and Culture |
Biology |
|
|
Thursday, May 11 |
French Language and Culture World History: Modern |
Physics 1: Algebra-Based |
|
|
Friday, May 12 |
German Language and Culture Music Theory |
Latin Physics 2: Algebra-Based |
|
The only exception to the AP Exam calendar is Alaska, where exams may start an hour earlier than everywhere else—beginning between 7 am and 8 am and 11 am and 12 pm. The AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Exam in Alaska must begin between 1 and 2 pm local time.
Digital Portfolio Due Date
The deadline to submit for AP Art and Design digital portfolios is May 5 at 8 pm ET. Because digital portfolios need to be turned in by this time, it’s highly recommended that students submit their portfolios to their teachers well in advance of this date.
2022 AP Late Exam Schedule
|
Date |
8 am (local time) |
12 pm (local time) |
|
Wednesday, May 17 |
Chemistry Computer Science A Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Psychology Statistics United States History |
Computer Science Principles English Literature and Composition Environmental Science Japanese Language and Culture Macroeconomics Spanish Literature and Culture |
|
Thursday, May 18 |
Chinese Language and Culture English Language and Composition German Language and Culture Human Geography Physics 1: Algebra-Based |
Art History Biology Comparative Government and Politics French Language and Culture Italian Language and Culture Latin |
|
Friday, May 19 |
Calculus AB Calculus BC Microeconomics Physics 2: Algebra-Based Spanish Language and Culture |
European History Music Theory Physics C: Mechanics Seminar United States Government and Politics World History: Modern |
Once again, the only exception to the AP Late Exam Schedule is Alaska, where the morning exam administration must begin between 7 am and 8 am local time and the afternoon administration between 11 am and 12 pm local time.
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 classes, however, they can make a difference in college admissions, particularly at super-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 2022’s 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 |
|
AP Research |
12.6% |
25.8% |
44.3% |
13.3% |
4.0% |
|
AP Seminar |
11.6% |
19.2% |
51.8% |
11.8% |
5.6% |
|
AP Art History |
14.1% |
21.0% |
26.3% |
26.9% |
11.6% |
|
AP Music Theory |
18.7% |
17.7% |
25.5% |
23.7% |
14.4% |
|
AP Studio Art: 2-D Design |
10.8% |
35.5% |
40.3% |
12.8% |
0.5% |
|
AP Studio Art: 3-D Design |
6.4% |
28.6% |
38.5% |
23.8% |
2.6% |
|
AP Studio Art: Drawing |
14.6% |
38.1% |
35.6% |
10.3% |
1.4% |
|
AP English Language and Composition |
10.4% |
21.1% |
24.2% |
29.8% |
14.5% |
|
AP English Literature and Composition |
16.9% |
27.3% |
33.7% |
14.1% |
7.9% |
|
AP Comparative Government and Politics |
15.9% |
24.3% |
30.3% |
16.7% |
12.9% |
|
AP European History |
13.5% |
21.0% |
24.4% |
29.7% |
11.4% |
|
AP Human Geography |
14.9% |
18.7% |
19.6% |
15.0% |
31.8% |
|
AP Macroeconomics |
16.4% |
20.0% |
15.4% |
15.1% |
33.1% |
|
AP Microeconomics |
17.7% |
22.5% |
18.8% |
16.9% |
24.2% |
|
AP Psychology |
17.0% |
22.2% |
19.1% |
13.1% |
28.5% |
|
AP United States Government and Politics |
12% |
10.9% |
25.8% |
25.7% |
25.7% |
|
AP United States History |
10.8% |
15.6% |
21.0% |
23.0% |
28.8% |
|
AP World History |
13.2% |
21.9% |
27% |
23.7% |
14.3% |
|
AP Calculus AB |
20.4% |
16.1% |
19.1% |
22.6% |
21.7% |
|
AP Calculus BC |
41.2% |
15.6% |
20.1% |
16.4% |
6.8% |
|
AP Computer Science A |
27.3% |
20.4% |
19.9% |
10.4% |
22.1% |
|
AP Computer Science Principles |
11.4% |
21.0% |
31.1% |
19.9% |
16.6% |
|
AP Statistics |
14.8% |
22.2% |
23.4% |
16.5% |
23.1% |
|
AP Biology |
15.0% |
23/1% |
29.7% |
21.6% |
10.5% |
|
AP Chemistry |
12.5% |
17.0% |
24.5% |
23.6% |
22.5% |
|
AP Environmental Science |
8.9% |
27.4% |
17.5% |
25.9% |
20.3% |
|
AP Physics 1 |
7.9% |
17.0% |
18.3% |
27.1% |
29.6% |
|
AP Physics 2 |
16.3% |
18.1% |
35.3% |
24.1% |
6.3% |
|
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism |
31.5% |
23.6% |
14.3% |
18.1% |
12.5% |
|
AP Physics C: Mechanics |
26.4% |
25.7% |
21.3% |
15.6% |
11.0% |
|
AP Chinese Language and Culture |
49.3% |
19.6% |
18.0% |
5.3% |
7.8% |
|
AP French Language and Culture |
13.1% |
23.7% |
34.8% |
22.3% |
6.0% |
|
AP German Language and Culture |
20.0% |
19.1% |
26.5% |
22.9% |
11.6% |
|
AP Italian Language and Culture |
22.6% |
20.6% |
27.3% |
18.6% |
10.8% |
|
AP Japanese Language and Culture |
48.5% |
9.8% |
17.1% |
7.5% |
17.1% |
|
AP Latin |
11.2% |
16.1% |
29.8% |
24.8% |
18.2% |
|
AP Spanish Language and Culture |
23.6% |
28.5% |
29.7% |
15.0% |
3.3% |
|
AP Spanish Literature and Culture |
8.1% |
22.8% |
33.4% |
23.8% |
11.9% |
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 earn 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 to an enviable exam score, and ensure you leave 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, like our Guides for Acing Your AP Exams.
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 underperforming areas. 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 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.
