AP Score Distributions
Taking an AP class and scoring well on its exam is a great way to set yourself up for future success.
When you earn a good score on an AP exam, it not only qualifies you for college credit at many colleges and universities, but it also demonstrates that you have the knowledge, study skills, and work ethic that it takes to master a particular course or subject.
If you’re taking an AP course and preparing for an AP exam, you might be wondering what exactly constitutes a “good” score on an AP exam. Is it possible for you to still impress college admissions officers even if you don’t get a perfect five on each of your exams?
When it comes to determining whether or not your score on an AP exam is good enough, it is important to consider one key factor: how your performance compares to that of other students.
Just like your SAT or ACT scores, your GPA, and any other information you submit with your college applications, your individual performance on the AP exam is not as important as how it ranks in comparison to others.
For instance, if you get a three on an AP exam and the average student scores a five, your score won’t be considered up to par. However, if you score a three and the average student scores a two, you will now be considered above average and your score will make you competitive.
It’s important to remember that each AP exam is different, and some exams have higher passing rates than others.
The best way to see which exams are the toughest and what scores you will need to earn on the exams you are taking to remain competitive is to look at AP score distributions.
What are AP score distributions?
AP score distributions help you see the percentage of students who score in each point range for each specific AP exam. This will help you recognize your percentile score when you take the test so that you can see where you stack up in relation to other students who took the same test.
Score distributions change each year based on the scores students receive on each AP exam.
2021 AP score distributions
Below are the AP score distributions for 2021 according to data collected by the College Board. These score distributions represent the percentage of students who earned a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 on each AP exam.
| AP Capstone Exams | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| AP Research | 13.7% | 25.4% | 42.4% | 14.2% | 4.3% |
| AP Seminar | 11.1% | 19.5% | 54.5% | 10.7% | 4.3% |
| AP Art Exams | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| AP 2-D Art and Design | 10.2% | 34.7% | 42.3% | 12.5% | 0.4% |
| AP 3-D Art and Design | 6.5% | 28.6% | 36.3% | 24.9% | 3.7% |
| AP Art History | 12.0% | 19.6% | 23.8% | 30.1% | 14.6% |
| AP Drawing | 14.2% | 37.7% | 34.3% | 12.4% | 1.4% |
| AP Music Theory | 19.9% | 18.1% | 23.2% | 23.2% | 15.6% |
| AP English Exams | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| AP English Language and Composition | 9.1% | 22.9% | 25.8% | 29.3% | 12.9% |
| AP English Literature and Composition | 4.9% | 12.0% | 26.9% | 37.3% | 18.8% |
| AP History and Social Science Exams | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| AP Comparative Government and Politics | 16.6% | 24.5% | 30.7% | 14.9% | 13.3% |
| AP European History | 10.6% | 19.4% | 24.7% | 32.5% | 12.9% |
| AP Human Geography | 14.4% | 19.7% | 18.3% | 15.1% | 32.4% |
| AP Macroeconomics | 18.0% | 19.6% | 13.7% | 15.7% | 32.9% |
| AP Microeconomics | 18.5% | 24.0% | 16.6% | 17.0% | 23.9% |
| AP Psychology | 14.1% | 21.2% | 18.0% | 15.2% | 31.5% |
| AP United States Government and Politics | 12.0% | 11.6% | 26.9% | 25.8% | 23.8% |
| AP United States History | 10.1% | 15.9% | 21.2% | 21.6% | 31.2% |
| AP World History | 9.7% | 18.5% | 24.0% | 28.9% | 19.0% |
| AP Math and Computer Science Exams | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| AP Calculus AB | 17.6% | 14.1% | 19.3% | 25.3% | 23.7% |
| AP Calculus BC | 38.3% | 16.5% | 20.4% | 18.2% | 6.6% |
| AP Computer Science A | 23.9% | 21.9% | 19.3% | 12.1% | 22.8% |
| AP Computer Science Principles | 12.4% | 21.7% | 32.5% | 19.9% | 13.6% |
| AP Statistics | 16.2% | 19.9% | 21.8% | 17.2% | 24.9% |
| AP Science Exams | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| AP Biology | 7.4% | 19.4% | 32.4% | 30.0% | 10.8% |
| AP Chemistry | 11.2% | 16.4% | 23.7% | 24.7% | 23.9% |
| AP Environmental Science | 7.0% | 24.9% | 18.5% | 27.6% | 22.1% |
| AP Physics 1 | 6.9% | 16.3% | 18.9% | 26.4% | 31.4% |
| AP Physics 2 | 15.4% | 17.9% | 32.0% | 27.0% | 7.6% |
| AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 32.6% | 23.1% | 13.8% | 18.0% | 12.5% |
| AP Physics C: Mechanics | 23.5% | 28.6% | 21.3% | 14.9% | 11.6% |
| AP World Language and Cultures Exams | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| AP Chinese Language and Culture | 57.2% | 15.5% | 15.5% | 4.6% | 7.1% |
| AP French Language and Culture | 12.6% | 23.3% | 35.4% | 22.2% | 6.5% |
| AP German Language and Culture | 18.0% | 19.5% | 27.6% | 23.5% | 11.4% |
| AP Italian Language and Culture | 20.6% | 22.6% | 29.2% | 18.6% | 9.0% |
| AP Japanese Language and Culture | 47.5% | 9.2% | 17.6% | 7.9% | 17.7% |
| AP Latin | 10.0% | 16.9% | 29.9% | 25.3% | 17.9% |
| AP Spanish Language and Culture | 17.3% | 29.7% | 33.0% | 16.5% | 3.5% |
| AP Spanish Literature and Culture | 7.8% | 20.8% | 36.3% | 25.5% | 9.6% |
Tests with the lowest percentage of perfect scores:
As you can see, some of the exams that are hardest to get a perfect score on are the:
- AP Spanish Literature and Culture Exam
- AP Latin Exam
- AP Physics 1 Exam
- AP Biology Exam
- AP English Literature and Composition Exam
- AP Environmental Science Exam
- AP World History Exam
- AP 3-D Art and Design Exam.
For each of these exams, 10% or fewer of students who took this exam in 2021 earned a five. This means that if you earned a five on one of these exams, you are in the top percentile.
Tests with the lowest passing rates
The tests with the lowest passing rates overall (below a three) are the:
- AP Latin Exam
- AP Physics 1 Exam
- AP Chemistry Exam
- AP Biology Exam
- AP European History Exam
- AP English Literature and Composition Exam
- AP Psychology Exam
- AP Macroeconomics Exam
- AP Human Geography Exam
- AP Statistics Exam
- AP United States History Exam
- AP United States Government and Politics Exam
This means that if you score a three or above on one of these exams, you have earned a “good” score, even if it is not a perfect five.
Tests with the highest passing rates
The tests with the highest passing rates (three or above) are the:
- AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam
- AP Calculus BC Exam
- AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam
- AP Drawing Exam
- AP Research Exam
- AP Seminar Exam
- AP 2-D Art and Design Exam
- AP 3-D Art and Design Exam
If you take one of these tests, you will need to score a four or a five in order to have a chance of standing out among other students.
Next steps
If you need help preparing for your upcoming AP exams so that you can earn a good score, sign up for private tutoring through Prep Expert.
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