Popular AP Courses by Grade (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular AP class to take? ›

According to the College Board, AP English Language and Composition is the most popular AP class. This AP course was taken by 520,771 students in 2022.

1. AP Psychology. With a reputation as one of the easiest AP classes, it comes as no surprise that AP Psychology is also one of the most popular—292,501 students took the exam in 2021. Despite the relative ease of this course, students still struggle; just 58.3% of students pass but 17.0% earned a 5.

Junior Year

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.

No, not really. Some schools would consider it in the B range in a regular class. Some AP teachers will tell you that they can usually predict the test results of the AP test based on the grade: an A is a 5 on the test, a B is 4, a C is 3 and so on.

Sophom*ore Year: Take one to three AP classes. Consider adding a more challenging AP class, like World History or US History, and one or two less-demanding APs. Continue to take honors courses if possible in your other core classes.

College counselors recommend that students strive to take 5-8 AP classes throughout their high school career, especially if they are interested in attending a highly-selective institution such as an Ivy League college. That said, you shouldn't feel pressured to take more AP classes than you can comfortably manage.

Applicants aiming for highly selective colleges usually take 5-6 AP classes this year, but keep your limits and schedule in mind. At this point, adding one more AP class might not have a huge impact on your college chances, but it could reduce the time spent on applications to a great extent.

If you're serious about school and learning a lot before university, then I think taking 4 AP classes is fine. I took 4 APs during my junior year (Gov+Politics, Biology, Calc AB, Lang+Comp), and the workload was quite manageable.

The best AP classes to take for college are those that relate to your area of study in some way. Some of the most common major- or career-related AP classes include: AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science. AP Environmental Science and AP Human Geography.

1. AP Psychology. With a reputation as one of the easiest AP classes, it comes as no surprise that AP Psychology is also one of the most popular—292,501 students took the exam in 2021. Despite the relative ease of this course, students still struggle; just 58.3% of students pass but 17.0% earned a 5.