AP Exams
Assessment Name(s)
- varies by test (i.e., AP Biology Exam, etc.)
- 2026 AP Testing Dates
Vendor/Overseen by
- College Board
Testing Date(s) for 2025-2026 School Year
- May 4, 2026 to May 15, 2026
Students Testing
- 9th grade AP students
- 10th grade AP students
- 11th grade AP students
- 12th grade AP students
Purpose and Description
- End-of-course exams for AP courses
- Topics covered varies by exam/subject
- Administered digitally via the Bluebook app, a College Board testing app, though some tests have paper-pencil components. World Language and Music Theory exams remain in a traditional paper-pencil form.
Estimated Time
- About 3 hours each (some exams are shorter or longer)
Interpreting Scores
| AP Scale | ||
| AP Exam Scale Score | Recommendation/Description | Equivalent College Course Grade |
| 5 | Extremely well-qualified | A+ or A |
| 4 | Very well-qualified | A-, B+, or B |
| 3 | qualified | B-, C+, or C |
| 2 | possibly qualified | not passing |
| 1 | no recommendation | not passing |
- Although the format and number of questions varies from AP exam to AP exam, all AP exams use the above scale
- By law all Illinois colleges and universities must grant college credit for any student who scores a 3 or higher on an AP exam
- For more information, click this link to the College Board's website
External Links