Understanding Your AP® Scores: What to Know | Albert.io (2024)

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• The Albert Team
• Last Updated On: March 1, 2022

You have studied tirelessly for your AP® exam and spent the four hours taking the test. All of that work can be rated and scored based on your performance on the AP® exam. The AP® exams are scored by five numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. With 1 being the lowest score and 5 being the highest score, students can see where they fall.

AP® Score of 1

Since a 1 is the lowest score that you can get on an AP® exam, this is not desirable. Thankfully, not many students leave the exam with a 1 unless complications arise during the test and they need to leave, or they are just trying to take the exam without knowing any of the material. In fact, on the AP® rubric, a 1 is described as “no recommendation”. Because of that, no college in the United States of overseas will accept an AP® score of 1 and give you college credit.

AP® Score of 2

If you were to get a 2, then the College Board has determined that you are “possibly qualified” to pass a college level class of the same subject level. This score is usually not accepted by colleges unless there are extenuating circ*mstances.

A 2 means that you may have studied hard and prepared; however, something may have gone amiss while taking your exam. Perhaps you did not truly understand the material or did not utilize it properly.

AP® Score of 3

An AP® score of 3 is a respectable score. The College Board designates a 3 to be “qualified”. That means that you understood and executed the material to the point that you could pass the college class. While you did not receive the highest grade in the class, you did pass. Because of this, many state colleges will accept a 3. Other colleges that are more selective like Harvard or Yale would not accept a 3.

On AP® exams, a 3 is the most common score and has been designated the average. The reason that you may not have scored higher could be that your essays were not the best, or you may have missed too many multiple choice questions. A great way to figure out how many multiple choice questions you can afford to miss and still get a great score is an AP® test score calculator. This tool will allow you to figure out how well you must do on the exam to get the desired score. If you would like to see this AP® score calculator, then here is the link.

AP® Score of 4

If you receive a 4 on your AP® exam, then you should be proud of yourself. By earning that 4 it means that you worked tirelessly to commit the material to memory and apply that knowledge. For these reasons, an AP® score like a 4 looks great on your application.

If you score a 3 or higher, then more selective colleges will begin to accept your AP® exam scores. The score of 4 is deemed by the College Board as “well qualified”, meaning that you know the material and could do well in the college class. It is projected that you would receive a B in the class if you translate the number into a letter grade.

The score of 4 is accepted in colleges like Penn State, Franklin and Marshall University, and a plethora of others. Earning a 4 on an AP® exam is something to be proud of and many colleges and universities will reward you for your efforts.

AP® Score of 5

An AP® score of 5 is the best that you could have done on the AP® exam. If you earned a 5, then congratulations! Getting a 5 means that you have agonized over this exam, studying and working over all else. Your essays were top notch and even though you may have missed a few multiple choice questions, you still represented that you know the material covered in your AP® course. Every college that accepts AP® credits will give you credit for your degree.

Credits, Credits, Credits

When you are admitted to a college, then you may pick your major initially. If you do not, you don’t need to worry. Even if you are an undeclared major you will still receive credits if you earned them through AP® and your college accepts them.

Once you begin choosing your classes for your first college semester, then you will notice that you will not have to take an introductory class if you already have AP® credit for it. For example, if you score a 5 on the AP® Biology exam, then you will not have to take Biology 100, or its equivalent, in college.

The way that colleges calculate how many credits each AP® score is worth is by looking at the program that you are in. If the college is famous for having a fantastic calculus class that brings forth more information than the AP® Calculus AB or AP® Calculus BC does, then the college may make you take calculus over again. Luckily, colleges have to put their AP® score credit policies online, which can be seen here. Always be sure to check if your AP® scores will be accepted in your college of choice before taking the AP® exam.

Key Takeaway

To put it simply, in order to fully understand your AP® score, then you must fully understand where you want to go to college. If you want to go to a more selective college, then you must get either a 4 or a 5, depending on the college. If you are going to go to a less selective school, then you may be able to get credits with a 3. However, if you do not take where you are going to college into account, then one would say that a 3 or above are great scores. If you received a 1 or a 2, then you may have wanted to study more and more thoroughly understand the material.

Your AP® scores can really help you through your college career, so best of luck and hope for that 3 or above!