AP Exam: All You Need to Know About Advanced Placement Exams

Why Take an AP Exam?

Taking the AP exam has several benefits, some of which are:

1. Firstly, you will have an added advantage during the admission process because of the rigor of AP subjects that you have learned.
2. By taking advanced placement exams, you will also be able to earn college credits even before you get admission to any college which will later help you to fulfill the credit requirements of your program earlier than others, thereby reducing tuition costs and also getting the opportunity to enroll for an additional course or internship.
3. Your understanding of the college curriculum is enhanced by studying for the advanced placement test.
4. The curriculum and teaching methodology followed in high schools in India are different from high school education abroad. Taking the AP exam can bridge this gap between the curriculum requirements of both these countries.

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Now you know why to take an AP Exam. Next, let’s check the AP exam eligibility. 

Eligibility Criteria for AP Exam

As discussed earlier, the Advanced Placement exams are for high school students. Now let us take a look at the eligibility criteria for advanced placement exams:

• Only applicants below the age of 21 are allowed to take the exam.
• Students generally take the exam when they are in standard 11 or 12 in high school or even earlier if they are prepared.
• You will require a valid passport to be carried on the day of the exam.
• You can take the exam only once a year. However, you can reappear for the exam next year.
• You are allowed to take all 4 Physics exams in the same year.
• You are not allowed to take both calculus exams i.e. Calculus AB and Calculus BC, in the same year.

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Now you know the AP exam eligibility. Next, let’s explore the costs of the Advanced Placement Exams.

AP Exam Costs

Following are the costs of the AP exam. 

Description	Cost Per Exam ($/INR)
AP exam taken in US, Canada, US territories	$97/ INR 7,746
AP exam taken outside US	$127/ INR 10,141
AP Seminar or AP Research exam	$145/ INR 11,579
Late Order Fee	$40/ INR 3,195 per exam in addition to exam fee
Unused Cancelled Exam Fee	$40/ INR 3,195 per exam

Now you know the cost of AP exam, further, let’s explore…

How to Apply for AP Exam?

You might want to know how to apply for the AP exam since not all schools offer AP exams in every subject. You can contact the AP Coordinator at your school to discuss the registration process for the AP exam. 

You can also contact the AP Services directly through the College Board website to get information regarding your nearest AP Coordinator who can guide you with the registration process. Make sure you contact the required person for the registration process by March 1. You will have to pay an application fee of $97 or INR 7,748 to register for each AP exam subject. Let’s check the registration steps in brief:

• To register for the AP exam online, students should first create a College Board account. 
• Then, they need to pay test centers directly for the exams.
• Further, they will receive an admission ticket from the test center once the seat is confirmed.
• However, the registration is final once the student registers for the exam online and pays the test center.
• Even if the student has paid to the test center but has not completed the online registration for the AP exam, they will not be able to give the exam.
• The student needs to do both these things for complete registration.

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Next, let’s explore the syllabus for advanced placement exams. 

Syllabus for AP Exam

Just like SAT subject tests, AP exam syllabus is also conducted for 38 AP subjects across Arts, English, History, Social Sciences, Maths, Computer Science, Sciences, and World Languages/Cultures. Here is a detailed overview of the AP exam syllabus for different AP exam subjects:

Discipline	Subjects
Arts	2-D Art and Design 3-D Art and Design Drawing Art History Music Therapy
English	English Language and Composition English Literature and Composition
History and Social Sciences	Comparative Government and Politics European History Human Geography Macroeconomics Microeconomics Psychology United States Government and Politics United States History World History: Modern
Math and Computer Science	Calculus AB Calculus BC Computer Science A Computer Science Principles Statistics
Sciences	Biology Chemistry Environmental Science Physics 1: Algebra-based Physics 2: Algebra-based Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Physics C: Mechanics
World Languages and Cultures	Chinese Language and Culture French Language and Culture German Language and Culture Italian Language and Culture Japanese Language and Culture Latin Spanish Language and Culture Spanish Literature and Culture

When are AP Exams Held?

Now that you know what is AP exam is, let us see when AP exams are held. It is administered within a 2-week period in May every year. For the year 2023, it will be monitored from May 1-5th and May 8-12th. The results for the advanced placement test are released within the first few days of July every year. You can check AP exams 2022 results online in July. For now, let’s explore the advanced placement exam dates for 2023:

Week 1	Morning 8 AM (Local Time)	Afternoon 12 PM (Local Time)
May 1, Monday	United States Government and Politics	Chemistry Spanish Literature and Culture
May 2, Tuesday	Chinese Language and Culture Environmental Science	Psychology
May 3, Wednesday	English Literature and Composition	Comparative Government and Politics Computer Science A
May 4, Thursday	Human Geography Macrob Economics	Seminar  Statistics
May 5, Friday	European History United States History	Art History Macroeconomics

 

Week 2	Morning 8 AM (Local Time)	Afternoon 12 PM (Local Time)
May 8, Monday	Calculus AB  Calculus BC	Computer Science Principles
May 9, Tuesday	English Language and Composition Japanese Language and Culture	Physics C: Mechanics Afternoon 2 PM (Local Time) Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
May 10, Wednesday	Spanish Language and Culture	Biology
May 11, Thursday	French Language and Culture World History: Modern	Physics 1: Algebra-Based
May 12, Friday	German Language and Culture Music Theory	Latin Physics 2: Algebra-Based

Next, let’s check where these exams are held. 

Where are the AP Exams Held?

AP exams are held at United States—India Educational Foundation authorised schools across 11 cities in India including:

• Ahmedabad
• Bangalore
• Delhi
• Mumbai
• Kolkata
• Lucknow
• Chennai
• Amritsar
• Hyderabad
• Jaipur
• Rajkot

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What is the Score Range and Marking System for AP Exam?

Let’s check out the score range and marking scheme of AP exam:

• AP exams are marked on a 5-point scale. 
• If you score above 3, you will be considered to have cleared the exam. 
• Most universities abroad accept AP exam scores that are above 4. 
• Some colleges are even stricter and do not accept credits unless you have scored 5 out of 5. 
• You can check the AP requirements for the universities you wish to apply to before registering for the exam.

Who Accepts the AP Exam?

Several renowned universities and colleges in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, etc. accept AP exams. Take a look at the top 20 universities abroad accepting the advance placement exams:

• Princeton University
• Harvard University
• Columbia University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Yale University
• Stanford University
• University of Chicago
• University of Pennsylvania
• California Institute of Technology
• John Hopkins University
• University of California
• Cornell University
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Boston University
• New York University
• Duke University
• University of Southern California
• University of Michigan
• University of Illinois
• University of Washington

Next, let’s have a look at a few tips to prepare for the advanced placement exams. 

How to Prepare for the AP Exam?

Wondering how you can prepare for AP exams 2023? Here are some preparation tips for the exam:

• Preparation for the AP exam subjects is possible through self-study.
• You will find free-response questions on the College Board website with sample responses and scoring guidelines.
• You can practice previous year's question papers to understand the format of the exam.
• By practicing papers, you will be able to recognize repeated areas from where questions are asked every year.
• You can purchase study material as well as question banks to revise whatever you have learned.
• Identify your weak areas and practice more and more questions from there.
• While practicing, you must also focus on time management so that you have sufficient time to answer all questions.

Next, let’s explore the…

Sources for AP Exam Practice and Mock Tests

Apart from College Board, you can find AP exam practice and mock tests on one of the following websites:

• Varsity tutors
• AP practice exams
• Prepscholar
• Kaplan test prep
• Tutela prep
• Princeton review

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We hope you have completely understood what is AP test and its important aspects. You can take the AP exam as many times as you want to score perfect 5 points. Taking the AP exam is definitely a favorable option if you want to stand out in the application process for top universities. This will also give you additional credits, which will allow you to skip introductory courses and try something exciting like internships or special training programs. Follow a strategic plan to prepare for the exam and start early.

However, at any step, if you need end-to-end guidance, connect with our expert counsellors by subscribing to Yocket premium services.