2023 AP Score Distributions – AP Students (2024)

See how all AP students performed on the most recent exams. The score distribution tables on this page show the percentages of 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s for each AP subject.

Download a PDF version of the 2023 score distributions.

2023Score Distributions: AP Capstone

Exam543213+
AP Research13.3%26.4%44.7%12.5%3.1%84.4%
APSeminar11.4%19.7%53.9%11.2%3.8%85%

2023Score Distributions: AP Arts

Exam543213+
AP 2D Art & Design11.5%31.5%40.7%14.4%2%83.6%
AP 3D Art & Design7.1%25.2%39.9%23.5%4.4%72.1%
AP Art History13.8%23.8%27%23.8%11.6%64.6%
AP Drawing15.7%32.9%36.1%13.1%2.1%84.8%
AP Music Theory19.8%16.9%24%24.1%15.2%60.7%

2023Score Distributions: AP English

Exam543213+
AP English Language & Composition10.3%19.7%26.1%29.5%14.4%56.1%
AP English Literature & Composition14.9%27.8%34.5%14.4%8.4%77.2%

2023 Score Distributions‌: History & Social Science

Exam543213+
AP Comparative Government & Politics16.4%23.2%31.2%16.2%13%70.8%
AP European History12.9%21.3%25.2%29%11.6%59.4%
AP Human Geography16%20%18.4%14%31.6%54.4%
AP Macroeconomics17.1%22.9%24.7%21.6%13.7%64.7%
AP Microeconomics21.3%26%20.6%19.9%12.1%68%
AP Psychology16.9%23.2%19.5%12.4%28%59.6%
AP United States Government & Politics12.8%11.3%25.1%24%26.8%49.2%
AP United States History10.6%14.8%22.1%22.7%29.8%47.5%
AP World History15.3%21.9%27.4%22.3%13%64.7%

2023Score Distributions: Math & Computer Science

Exam54321+3
AP Calculus AB22.4%16.2%19.4%21.7%20.3%58%
AP Calculus BC43.5%15.9%19%15.2%6.3%78.5%
AP Computer Science A26.8%22.4%18.8%9.5%22.5%68%
AP Computer Science Principles11.5%20.6%31.1%20.5%16.4%63.1%
AP Statistics15.1%22.2%22.7%16.2%23.8%60%

2023 Score Distributions‌:Sciences

Exam543213+
AP Biology14.3%23%27.2%23.6%12%64.4%
AP Chemistry16%27.1%32%16.9%8%75.1%
AP Environmental Science8.3%28.4%17%26.4%19.9%53.7%
AP Physics 18.8%18.3%18.5%28%26.4%45.6%
AP Physics 216.5%18.5%34.9%23.8%6.4%69.8%
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism33.6%23.5%13.1%17.9%11.9%70.2%
AP Physics C: Mechanics26.4%26.3%20.7%14%12.5%73.5%

2023Score Distributions: World Languages & Cultures

Exam543213+
AP Chinese Language and Culture54.2%18.8%15.4%5%6.6%88.4%
AP French Language and Culture13.2%25.1%36.4%19.8%5.5%74.7%
AP German Language and Culture21.8%21.3%24.9%19.2%12.8%68%
AP Italian Language and Culture23.2%22.8%26.9%17.1%10.1%72.9%
AP Japanese Language and Culture50.8%8.6%17.5%8.2%14.9%76.9%
AP Latin12.3%16.5%28%24.9%18.4%56.7%
AP Spanish Language and Culture24.3%30%29.6%13.5%2.7%83.8%
AP Spanish Literature and Culture8.5%23.3%35.6%22.5%10.1%67.4%

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2022 AP Score Distributions

See how students performed on each AP Exam for the exams administered in 2022.

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2023 AP Score Distributions – AP Students (2024)

FAQs

What is the average AP score for 2023? ›

The mean score for the 2023 AP Exams was 2.96. More than 60% of all exams taken earned a score of 3 or higher. To learn more about individual exams, visit AP Score Distributions.

What is the AP research score distribution for 2023? ›

Conversation. The 2023 AP Research scores: 5: 13%; 4: 26%; 3: 45%; 2: 13%; 1: 3%. Congrats to this year's AP Research students and teachers, who have achieved all-time high scores in this subject, 84% earning scores of 3 or higher.

How many people got a 5 on ap bio 2023? ›

Here's the full distribution of 2023 AP Bio scores: 26% of students scored a 5. 98% of students scored a 4. 18% of students scored a 3.

Is a 70% a 5 on the AP exam? ›

Usually, a 70 to 75 percent out of 100 translates to a 5. However, there are some exams that are exceptions to this rule of thumb. The AP Grades that are reported to students, high schools, colleges, and universities in July are on AP's five-point scale: 5: Extremely well qualified.

Are AP exams curved 2023? ›

Since the AP exams are not curved, each year's scores are an accurate representation of how exam takers fared overall in their AP courses for the year.

Is a 75% on the AP exam a 5? ›

For example, a 5 could be any composite score between 110 and 150 on one exam. Since scaling varies year to year, there are no exact cutoff numbers for scores for AP tests, and the College Board does not release detailed scoring data.

Are AP exams curved? ›

AP test scores are indeed "curved," but it's more accurate to call it a "scaling process." Instead of a traditional curve that compares your performance to other students' performance, the AP exam scaling process converts your raw score (the number of points you earned through multiple-choice questions and free- ...

What is the hardest AP test to pass? ›

What are the hardest AP classes? If you're looking at pass rates, Physics 1 is the toughest AP exam. And less than 8% of test-takers received a perfect score. Of course, the hardest AP exam depends on your strengths.

What AP has the lowest pass rate? ›

At many high schools, AP Physics is notorious for its difficulty level. In addition, it has the lowest overall pass rate of any AP exam.

Is getting a 3 on AP Bio good? ›

Most schools offer college credit to students with a score of 3 or higher on the AP Biology exam. Generally, a score of 3 is considered "qualified," a 4 is "well qualified," and a 5 is "extremely qualified." Some schools will accept a 3 but prefer scores of 4-5 to apply credits toward a college-level biology course.

How rare is a 5 on AP exam? ›

As you can see, while at least 5% of test takers scored a 5 on each AP exam, the perfect scores are teeny, teeny, teeny percentages.

Is a 50% a 5 on the AP test? ›

As a general guide, though, you can consider roughly more than 70% correct as being in the 5 range, 50-69% for a score of 4, 40-49% for a score of 3, 30-39% for a 2, and below 30% would likely be a 1. Again, these ranges are approximations and can vary by subject and by year.

What is 60% on AP test? ›

Yes, a 60 is considered a passing grade in AP classes. In AP, the average passing rate is 60-70%.

Can I cancel my AP score after June 15? ›

Scores can be canceled at any time, but for scores not to be sent to the college, university, or scholarship program indicated online through My AP, the AP Program must receive your request by June 15 of the year you took the AP Exam.

What is the average AP grade? ›

Generally, getting a three score is considered the average or mean score in AP exams.

What is the average score on every AP exam? ›

Average AP Score by Test
Exam NameAverage Score
English Language and Composition2.86
Statistics2.85
Art History2.84
Biology2.83
40 more rows

What is the most common AP score? ›

In most cases, a 3 or higher is considered a solid AP score. But you can get an even better idea of how good your AP score is by comparing it to the average score for that test that year. For example, the average score for AP Biology was 2.83 in 2021. Anything higher would be considered above average for that test.

Is 5 AP in one year too much? ›

This is the big year for all levels of student.

Depending on what kind of school you want to go to, you should be taking between 3 and 5 AP® classes this year. You will need to manage your time well, however, as you also need to study for the SAT® or ACT® during this time.

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