AP Exam Scores
What AP scores represent
Each AP Exam score is a weighted combination of the student's score on the multiple-choice section and on the free-response section. The final scoreis reported on a 5-point scale:
5 = extremely well qualified
4 = well qualified
3 = qualified
2 = possibly qualified
1 = no recommendation
Periodically, the AP Program conducts college comparability studies for each AP subject by administering a portion of the AP Exam to college students enrolled in equivalent classes. The Program then compares the performance of these students on the sample AP Exam with their actual course scores. Results indicate that:
- AP Exam scores of 5 are equivalent to A scores in the corresponding college course.
- AP Exam scores of 4 are equivalent to scores of A-, B+, and B in college.
- AP Exam scores of 3 are equivalent to scores of B-, C+, and C in college.
Find out how your institution can participate in a college comparability study.
Subscore grades
In addition to the AP score based on their performance on the overall exam, students who take the AP Calculus BC and AP Music Theory Exams receive subscore grades.
- A Calculus AB subscore grade is reported for students who take the AP Calculus BC Exam, based on their performance on the portion of the exam devoted to AB topics (approximately 60 percent of the exam).
- Aural and non-aural subscore grades are reported for students who take the AP Music Theory Exam based on their performance on the portion of the exam devoted to aural and non-aural material. Half of the exam consists of aural material, and half consists of non-aural material.
Subscore grades are designed to give colleges and universities more information about the student. Although each college and university sets its own policy for awarding credit, placement, or both for AP Exams, it is recommended that institutions apply the same policy to the subscore scores that they apply to the overall score.
How is a score determined?
1. The multiple-choice answer sheets are scored by computer.
Each answer sheet is run through an electronic scanner. This transfers the information directly to cartridges, creating a record for that sheet. The scanning cartridge is processed by computer. The computer program checks each record for invalid or missing identification data and scores the student's responses.
The computer counts how many answers the student got wrong and then deducts a fraction of that number from the number of right answers. For exams with five-choice items, the fraction is one quarter; for those with four-choice items, it is one third. This type of scoring is appropriate for tests where students are not expected to have mastered all of the material that might be tested. With this procedure, the average multiple-choice score under purely random guessing is zero.
The total score is now rounded to the nearest whole number; if the score falls halfway between two whole numbers, it is rounded upward. If the student scores less than zero as a result of the correction for guessing, the score is replaced with a zero.
Finally, the computer creates a record for the student, containing his or her total multiple-choice score, and any subsection scores needed for calculating the composite score.
2. The free-response questions are scored at the annual AP Reading.
Unlike the multiple-choice section, which is scored by machine, the free-response section is scored by Readers at the annual AP Reading. To learn more about this unique gathering of college faculty and master AP teachers, visit Scoring AP Exams.
3. The composite score is calculated.
For each AP Exam, there is a formula for combining the scores for the multiple-choice and free-response sections or subsections into a maximum weighted score (composite score). Once the weights have been decided and the free-response section scored, computing each student's composite score is a purely mechanical process and is done by computer.
Deciding on the cut-off point between each of the five scores is not a simple process. The statistical processes of equating and scaling are used to make adjustments to the cut-off scores each year. These adjusted cut-off scores are presented to the Chief Readers along with other information about the students' performance on the exam. The Chief Reader then makes the final decision about the four cut-off scores which determine the five AP scores.