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2018 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 18.0% 31.0% 35.8% 12.2% 3.0% 84.8% Jun 29
  • After last year’s all-time-high scores for the 2D-Design portfolios, these are a slight decrease, but still very impressive, as you can see from this distribution.
  • 7 students, out of ~36,000 worldwide whose data are complete at this point, achieved all 72/72 points possible on their AP Studio Art-2D Design portfolios this year.
  • Once again, AP Studio Art students generally scored highest on the Quality section of their portfolios, and lowest on the Breadth section.
3-D Art and Design 11.4% 23.6% 34.2% 26.3% 4.5% 69.2% Jun 29
  • This year’s 3D Design portfolios were slightly weaker, overall, than last year’s, hence the reduction in 3s, 4s, and 5s.
  • 1 student out of ~5,700 worldwide whose data are complete at this point, achieved all 72/72 points possible on his/her AP Studio Art-3D Design portfolio this year.
  • Once again, AP Studio Art students generally scored highest on the Quality section of their portfolios, and lowest on the Breadth section.
Art History 12.8% 24.3% 27.6% 25.5% 9.8% 64.7% Jun 19
  • This year’s students performed well, so we’re seeing fewer 1s and 2s, and increases in 3s, 4s, and especially 5s.
  • Multiple-choice: students scored highest on questions about African art and Global Contemporary art this year, and lowest on art of the Pacific.
  • FRQ2, on contextual/visual analysis of a global contemporary piece, enabled many students to demonstrate a solid understanding of the material, so the overall scores on this question are strong, but it also had the highest percentage of 0s: 17%.
  • As in the multiple-choice section, Ancient Mediterranean was a challenge for AP Art History students in the free-response section, where the lowest scoring question was Q1 on the Pergamon Altar + an Ancient Mediterranean work of the student's choice: spr.ly/6013Dlk45
Biology 7.1% 21.5% 32.9% 28.5% 10.0% 61.5% Jun 25
  • This year, there were more strong students, and more weak students – fewer in the middle. So all score categories expanded, in comparison to 2017, except 3s.
  • AP Biology multiple-choice: students generally scored best on questions about Big Idea 4 (interactions) and least well on questions that required use of mathematics, including the grid-ins, where 35% of students scored 0/5 points.
  • AP Biology students demonstrated a very strong understanding of species interactions, generally earning high scores on FRQ5 (symbiotic relationship between warblers and cuckoos). 30% of students earned all 4/4 points possible.
  • AP Biology FRQ3 (investigating aquatic pollination) best differentiates between students getting 3s & those getting 2s. Students getting 3s are usually earning at least 3 of these 4 points. http://spr.ly/6010DmZta 
  • AP Biology FRQ7 (investigating sex determination in fish) best distinguished between students getting 3s and those getting 5s. Students getting 5s are usually earning all 3 of these points: http://spr.ly/6017DmZQF 
Calculus AB 19.0% 17.3% 21.2% 22.4% 20.1% 57.5% Jun 18
  • The performance this year is very, very similar to last year, so we’re seeing very similar distributions of scores.
  • Students generally scored well across all multiple-choice topics, although they scored somewhat less well on questions requiring them to estimate/determine integrals than on other topics.
  • FRQ2 (particle motion) is a strong predictor of overall success on the exam; students able to score 4+ pts on it are generally getting a 3 or better; students able to score 7+ pts are usually getting a 5. spr.ly/6012DlGve
  • Many students really struggled with FRQs 4 & 5; ~20% of students got 0/9 points on FRQ4 (modeling/related rates), and ~26% got 0/9 points on FRQ5 (analysis of functions): spr.ly/6013DlHEF
Calculus BC 40.3% 19.0% 21.0% 14.6% 5.1% 80.3% Jun 18
  • This is a smaller percentage of 5s than last year because a smaller proportion of students hit the standards for a 5, but as you can see, this score distribution remains exceptional.
  • 1 student, out of ~60,000 worldwide, has earned all 108 out of 108 points possible We'll notify her/him in late summer/early fall when we receive that data file. 
  • Multiple-choice: students scored much higher on questions about Big Ideas 2 (derivatives) & 3 (integrals & fundamental theorem), than on questions about Big Ideas 1 (limits) & 4 (series).
  • Free-response questions: students generally performed best on FRQ3 (graphical analysis of f’/FTC), with ~10% earning all 9/9 points possible; they generally performed least well on FRQ6 (Maclaurin series), with ~30% earning 0/9: spr.ly/6018Dlytg
  • FRQ5 (polar area/tangent line) is very difficult, designed to distinguish between 3s, 4s, & 5s. Students getting 1s/2s can usually do nothing with it; to get a 3, students are usually earning >2 of the pts; to get a 4: >4 of the pts; to get a 5: >6 of the pts
Chemistry 12.6% 17.3% 25.0% 24.1% 21.0% 54.9% Jun 18
  • This is a pretty large increase in scores -- the highest scores in the past 5 years – so very impressive work from this year’s AP Chemistry students.
  • 1 student, out of ~150,000 whose exams have been scored to date, earned all 100 out of 100 points possible on this year’s exam.
  • Multiple-choice: students generally scored very high on questions about Big Ideas 2 (structure & property relations) and 4 (kinetics), and least well on questions about Big Ideas 5 (thermodynamics) and 6 (equilibrium).
  • To boost AP Chemistry scores further, concentrate on MC questions that assess using mathematics appropriately (SP2) and data collection/analysis (SP4), the two lowest scoring categories within the multiple-choice section.
  • FRQ7 – the final question on the exam – on photoelectron spectrum / radioactive decay -- was the one students generally scored highest on. ~24% of AP Chemistry students earned all 4/4 points possible on it. spr.ly/6013DlMB7
  • AP Chemistry FRQ2 (equil/thermo/titration of weak acid) is the question that best differentiated between students earning 3s, 4s, and 5s. Such students generally earned 4+, 6+, and 8+ points, respectively, on this question. spr.ly/6018DlMG2
Chinese Lang. and Culture 65.8% 11.7% 13.3% 3.9% 5.3% 90.8% Jun 28
  • This is a decrease in the percentage of 5s, with corresponding increases in the other scores.
  • 1 student so far has earned all 120/120 points possible on this year’s AP Chinese exam.
  • Multiple-choice: this year’s students performed higher on the questions within the reading modality than within the listening modality.
  • Once again, students scored highest, generally, on the email response task (FRQ2). 12% of students earned all 6/6 points possible: spr.ly/6016DmCug
  • And again, the most challenging task on this year’s AP Chinese exam was the conversation (Q3) (regarding about a neighbor’s birthday party): http://spr.ly/6018DmCui 
Computer Science A 24.7% 21.3% 21.7% 11.8% 20.5% 67.7% Jun 13
  • The AP Computer Science A reading has finished, while the AP Computer Science Principles reading has just begun. Educators have continued to enable greater access to both of the AP computer science courses this year – approx 55% growth in AP CSP and 7% growth in AP CSA.
  • 166 AP students, out of 66,000 worldwide, earned perfect scores of all 80/80 points possible on this year’s exam. We’ll notify them and their schools in early fall after score reporting and all late exams are scored.
  • The area where many students continue to struggle within the multiple-choice section is object-oriented programming, so more focus and practice on that topic will increase the number of 3,4,5s in future years.
  • Students generally continued to perform well on the FRQ about class design (#3), and also on the frog simulation question (FRQ1): spr.ly/6019DYMF7
  • FRQ2 (ArrayList) was the most challenging this year, very effectively distinguishing students who qualify for a 5 from those who receive 4s,3s. Students earning a 5 overall are generally getting 8-9 of 9 pts possible on this question. spr.ly/6018DY3yE
Computer Science Principles 14.4% 21.6% 36.7% 19.7% 7.6% 72.7% Jun 26
  • These scores represent another banner year for AP CSP teachers/students; alongside AP Capstone, this was the fastest growing AP course this year, & the % of 4s,5s slightly increased.
  • 214 students, out of ~70,000 worldwide, achieved all 100/100 points possible on this year’s exam.
  • Multiple-choice: students earned the highest average scores of any AP exam this year so far, scoring high across topics, esp "data & information” & “global impact.” Lowest-scoring topic: “algorithms” but overall performance = solid nonetheless.
  • AP Computer Science Principles “Explore” task: 25% of students earned all 8/8 pts possible; 24% earned 7 pts; 19%: 6 pts; 13%: 5 pts; 8%: 4 pts; 4%: 3 pts; 3%: 2 pts; 3%: 1 pt. 1%: 0 pts.
  • AP Computer Science Principles “Create” task: 11% of students earned all 8/8 pts possible; 19% earned 7 pts; 20%: 6 pts; 16%: 5 pts; 13%: 4 pts; 9%: 3 pts; 6%: 2 pts; 4%: 1 pts. 2%: 0 pts.
Drawing 22.4% 31.8% 35.5% 9.0% 1.3% 89.7% Jun 29
  • These score increases top even last year’s best-of-the-decade scores for the Drawing portfolios. Great job.
  • 18 students, out of ~21,000 worldwide whose data are complete at this point, achieved all 72/72 points possible on their AP Studio Art-Drawing portfolios this year.
  • Once again, AP Studio Art students generally scored highest on the Quality section of their portfolios, and lowest on the Breadth section.
English Language 10.6% 17.8% 29.0% 29.3% 13.3% 57.4% Jun 27
  • The knowledge/skills measured by this exam have a very strong relationship to overall college success, so it’s great to see significant increases in 3,4,5s compared to last year.
  • 1 student, out of nearly 600,000 worldwide, achieved all 150/150 points possible on this year’s AP English Language exam. I can’t wait to read her/his essays; a student able to write a suite of perfect arguments within such time constraints sounds like the next Woolf or MLK.
  • What’s keeping the AP English Language & Composition scores from moving even higher is relatively weak performance on analysis of pre-20th century prose. Students otherwise did very well on analysis of 20th and 21st century prose passages in the multiple-choice section.
  • AP English Language students typically earned very similar scores across each of the three essay types, suggesting that teachers are effectively helping students develop a variety of strategies for written argumentation. http://spr.ly/6016Dmob6 
English Literature 5.6% 14.6% 27.2% 36.1% 16.5% 47.4% Jun 26
  • This is bad news: after last year’s record low, this is a further significant decline in student performance, the lowest proportion of AP Lit scores of 3,4,5 ever, I believe.
  • What’s the reason for the continued drop in AP English Lit scores? Exam difficulty = constant; teaching ability has not declined; participation did not grow. A hypothesis: has increased focus on non-fiction texts in earlier years reduced student readiness for literary analysis?
  • Essay #2 (analysis of Hawthorne's prose) provides the best overall indication of student ability this year: students earning overall scores of 3,4,5 on this year’s exam were generally able to earn 4,5,&6 pts respectively. spr.ly/6015DmlLS
  • Part of the issue w/ AP Eng Lit performance: the exam only has one question focused on a novel/play, but much class time is spent on long texts rather than close reading/analysis of short fiction/poetry. Top advice: reduce the # of novels/plays; focus on frequent short analyses.
  • FRQ3 has students choose a novel/play to explicate. This year, students most frequently chose to write on a novel by a 19th century female novelist, inspired by her time on Lac Leman. Any guesses? spr.ly/6013DmlNX
  • Frankenstein was the novel most students chose to write about on this year’s AP English Lit exam, followed by Things Fall Apart; Beloved; Metamorphosis; The Picture of Dorian Grey; Heart of Darkness; Pride and Prejudice; Great Expectations; Crime and Punishment; Kindred.
Environmental Science 8.5% 23.9% 15.1% 26.1% 26.4% 47.5% Jun 12
  • Overall, this is a slight decline in student performance from 2017
  • Students generally performed quite well on the multiple-choice questions, especially those about “the living world.” The topic that had the lowest multiple-choice performance was pollution.
  • FRQ2 on wind energy was by far the most challenging task on this year’s exam; 20% of students scored 0/10 points on it: spr.ly/6011DY6kl
  • The reason there aren’t more 5s : strong performance on multiple-choice, but generally weak performance on the open-ended questions. Here are the averages this year. FRQ1: 4/10 pts; FRQ2: 3/10 pts; FRQ3: 5/10 pts; FRQ4: 3/10 pts. spr.ly/6010DY6jj
  • A few other hypotheses from teachers about why AP Env Sci scores are generally lower than other subjects': students not taking standard pre-req high school Bio & Chem classes first; not focusing on the mathematics in a college-level environmental science class; too much content.
  • But it's worth a reminder, at this time of year, that the exam score is only one measure of the experience. I always enjoy scanning questions that even students who earn a 1 tend to get right, unlike most of us adults. AP Environmental Science has an indisputable value/relevance.
European History 11.8% 20.0% 25.6% 30.4% 12.2% 57.4% Jun 19
  • For the second year in a row, these scores have climbed, with students achieving a significantly higher percentage of 4s and 5s.
  • 2 students, out of ~80,000 worldwide whose scores are now in our database, earned all 140 out of 140 points possible on this year’s exam (perfect scores on every essay and short answer question, as well as correctly answering every multiple-choice question).
  • Multiple-choice: students scored very well across all periods, themes, & skills, w/ esp strong work on questions re: causation & re: “objective knowledge & subjective vision.” The only theme where performance was weak: “interaction of Europe & the world.”
  • Short answers: many students struggled with Q1 (analyzing a secondary source on intellectual/social impacts on the French Rev); ~25% earning no pts on it. Otherwise, students did well on Questions 2,3,4; almost all students chose Q3 (Luther), not Q4 (Lenin).
French Language 15.9% 25.7% 35.3% 18.6% 4.5% 76.9% Jun 29
  • This distribution is fairly similar to last year’s, but a higher percentage of 3s & 4s, and lower percentages of 1s, 2s, and 5s.
  • Multiple-choice section: students generally performed best on questions that combined audio and print stimuli, and least well on audio-only stimuli.
  • Students generally earned their highest scores this year on the conversation task (FRQ3), but scored almost as well on the email task (FRQ1). Here’s a link to the conversation prompts: http://spr.ly/6018DWKea 
  • The most challenging task for AP French students this year was FRQ4, the cultural presentation comparing the role of advertising in their own vs a francophone community. 27% of students scored 0/5 on it. http://spr.ly/6010DWKeI 
German Language 19.0% 22.7% 27.1% 23.3% 7.9% 68.8% Jun 29
  • This is a significant decline, although the overall percentage of exams scoring 3+ remains quite high.
  • Multiple-choice section: students generally performed best on questions that combined audio and print stimuli.
  • AP German has a high rate of 3+ scores because of generally strong performance by students across all of the free-response questions – in each of them, 10-20% of students earned all 5/5 points possible.
  • The highest-scoring task on this year’s exam was FRQ4, the cultural presentation on school systems in one’s own region and a German-speaking region: spr.ly/6016DWKPw
Government and Politics, Comp. 20.6% 22.5% 19.8% 20.9% 16.2% 62.9% Jun 21
  • Last year’s scores were an all-time high in this subject; this year, performance declined a bit, but the most frequent remains a 4, an unusually high mode among AP subjects.
  • Multiple-choice section: students excelled across all topics, the strongest multiple-choice performance of any exam so far this year. Most challenging = “citizens, society, & the state,” but students generally scored well even on this concept.
  • The two real trouble spots for many students on this year’s exam were FRQ7 (federalism in Nigeria & Russia) on which 24% of students earned 0/6 points, and FRQ5 (coercion) on which 58% of students earned 0/3 points. spr.ly/6018DlLBm
  • Students scored very high on FRQ2 (gender discrimination in Iran): 27% of students earned all 3/3 points possible; and on FRQ4 (environmental comparison), on which 13% of students earned all 6/6 points possible. spr.ly/6015DlL8X
Government and Politics, US 13.4% 13.3% 26.5% 24.5% 22.3% 53.2% Jun 20
  • Kudos to these students and their teachers, as these are the highest scores in many years. (By way of comparison, just a few years ago, the percentage of 5s was 9.8%.)
  • 112 students (!) out of more than 300,000 worldwide, earned all 120/120 points possible on this year’s exam.
  • Multiple-choice: students earned the highest scores of any AP subject so far this year, particularly on “citizen beliefs & behavior” & “civil rights & liberties.”
  • Students' weakest area in this year's multiple-choice section, but strong nonetheless, continued to be “institutions” (SCOTUS, etc.). Important to bolster that for the coming years' explicit focus on key SCOTUS cases.
  • Students have achieved higher free-response scores than any other AP subject so far this year – superb performance across Q1-3. Q4, on public policy, was the only area of slightly weak performance on this year’s exam. spr.ly/6011Dl96t 
  • FRQ1 (on elections, gerrymandering) best differentiated among students across the range of AP scores: students earning a 3 were generally able to score 3 out of 5 points on it, and students earning a 5 were generally able to score 4-5 out of 5 points on it.
Human Geography 12.9% 19.8% 21.6% 17.0% 28.7% 54.3% Jun 12
  • Superb results for AP Human Geography students, the highest of the decade to date. Amazingly, the scores are higher than when only 83,000 students participated in 2011; this yr, teachers expanded access to ~20,000 more students, reaching a total of ~220,000 & scores went up.
  • Kudos to teachers, bravo to students – the highest scores of the decade on this exam. (Difficulty is equated from year to year, so changes in scores are due to improvement in student learning.)
  • MC: students generally scored very well on questions re: agriculture/rural land use, but struggled with questions on industrialization, economic development, population, & nature of geography; stronger understanding of those topics will expand the % of 3,4,5s.
  • Students generally scored well on language diffusion (FRQ3), with 15K students earning all 8/8 pts on it, but many students do not appear to have learned about gentrification (FRQ2): 25% earned 0/6 points on it, & are thus getting a 1. spr.ly/6014DY1Ep
  • Students earning a 5 are generally able, like college geography students who are getting an A, to answer most of the "women in agriculture" questions in FRQ1; students earning a 3 are typically able to answer parts but not all of B & C:
Italian Language and Culture 16.1% 18.1% 33.3% 22.2% 10.3% 67.5% Jun 29
  • AP Italian had the fastest growth rate of any AP World Language course this year. These scores are a significant increase in 1s & a decrease in all other scores, in comparison to last year.
  • FRQ1, the email reply, gives a good indication of overall exam score: students who earned 3, 4, and 5 points on this task are generally earning 3s, 4s, and 5s, respectively, on the exam overall. spr.ly/6014DWKTw
  • Many students wrote superb persuasive essays on il progresso tecnologico; ~25% of students earned all 5/5 points possible on FRQ2. Nicely done.
  • Many students really struggled with FRQ4, the cultural presentation on l’importanza della piazza; ~20% of students scored 0/5 on it: spr.ly/6019DWKT5
Japanese Lang. and Culture 48.6% 9.3% 19.4% 8.4% 14.3% 77.3% Jun 27
  • This is an increase to the average score, compared to last year, due to a higher percentage of students earning 5s than in 2017.
  • The average score on the listening and reading questions that comprise the multiple-choice section is very high, with reading edging out listening.
  • Students generally performed very well when giving a cultural presentation about technology and inventions (FRQ4): 14% earned all 6/6 points possible: spr.ly/6015Dm2Zl
  • It’s terrific to see that students are performing as well this year on the writing tasks as they’ve historically performed on the speaking tasks; in the past, the text chats and written articles have had lower scores than the speaking tasks. spr.ly/6019Dm2ZL
Latin 14.5% 20.1% 32.2% 22.8% 10.4% 66.8% Jun 27
  • This is a strong increase in Latin proficiency compared to last year – significant growth in the percentage of exams scoring 3, 4, and 5.
  • 5 students worldwide achieved all 100/100 points possible on this year’s AP Latin exam. We’ll notify them and their schools, as well as students in any other subjects who achieved such results when we receive the data file in late summer / early fall.
  • Students did a truly amazing job on the multiple-choice questions on Caesar readings; >25% of students answered all 12 such questions perfectly, the highest of any part of this year’s exam. Great work on what, for me, is a difficult text even in English translation.
  • AP Latin translations: Students generally scored higher on the Caesar translation (FRQ2) than the Vergil translation (FRQ1) from Book 4, Iris approaching the dying Dido, which was the most difficult task on this year’s AP Latin exam.
  • Free-response: Students generally performed best on FRQ 4, the short answer questions about Cerberus in the Aeneid: spr.ly/6017Dm2IJ
Macroeconomics 18.2% 22.5% 16.7% 17.3% 25.3% 57.4% Jun 11
  • Last year, the AP Macroeconomics scores were the highest in years . . . and this year, they’re even higher. Nice work!
  • 19 students, out of ~145,000 worldwide, earned all 90 points possible on this year’s exam.
  • Multiple-choice questions: students generally scored very well on the questions about economic growth, and least well (although still quite solidly) on questions about the financial sector.
  • Students who are earning a 3 are typically getting at 6+ of the 10 points possible on FRQ 1 (stabilization policies in open economies); those earning a 5 are generally getting 8+ of the 10 points possible on this question: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap18-frq-macroeconomics.pdf
  • By far the most challenging question for students this year was FRQ2 on economic savings & growth; ~10% of students earned 0/5 pts on it, and only 8% of students earned all 5 points possible: spr.ly/6017DcNKT
  • A significant number of students triumphed on FRQ3 (measurement of economic performance): ~25% of student earned all 5/5 points possible, and another ~25% of students earned 4/5 points possible on it: spr.ly/6014DcNb8
Microeconomics 19.2% 28.0% 20.2% 15.8% 16.8% 67.4% Jun 11
  • Last year’s scores reached an all-time high, so these are a slight drop from that stratosphere, but still stronger than most prior years’ Micro results.
  • 25 students, out of ~90,000 worldwide, earned all 90 points possible this year.
  • Students scored very well on multiple-choice questions about production and costs; ~25% answered every such question correctly. Otherwise, the even performance across the range of topics suggests teachers are effectively addressing the array of concepts.
  • FRQ #1 (monopoly) most clearly signals overall student performance this year; its difficulty level is such that students who earned 3/9 pts on it are generally getting a 3, 5/9 pts generally getting a 4, and 7/9 pts generally getting a 5. spr.ly/6012DcNIk
  • Students generally knocked FRQ3, on scarcity and choice, out of the park. More than half the students earned 4-5 points out of a total of 5 possible on this question: spr.ly/6013DcN0L
  • On the flip side, FRQ2, on market failure: externality, was by far the most challenging part of the exam for students, with 17% unable to earn a single point, out of 6 possible, on it: spr.ly/6019DcNNV
Music Theory 22.5% 18.9% 24.6% 22.4% 11.6% 66% Jun 28
  • This is one of the largest score increases of any subject this year – quite a significant expansion of the percentage of students earning 4s and 5s.
  • AP Music Theory students scored highest on FRQ5, part writing from a figured bass. 30% of students earned 20+ points, out of 25 possible, on this question: http://spr.ly/6012DmCdg 
  • By far the most challenging question for AP Music Theory students this year was FRQ4, harmonic dictation, on which only 10% of students earned 20+ points, out of 24 possible: http://spr.ly/6013DmCd9 
  • The AP Music Theory question that provides the best overall sense this year of how students performed on the exam overall is FRQ6 (part writing from Roman numerals): students earning a 5 generally earned 15+ points out of 18 possible; 4: 13+ points. 3: 9+ points.
Physics 1 - Algebra Based 5.2% 15.0% 19.5% 29.1% 31.2% 39.7% Jun 14
  • Since AP Physics 1 is a first AP STEM course for many students, without a pre-requisite, we are piloting a free workbook to help students build the conceptual knowledge the exam requires.
  • Multiple-choice: students generally scored well wave models (Big Idea 6), and after several years of low scores on Practice 5 (data analysis) questions, students scored better this year, such that the lowest scores this year were on Practice 2 (use of math).
  • students generally did very, very good work on FRQ1 (qual/quant translation, rotation); students getting a 3 or higher this year are usually getting at least 8/12 points possible on this question: spr.ly/6011DYdS9
  • By far the most difficult question for AP Physics 1 students this year was FRQ5, which required a paragraph of physics reasoning about amplitude of oscillation. 58% of students got 0/7 on it: spr.ly/6017DYdsR
Physics 2 - Algebra Based 11.2% 14.8% 34.9% 30.6% 8.5% 60.9% Jun 15
  • 1 student, out of ~17,000 worldwide, earned all 80/80 points possible.
  • Strong work throughout the multiple-choice section, particularly on Big Idea 3 (interactions between objects), the concept that most challenged the prior year’s students. Also, truly excellent performance on questions about practice 5 (data analysis).
  • Free-response questions: students scored best on FRQ3 (qual/quant translation). ~40% of students were able to earn 9-12 points out of 12 points possible on it: spr.ly/6012DYiNC
  • FRQ2 (experimental design; circuits) best suggests whether a student is getting a 5 this year. Such students were generally able to earn 9-10+ pts on it; it’s a difficult question, so students are able to earn 3s without many pts on it. spr.ly/6018DYifM
Physics C E&M 35.0% 23.1% 13.7% 17.3% 10.9% 71.8% Jun 15
  • Check out that percentage of 5s. I need to scan our archives to be sure, but that may be the highest ever for this exam. Congrats to students, kudos to teachers.
  • 1 student, out of 15,000 worldwide whose AP Physics C: E&M scores are in our system at this point, earned all 90/90 pts possible on this year’s exam. I wonder if (s)he is the same student who earned the 1 perfect score on C: Mechanics this year? Time will tell.1 student, out of 15,000 worldwide whose AP Physics C: E&M scores are in our system at this point, earned all 90/90 pts possible on this year’s exam. I wonder if (s)he is the same student who earned the 1 perfect score on C: Mechanics this year? Time will tell.
  • Multiple-choice performance: students generally scored best on questions about electric circuits, and least well on questions about magnetostatics and electromagnetism.
  • To gauge whether you likely are scoring 3+ on this year’s AP Physics C: E&M exam, review your performance on FRQ2 on electric circuits. Students earning a 3+ are typically able to do more than half of these tasks. spr.ly/6015DYQrW
  • The biggest difference between students earning 5s vs 3s was in the very difficult FRQ3 (magnetostatics); students earning a 5 were typically able to earn 5 more points on this question than students earning a 3. spr.ly/6015DYQpP
Physics C Mech. 28.6% 27.6% 20.5% 13.1% 10.2% 76.7% Jun 15
  • After last year’s highest-ever scores in the history of this exam, it’s not surprising that this year’s scores decline from that stratosphere. Still, the most frequent score remains a 5.
  • 1 student, out of ~45,000 worldwide, earned all 90/90 points possible on this year’s AP Physics C: Mechanics exam. (If you’re wondering what the “C” stands for, it’s “calculus-based.”)
  • Many AP Physics C: Mechanics students scored very high on FRQ1 (kinematics); on the flip side, 12% of students earned 0/15 points on the difficult FRQ3 (rotation & circular motion): spr.ly/6010DYtQn
  • FRQ2 (system of particles & linear momentum) has a spread of 15 points at nicely varying difficulties and is thus a good indicator of how students did on the exam overall. Students earning a 5 are generally getting at least 9 of the pts across these tasks.
  • As in the free-response section, students scored best in the multiple-choice section on kinematics questions.
Psychology 21.1% 26.3% 18.3% 14.5% 19.8% 65.7% Jun 28
  • This year’s student performance was the strongest it's been in years, with a solid increase in the percentage of 4s and 5s. Well done.
  • 6 students worldwide, out of approximately 300,000 so far, achieved all 150/150 points possible on this year’s exam.
  • Multiple-choice: students generally demonstrated a strong command of social & developmental psychology (as students did last year), and even the lowest-scoring topics, personality/motivation and emotion, had generally strong performance.
  • Right beyond their strength on social/dev psych topics, AP Psychology students generally demonstrated a strong understanding of abnormal behavior; and learning/cognition.
  • Students scored slightly less well on FRQ2 than FRQ1, which measured students’ ability to apply 7 different psychology concepts to the situation of someone facing nervousness and excitement about an opportunity: spr.ly/6011DmCnN
Research 11.4% 23.8% 40.2% 19.6% 5.0% 75.4% Jun 25
  • This is a significant decrease in the percentage of 5s and 2s, with corresponding increases primarily in 3s and 4s.
  • 108 students, out of ~10,000 worldwide, achieved perfect scores of 80/80 on their AP Research papers and presentation / oral defense.
  • AP Research papers are scored on a 10-point scale. Here’s the breakdown: earned all 10 pts: 2% of students; 9 pts: 5%; 8 pts: 12%; 7 points: 20%; 6 pts: 27%; 5 pts: 15%; 4 pts: 12%; 3 pts: 4%; 2 pts: 2%; 1 pt: 0%; 0 pts: 0%.
Seminar 7.9% 16.7% 57.6% 15.4% 2.4% 82.2% Jun 25
  • The AP Capstone courses had the highest growth rate of any AP courses this year, and the mean score remains very similar – more 1s and 2s balanced by more 4s and 5s.
  • 5 students, out of ~30,000 worldwide, achieved all 150/150 points possible across the year of AP Seminar: perfect individual and team multimedia presentations, oral defense, written argument, and exam essays.
  • The most challenging of all the AP Seminar tasks this year was the Individual Written Argument, a 2,000 word essay the students develop during the year. The average score was 28/48 points possible. Here’s the rubric for this task: http://spr.ly/6017DmXTc 
  • Students generally earned very high scores on the AP Seminar end-of-course exam, particularly on the source-based essay: http://spr.ly/6015DmXph 
Spanish Language 23.2% 35.0% 30.1% 10.4% 1.3% 88.3% Jun 29
  • By way of comparison, the percentage of 5s last year was 19.5%. Great work.
  • 16 students, out of ~60,000 worldwide whose exam data are complete, achieved all 130/130 points possible on this year’s AP Spanish Language and Culture exam.
  • Multiple-choice: students generally scored higher on print stimuli and combined stimuli than audio stimuli.
  • Many students gave strong cultural presentations (FRQ4) on al trato a los animales; ~20% of students earned all 5/5 pnts. Scores on FRQ2, the persuasive essay on las bibliotecas tradicionales, were almost as high. spr.ly/6012DWKna
  • Students did quite well on even the most challenging task on this year’s exam, FRQ3, the conversation. Here’s a link to the audio prompts for it: spr.ly/6014DWKnI
Spanish Literature 9.2% 24.1% 36.8% 22.1% 7.8% 70.1% Jun 22
  • The proportion of 5s holds steady from last year, but otherwise, there’s a decline in 3s and 4s, an increase in 1s and 2s.
  • Multiple-choice: students scored very high on the interpretive listening tasks, but struggled somewhat, in general, with questions focused on text comparisons & critical commentary. 
  • AP Spanish Literature students did superb work on Pardo Bazán’s "Las medias rojas" in the text/art comparison, FRQ2. Over half the students earned the majority of content points possible on this question: spr.ly/6017DmBQd
Statistics 14.1% 21.3% 25.2% 16.1% 23.3% 60.6% Jun 26
  • Congrats to these teachers and students – these increases in 3s, 4s, 5s are the result of stronger mastery of the material this year than last.
  • 1 student, out of ~200,000 worldwide whose exams are complete so far, earned all 100/100 points possible on this year’s AP Statistics exam. We're hiring . . .
  • There’s no wider difference across multiple-choice topics than what we see in the AP Statistics exam. Students generally score very high on data, statistical inference, sampling & experimentation, but very low on probability/simulation.
  • FRQ3 probability/simulation) was easily the exam’s best question, distinguishing across the range of what students know and can do. Students earning 3s could answer part of the question, students earning 4 could answer most, and students earning 5s, all of it.
  • FRQ6 (statistical inference) was far too difficult for both college students and AP students, so even the cutscore to earn a 5 did not require any points on this problematic question.
United States History 10.4% 18.2% 22.5% 23.1% 25.8% 51.1% Jun 21
  • These scores are very similar to last year’s.
  • 6 students, out of 200,000+ worldwide, have earned all 140/140 pts possible on this year’s exam. I can’t wait to read their essays, each of which earned the elusive point for using evidence/argumentation to demonstrate an understanding of historical complexity.
  • While performance within the multiple-choice section was very strong across time periods, students generally performed better on questions about periods 1-6 (1491-1898) than periods 7-9 (1890-present).
  • There are no areas of weak performance within the AP US History multiple-choice section this year; it’s really their comparatively lower performance on the two essay questions that is preventing more students from scoring 3s, 4s, and 5s.
  • Short Answer questions: many students struggled with Q1 (secondary source analysis on origins of the Revolution): 40% of APUSH students earned 0/3 pts on it; in contrast, many did very well on Q2 (Progressive Era): 33% of APUSH students earned all 3/3 pts on it.
  • DBQ (America’s global role, 1865-1910): 59% earned the thesis pt; 26% earned the contextualization pt. Evidence pts: 12% earned 3 pts; 27% earned 2 pts; 43% earned 1 pt. Analysis pts: 4% earned 2 pts; 17% earned 1 pt. spr.ly/6011DlLI3
  • Long essays on economic impacts: ~triple the number of students chose Q3 (Civil War) & Q4 (science & tech, 1950-2000) over Q2 (mercantilism, 1660-1775), but students who chose Q2 earned the highest mean scores on the long essay, DBQ, short answers, & MC questions.
World History 8.7% 19.8% 27.7% 28.7% 15.1% 56.2% Jun 21
  • These scores are very similar to last year’s.
  • Multiple-choice: Students scored highest on questions about period 4, and lowest on questions about period 3: ~12,000 students were unable to answer more than 1 question correctly about this fundamental content.
  • AP World History DBQ on railroads, 1860-1918: 63% of students earned the thesis pt; 33% earned the contextualization pt. Evidence points: 10% earned all 3 pts; 29% earned 2 pts; 51% earned 1 pt. Analysis points: <1% earned both pts; 12% earned 1 pt. spr.ly/6014DlFD0
  • Long essays: the largest difference is between performance on Q2 (period 2) and Q3 (period 4). On Q2, 20% of students earned 0/6 pts and the average was 1.9. On Q3, 3% of students earned 0/6 pts and the average was 3.0.