Advanced Placement

For most students, taking an Advanced Placement (AP) Exam in May serves as the natural culmination of their AP course experience. Schools wishing to provide this experience to their students should be aware of the different AP Exams available, the responsibilities associated with administering exams, and the exam development processes that ensure college-level learning is being assessed.

Fast facts about AP Exams

• Nearly 1.2 million students in the class of 2023 took more than 4.1 million AP exams in public high schools nationwide. 
• 423,262 traditionally underrepresented students - including Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaskan Native students - graduated in 2023 from US public high schools having taken at least 1 AP exam, up 139,859 students from 2023. 
• Except for the three Studio Art exams, which are portfolio assessments, AP Exams contain multiple-choice questions and a free-response section.
• Because the College Board is committed to providing access to AP Exams to all students—including homeschooled students and students whose schools do not offer AP—students do not have to take an AP course before taking an AP Exam.
• The AP Exam fee is $99 per exam. 
• The College Board provides a $37 fee reduction for qualifying low-income students. Most states use federal and/or state funds to contribute to the remaining exam fee for low-income students.
• More than 3,600 colleges and universities annually receive AP Exam scores. Most four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying scores.