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2016 AP Exam Score Distributions

Total Registration has compiled the following scores from Tweets that the College Board's head of AP*, Trevor Packer, has been making during June. These are preliminary breakdowns that may change slightly as late exams are scored.

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AP Score Distributions 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011

This table is sortable by clicking on the header - Clicking on an Exam Name will show a comparison of the score distributions for all years compiled

Exam 5 4 3 2 1 3+ Date Tweeted Trevor's Comments
2-D Art and Design 14.3% 33.0% 35.1% 15.4% 2.2% 82.4% Jun 17
  • Across the various AP Studio Art portfolio types, students achieved solid increases in the % of portfolios earning scores of 3+ this year.
  • Perfect scores of 72/72 points for 5 students in 2D Design
  • We’ll be posting sample AP Studio Art portfolios here – you can check out recent years’ samples now: http://studioartportfolios.collegeboard.org/
3-D Art and Design 13.2% 25.8% 35.7% 22.3% 3.0% 74.7% Jun 17
  • Across the various AP Studio Art portfolio types, students achieved solid increases in the % of portfolios earning scores of 3+ this year.
  • Perfect scores of 72/72 points for 2 students in 3D Design
  • We’ll be posting sample AP Studio Art portfolios here – you can check out recent years’ samples now: http://studioartportfolios.collegeboard.org/
Art History 11.1% 22.6% 27.7% 27.6% 11.0% 61.4% Jun 24
  • Scores of 3+ on the redesigned AP Art History Exam are ~4 percentage pts higher than on the legacy exam; great work by teachers/students.
  • Multiple-choice: weakest scores on questions about art of indigenous Americas & Asia – more focus on those works needed.
  • Multiple-choice: strongest scores on questions about art of Africa & Later European/American.
  • Free-response: students scored very well on Q3 (Nimes attribution) & Q4 (Monet’s Saint-Lazare Station).
  • Toughest AP Art History free-response question for students was on relics from Conques / Cameroon: spr.ly/6014BQlfa
  • I visited Conques last summer; people said many AP Art History teachers had visited in prep to add the great church/reliquary to the course.
  • Since this year’s AP Art History Exam is brand new, we’ve posted many details about the standards for teachers here: apcommunity.collegeboard.org/web/aparthisto…
Biology 6.3% 20.6% 33.6% 29.2% 10.3% 60.5% Jun 23
  • Good predictor of whether you scored high on this year’s AP Bio exam is how well you did on Q4 (gene expression): spr.ly/6011BQea5
  • AP Biology multiple-choice: students scored very well on Big Idea 2 (cellular processes), and least well on Science Prac 2 (using math).
  • AP Biology grid-ins that require mathematical calculation: students performed quite poorly: more than 50% earned 0 or 1 pt out of 5.
  • AP Biology free-response: best performance was on Q1 (allele frequencies), followed by Q5 (obligate mutualism).
  • Ppoor performance on Q7 (chromosomal inheritance; ~66% earned 0 pts) & Q8 (effect of exercise; ~50% earned 0 pts).
Calculus AB 24.4% 17.4% 17.6% 9.7% 30.9% 59.4% Jun 13
  • These don't yet include the scores from outside North America.
  • The AP Calculus AB data are in: students demonstrated stronger skills this year than last, achieving a higher % of 3s, 4s, & especially 5s.
  • Among the AP Calc AB free-response questions, the highest mean score was on Q4 (slope field): spr.ly/6017BshFx
  • Many students struggled with Q2, 3, & esp 5 (modeling volume / related rates), w/31% earning 0 pts on it: spr.ly/6014Bsh2i 
  • 11 students, out of 310,000, earned perfect scores of 108/108 points on this year’s exam.
Calculus BC 48.4% 15.5% 17.6% 5.9% 12.6% 81.5% Jun 13
  • These don’t yet include the scores from outside North America.
  • Congrats to AP Calculus BC teachers & students: the strongest performance in years, so a significant growth in the % of students earning 5s.
  • Lowest mean score on AP Calc BC: Q6 (Taylor series); many also found Q2 (parametric particle motion) tough: spr.ly/6014Bt6zu
  • 2 students, out of 125,000, earned perfect scores of 108/108 points possible on this year’s AP Calculus BC Exam.
Chemistry 9.7% 15.1% 27.5% 25.3% 22.4% 52.3% Jun 15
  • Students have shown slightly stronger mastery of AP Chemistry this year than last year’s group did, increasing the % of 5s in particular.
  • Students generally scored best on Big Ideas 1&2, lowest on Big Idea 3 (transformation).
  • In the Free-Response section, AP Chemistry students performed best on Q5 (kinetics/gas laws: butadiene).
  • FRQ6 on equilibrium/stoichiometry (EDTA) stumped the majority of students; 73% earned 0 points on it: spr.ly/6016Btung
Chinese Lang. and Culture 62.1% 16.6% 14.7% 2.7% 3.9% 93.4% Jun 20
  • AP Chinese continues to grow, following AP Spanish and AP French as the most commonly-taken AP world language.
  • This year, AP Chinese students scored well on the conversation task, and least well on the cultural presentation: spr.ly/6013Bt4QV
  • AP Chinese illustrates the fact that AP exams are not normed/curved; 93% scored 3+, since all students who earn the points get 3+.
  • In the multiple-choice section, AP Chinese students' highest scores were typically on the reading-based questions.
Computer Science A 20.7% 20.4% 23.2% 12.5% 23.2% 64.3% Jun 22
  • Once again, AP Computer Sci = the fastest growing of all AP courses this yr; great to see more schools providing this critical opportunity.
  • Students did quite well across all topics in the multiple-choice questions, esp. logic/software eng/recursion.
  • In order to get a 3+, students need to earn pts on the FRQs; students getting 1s/2s can’t do much w/these: secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalService…
  • 5 students, out of ~50,000, earned perfect scores of 80/80 points possible, on this year’s AP Computer Science A Exam.
Drawing 16.8% 27.2% 38.9% 14.7% 2.4% 82.9% Jun 17
  • Across the various AP Studio Art portfolio types, students achieved solid increases in the % of portfolios earning scores of 3+ this year.
  • Perfect scores of 72/72 points for 21 students in Drawing.
  • We’ll be posting sample AP Studio Art portfolios here – you can check out recent years’ samples now: http://studioartportfolios.collegeboard.org/
English Language 10.6% 17.5% 27.2% 32.1% 12.6% 55.3% Jun 23
  • AP English Lang is largest of all AP subjects; 23K more participated this yr, so it’s all the more impressive that there's a higher % of 5s
  • As is typical, AP English Lang students scored higher on 20th-century prose than earlier prose passages.
  • 1 student, out of ~550,000, achieved a perfect score of 150/150 points possible on this year’s AP English Language exam.
  • Of the 3 AP Eng Lang essays, students found the Thatcher analysis (FRQ2) just a bit more difficult than the others: spr.ly/6019BQbrz
English Literature 7.4% 17.7% 29.5% 33.4% 12.0% 54.6% Jun 20
  • This year’s AP English Literature performance was the lowest in the past 5 years, resulting in a decrease in scores of 3+ by ~2 % pts.
  • Students continue to find analyzing poetry more difficult than prose, in both the MC and FR sections of the exam.
  • In the FR section of the AP English Lit exam, the highest mean score was on Q2, the Hardy analysis; some very good work on this passage.
  • The most frequent score on all three of these AP English Lit essays was 4 out of 9 points possible: spr.ly/6014BthFA
Environmental Science 7.4% 23.0% 14.8% 26.0% 28.8% 45.2% Jun 14
  • AP Env Sci students generally scored very well across the MC section, esp on: population; energy resources & consumption; the living world.
  • Low performance on these AP Env Science FRQs, particularly 2 (iron) & 4 (soil), kept many students from earning 3+: spr.ly/6018BtM9j
European History 7.9% 16.2% 29.5% 34.2% 12.2% 53.6% Jun 23
  • Since AP European History has a new exam this year, there's a detailed memo about results, posted for teachers here: spr.ly/6014BQ5y6 (needs an AP European History Teacher Community login)
  • AP European History multiple-choice performance was solid, except on questions related to 1914-present.
  • Students found Q3 on the development of railroads very easy, many earning all points possible on it.
  • On the AP European History Bismarck DBQ, ~3% of students earned all 7/7 points possible; most frequent score: 1/7. spr.ly/6015BQ5yh
French Language 17.3% 26.5% 32.6% 18.7% 4.9% 76.4% Jun 23
  • Yet another subject with score improvements this year: AP French Language & Culture teachers/students have achieved an increase in %4s/5s.
  • Students generally performed best on the presentational speaking (cultural comparison) section of the exam.
  • The most challenging section of the AP French Exam for many students was the spoken conversation in Part B: spr.ly/6011BQws1
German Language 20.7% 22.3% 27.1% 20.9% 9.0% 70.1% Jun 23
  • Bigger score declines in AP German than any subject so far this year – a large drop of 7 percentage points in scores of 3+.
  • That said, performance on AP German remains stronger than it is in most other AP subjects, as you can see from the score spread.
  • Where AP German students scored lowest this year: reading passages in the multiple-choice section.
Government and Politics, Comp. 20.6% 21.2% 20.4% 21.5% 16.3% 62.2% Jun 16
  • The biggest score increases of any subject so far this year: AP Comparative Government, jumping from 15% 5s in 2015 to 20% 5s this year.
  • AP Comp Govt students scored very well on FRQs 3 (correlation/causation) & 6 (authoritarian/democratic regimes): spr.ly/6010Btjqm
  • Only exceptions to otherwise stellar work on AP Comparative Govt: nearly half bombed FRQ2 (Russian protests) & 4 (China’s 1-child policy).
  • I can't single out a favorite among the 38 AP courses, but AP Comp Govt is definitely Top 10 for me. Great to see such results this year! Of the 6 countries in AP Comp Gov (Britain, China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia), I’m curious which teachers/students most enjoy studying.
Government and Politics, US 11.9% 20.0% 19.8% 19.2% 29.1% 51.7% Jun 16
  • Last year, 3 students earned perfect scores of 120/120 points possible on the AP US Government & Politics exam; this year, 25 students have!
  • Students scored very well on FRQ4 re: the Constitution and FRQ1 re: linkage institutions. 
  • By far the most difficult question on AP US Govt was FRQ2 (demographic changes); 27% of students scored 0 on it: spr.ly/6012Btjiw
Human Geography 11.9% 20.0% 19.8% 19.2% 29.1% 51.7% Jun 14
  • While AP Human Geo students generally scored lowest on MC questions on industrialization, they still scored well across the MC section.
  • Students generally scored best on FRQ3 (agriculture types); 7,000 students got all 7 pts on FRQ3: spr.ly/6015BtMmc
Italian Language and Culture 21.8% 18.9% 31.0% 20.2% 8.1% 71.7% Jun 23
  • Great work in AP Italian classrooms this year, with scores of 3+ jumping by nearly 7 percentage points, & participation grew by >10%!
  • Unsurprisingly, AP Italian students performed slightly better on reading-based questions than listening-based ones.
  • Students scored very well on FRQ1 (email chat), but many struggled w/the cultural presentation (FRQ4): spr.ly/6019BQbBc
Japanese Lang. and Culture 52.9% 7.1% 19.8% 6.2% 14.0% 79.8% Jun 20
  • Students demonstrated stronger proficiency in AP Japanese this year, so the % of 5s is growing significantly.
  • Once again, this “text chat” was the most difficult part of the AP Japanese Exam for many students: spr.ly/6017Bt7kf
  • AP Japanese students generally earned highest scores in the free-response section on the cultural presentation: spr.ly/6014Bt7Zn
Latin 12.8% 20.7% 32.2% 23.1% 11.2% 65.7% Jun 23
  • Stronger performance in AP Latin this year – a 4 point bump in the % of scores earning 3+.
  • AP Latin multiple-choice: students performed best on the syllabus reading from Caesar, and least well on the Caesar sight reading.
  • AP Latin free-response: good performance on all questions, especially Q3, the analytical essay on Neptune/Iarbas: spr.ly/6015BQeNV
  • 1 student, out of ~6,500, earned a perfect score of 100/100 points possible on the AP Latin Exam this year.
Macroeconomics 16.1% 23.4% 16.2% 17.5% 26.8% 55.7% Jun 10
  • AP Macroeconomics continues to see score increases: the % of 3,4,5s is higher than 5 years ago & 50% more students are participating.
  • Students did extremely well on multiple-choice, esp on economic growth; most challenging were the financial sector questions.
  • More than a third of the students aced this FRQ3 on specialization & trade, earning all 5 pts possible: secure-media.collegeboard.org//digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap16_frq_macroeconomics.pdf. More than 40% of the students found FRQ2 on loans/demand deposits extremely difficult, earning 0 pts: spr.ly/V
  • 28 students worldwide (out of 135,000) earned all 90 points possible on this year’s AP Macroeconomics exam.
Microeconomics 15.3% 27.3% 23.0% 14.4% 20.0% 65.6% Jun 10
  • Scores are generally lower this year than last, but still higher than 5 yrs ago when 50% fewer participated.
  • Students did quite well across multiple-choice questions; the most challenging were on firm behavior and market structure.
  • Scores were generally highest on FRQ2 (consumer choice) & lowest on FRQ3 (monopolistic competition): spr.ly/6018BstTM
  • 47 students worldwide (out of 83,000) earned all 90 points possible on this year’s exam.
Music Theory 18.1% 17.2% 24.2% 26.0% 14.5% 59.5% Jun 24
  • Lower levels of mastery demonstrated in AP Music Theory this year, reducing the percentage earning 3+ by about 2 % points.
  • Multiple-choice: students generally scored better on questions without aural stimulus than those with aural stimulus.
  • students generally scored best on FRQ5: partwriting from a figured bass: spr.ly/6010BQmEY
  • By far the most difficult question for AP Music Theory students was FRQ2 (melodic dictation), ~60% earned 0-2 out of 9 points on it.
Physics 1 - Algebra Based 4.3% 13.6% 21.3% 30.7% 30.1% 39.2% Jun 15
  • While the exam was challenging for many, AP Physics 1 scores improved over last year: an increase of 2.3% in scores of 3+ in North America.
  • The AP Physics data don't yet include international students, which typically boost AP Physics scores of 3+ by another % point or two.
  • Multiple-choice questions on Science Practice 5 (Data Analysis & Evaluation) posed the greatest challenge to students.
  • FRQ1 (rotation/forces) & Q5 (waves) scored lowest; half of students earned no more than 1 of 7 pts: spr.ly/6019Btp5B
  • 1 student, out of ~150,000 scored so far, earned a perfect score of 80/80 pts on this year’s exam. No student had yet done so.
Physics 2 - Algebra Based 8.5% 16.7% 34.3% 32.3% 8.2% 59.5% Jun 15
  • Despite a 25% growth in participation, AP Physics 2 scores increased significantly: scores of 3+ increased by 4.2 percentage pts over 2015.
  • Students scored very well on the MC questions, particularly on BI5 (conservation laws); least well on BI6 (wave models/apps).
  • Fairly low scores on the four AP Physics 2 FRQs: 25%, 42%, 29%, and 33% were the average pts earned, in that order: spr.ly/6014BtnDO
Physics C E&M 32.0% 22.6% 13.5% 19.3% 12.6% 68.1% Jun 16
  • Usually, we don’t see so much score improvement from year to year; trend continues w/Physics C:E&M: a significant boost in %5s over 2015.
  • Scores were highest on this FRQ2 (circuits): spr.ly/6016Btb8j
  • Students struggled with FRQ3 (magnetostatics), with 60% earning 3 or fewer pts (out of 15) on it.
  • 1 student, out of 27,000, earned all 90/90 points possible on this year’s AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism exam.
Physics C Mech. 30.2% 27.4% 18.5% 13.9% 10.0% 76.1% Jun 15
  • Interesting pattern in AP Physics C: Mechanics this year: a shift in student performance to many more 5s, a few more 2s, & fewer 3s, 4s, 1s.
  • Students generally did very well on FRQ1 (Newton’s laws; kinematics), > than a fourth of them earning most of the pts.
  • Many AP Physics C Mech students struggled w/FRQ3 (rotation; energy; Newton’s laws), a third of them earning no more than 1 point.
  • 1 student, out of 53,000, earned a perfect score of 90/90 pts on this year’s AP Physics C: Mechanics exam.
Psychology 19.0% 26.1% 19.1% 14.2% 21.6% 64.2% Jun 20
  • AP Psychology scores remained quite similar, even as 20,000 more students gained access worldwide, a testament to good teaching & learning
  • In the multiple-choice section, AP Psychology students earned highest means on social/developmental psych, lowest on abnormal behavior.
  • Students fared much better on Q2 (learning/cognition) than Q1 (sensation/perception): spr.ly/6015BQ6GT
  • 1 student, out of ~300,000 so far, has earned all 150/150 points on this year’s AP Psychology Exam. Can’t wait to find out who / where…
Research 11.7% 16.3% 39.7% 30.7% 1.6% 67.7% Jun 23
  • This year, ~2,700 students were the first to take the brand new AP Capstone Research course, developed at the request of college admissions.
  • The AP Research score is based on an academic paper, presentation, and oral defense. Here are the details: spr.ly/6013BQwzS
  • Students did some amazing AP Research work this yr: creating a prosthetic hand for an Iraqi vet, internet access for Syrian refugees, etc.
  • 38 students achieved perfect scores of 80/80 on their AP Research academic paper, presentation, and oral defense.
Seminar 6.6% 12.8% 53.7% 21.6% 5.3% 73.1% Jun 23
  • 1 student earned a perfect score of 246/246 pts across all the AP Seminar tasks: individual & team projects/presentations, essay, exam.
  • Scores are both up and down from last year: increases in 4s, 5s, and 1s.
  • Students are ninjas of argument, with 50% earning all 6/6 points on Q2, which required them to identify claims and connections.
  • The most challenging task for AP Seminar students: Section II: synthesizing evidence to create an argument: spr.ly/6010BQw8A
Spanish Language 28.0% 34.8% 26.9% 9.1% 1.2% 89.7% Jun 23
  • Large expansion of AP Spanish Lang students this yr: scores remained stable in comparison to last yr when 20K fewer students participated.
  • AP Spanish Lang students earned very high scores on the email reply task, FRQ1: spr.ly/6019BQbH9
  • The most challenging task for AP Spanish Lang students on this year’s exam was FRQ3, the spoken conversation.
Spanish Literature 8.7% 24.3% 36.7% 22.6% 7.7% 69.7% Jun 21
  • Weaker performance on the AP Spanish Literature Exam this year: a decline of ~4 percentage points in scores of 3+.
  • AP Spanish Literature multiple-choice: the most challenging for students were generally the critical commentary questions.
  • Students scored well on FRQ2, the text & art comparison: secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalService…
  • Students generally found FRQs 3 & 4 slightly more difficult than the rest of the exam.
Statistics 13.9% 21.7% 24.7% 15.7% 24.0% 60.3% Jun 21
  • Nice work: students taking AP Statistics this year demonstrated stronger mastery overall, so there’s a solid increase in the % earning 3+.
  • The questions on probability/simulation were the most challenging for many students. Most students got <5 of 10 right.
  • Similarly, the AP Statistics FRQ4 (probability/simulation) was most difficult, w/ ~half of students earning 0/4 pts: spr.ly/6019BQEx5
  • The AP Statistics free-response questions’ mean/max scores: Q1: 43%, Q2: 31%; Q3: 39%; Q4: 25%; Q5: 32%; Q6: 40%.
  • 1 student, out of ~200,000, has earned a perfect score of 100/100 points possible on this year’s AP Statistics exam.
United States History 11.7% 17.9% 22.5% 23.4% 24.5% 52.1% Jun 21
  • AP US History students/teachers have perhaps achieved biggest score increases of any subject so far this yr, also w/25K more students. Wow.
  • On this year’s APUSH DBQ question, ~6,000 students (out of 500,000) earned all 7 points possible; ~100,00 students earned 1/7 pts on it.
  • APUSH short answers: highest mean was Q3 (business leaders), and lowest mean was Q1 (immigration) – but similar results across all of them.
  • 1 AP US History student, out of ~500,000, earned a perfect score of 130/130 pts; first time we have seen that achievement in many years.
World History 6.5% 15.5% 29.2% 28.9% 19.9% 51.2% Jun 17
  • Another subject w/score gains this yr: AP World History. Increased % of 3s,4s, decreased % of 1s,2s. % of 5s virtually the same as last yr.
  • Students did well across the multiple-choice questions, finding period 5 (1750-1900) slightly more difficult than the rest.
  • On the AP World History Document-Based Question (DBQ), the average score was 2.96 out of 9 points possible.
  • Why not more 5s on AP World History? Students struggled with both the CCOT & Comparison essays, w/30% of students earning 0 points on them.