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Advanced Placement Exam (AP Exam): Meaning, Schedule, Syllabus, Scores

Advanced Placement Exam (AP Exam): Meaning, Schedule, Syllabus, Scores

Edited By Stuti Jain | Updated on Jul 26, 2024 11:50 AM IST

The College Board administers Advanced Placement Exam or AP exam 2025. These exams are taken by applicants who wish to continue their education abroad after the completion of high school. AP exam duration ranges from 90 to 200 minutes, and takes around 2-3 hours to complete the entire test. AP examinations are specific to the subject and are typically taken after the student has completed the related AP course at their school.

AP test 2025 will be held from May 5 to May 9 and May 12 to May 16 for eligible students. The exam can be taken in AP exam centres in 11 cities across India, some of the top cities including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Jaipur, and more. AP exam fees in India are USD 128 (Rs 10,690 approximately). AP exam scores are approved by around 700 universities worldwide for students wishing to study abroad.

Some of the top universities accepting the AP exams include Princeton University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Yale University, and more. Students who want to study abroad for undergraduate courses in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and other countries can take the AP exam.

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The AP exam also has other advantages, such as improving an individual's skills and confidence and providing recognition for undergraduate admissions. Read the complete article to get insights into various aspects of the AP exam, including the exam schedule, syllabus, fees, and more.

What is AP Exam 2025?

The full form of an AP test is Advanced Placement Exams. AP examinations are college-level exams designed to evaluate applicants in a variety of subjects, including biology, music theory, and European history. This is open to students who have passed an AP course in high school. A high AP exam score offers candidates essential college credit, which could result in a reduction in tuition costs.

AP Exam Schedule 2025

The AP exams are held in May each year. The 2025 AP Exams will be conducted in schools during two weeks in May: May 5-9 and May 12-16. AP coordinators are in charge of informing students when and where to report for the examinations. Early testing or testing outside the intervals specified by the College Board is not acceptable. Test takers who missed the test within the first two weeks of May can look up for late-testing dates available on the official website of College Board.

AP Exam Dates 2025

The AP test 2025 will be held from May 5 to May 9 and May 12 to May 16 for candidates who meet the AP exam eligibility requirements. Refer to the tables below for AP exam dates in 2025.

AP Exam Dates: Week 1

Week 1

Morning 8 AM

Local Time

Afternoon 12 PM

Local Time

Monday, May 5, 2025

Biology

Latin

European History

Microeconomics

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Chemistry

Human Geography

United States Government and Politics

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

English Literature and Composition

Comparative Government and Politics

Computer Science A

Thursday, May 8, 2025

African American Studies

Statistics

Japanese Language and Culture

World History: Modern

Friday, May 9, 2025

Italian Language and Culture

United States History

Chinese Language and Culture

Macroeconomics

AP Exam Dates: Week 2

Week 2

Morning 8 AM

Local Time

Afternoon 12 PM

Local Time

Monday, May 12, 2025

Calculus AB

Calculus BC

Music Theory

Seminar

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

French Language and Culture

Precalculus

Environmental Science

Physics 2: Algebra-Based

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

English Language and Composition

German Language and Culture

Physics C: Mechanics

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Art History

Spanish Language and Culture

Computer Science Principles

Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

Friday, May 16, 2025

Physics 1: Algebra-Based

Spanish Literature and Culture

Psychology

Advanced Placement Exam Eligibility Criteria

All eligible students under the age of 21 can take the AP exam. Students in class 11 or 12 are advised to take the exam before beginning their application process to study abroad for their undergraduate course. To take the AP exam, students must be studying in a secondary school or affiliated school.

How to register for AP Exams in India?

Candidates who want to complete the advanced placement exam registration are required to meet the eligibility set by the College Board. Applicants who meet the advanced placement exam eligibility criteria should follow the steps mentioned below:

How to register for the AP exam?

Step 1: New test takers are required to create a new College Board account before registering for the AP exam online.

Step 2: Choose the AP exam subject.

Step 3: Pay the Advanced Placement exam registration fees directly to the test centre.

Step 4: Once the seat is confirmed, candidates will receive an admission card from the chosen test centre.

Note: Candidates who have paid the advanced placement exam fees but failed to finish the online registration process on time will be unable to take the exam.

AP Exam Fees in India

To register for the test, students must contact their nearest test centre before the deadline. Advanced Placement exam fees and its related services are mentioned below:

AP Exam Fees 2025

AP Exam

Advanced Placement Exam Fees

AP exam fee per subject

USD 98 (in U.S., U.S. territories, Canada, and DoDEA schools)

USD 128 (outside the US)

AP Capstone (AP Seminar and AP Research)

USD 146 per exam

Late fee (in addition to base exam fee)

USD 40 per exam

Late testing fee (in addition to the base exam fee)

USD 40

AP Exam Centres in India

AP exam is held in 11 major cities of India, a complete list is mentioned below:

AP Exam Centres

Ahmedabad

Bangalore

Delhi

Mumbai

Lucknow

Jaipur

Kolkata

Amritsar

Rajkot

Chennai

Hyderabad


How to Choose an AP Exam Subject?

AP courses are available in the arts, English, history and social science, maths and computer science, sciences, and world languages and cultures. One should select an AP course based on their interests and excellent performance in previous classes. To choose the AP exam subject wisely, test takers must consider the following factors:

  • Choose the subject based on your interests and academic strength

  • The chosen subject must meet the academic goals of an individual.

  • Choose the course available at your chosen institution.

  • Research course credits, duration, and career prospects before choosing the AP exam subject.

AP Exam Pattern 2025

The advanced placement exam is a paper-based test and takes 90 to 200 minutes, depending on the subject chosen by the test taker. Considering the variety of advanced placement exam subjects, each AP exam syllabus has its particular requirements, however, there are certain common features as mentioned below:

  • The Advanced Placement exam takes approximately two to three hours.

  • The first section consists of multiple-choice questions with four to five options.

  • There is no negative evaluation for incorrect answers in the advanced placement exam.

  • The second section consists of questions for which one is free to give answers based on their professional knowledge. The answer format could be an essay, an oral remark, or a solution to a problem.

AP Exam Syllabus 2025

The advanced placement exam syllabus covers 38 courses in a variety of subjects, including sciences, social sciences, arts, world languages, and mathematics. However, the advanced placement exam subjects vary by school or test centre. A detailed AP exam syllabus 2025 is mentioned below:

AP Test Syllabus 2025

Subject

Syllabus

Arts

2-D Arts and Design

3-D Arts and Design

Art History

Drawing

Music Therapy

English

English Language and Composition

English Literature and Composition

Sciences

Biology

Chemistry

Environmental Science

Physics 1 (Algebra based)

Physics 2 (Algebra based)

Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

Physics C: Mechanics

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

World Languages and Culture

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

Others

Mathematics and Computer Science

Calculus AB

Calculus BC

Computer Science A

Computer Science Principles

Statistics

AP environmental scienceAP Research

AP Seminar

AP Research

AP Exam Score

The AP Exam is evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5. Many colleges and universities in the United States provide credit or advanced placement (which means one can skip that specific subject once they get to college) for scores of 3 or above.

Advanced Placement Exam Results 2025 are expected to be released online in July for the exams held in the month of May each year. To get academic credit or placement based on their AP scores, candidates must request to send an official AP score report to the college.

AP Score Chart

AP Exam Score

Recommendation

College Course Grade Equivalent

5

Extremely well qualified

A+ or A

4

Very well qualified

A-, B+, or B

3

Qualified

B-, C+, or C

2

Possibly qualified

----

1

No recommendation

----

Who Accepts the AP Exam?

AP tests are accepted at several prestigious colleges and universities in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and other European countries. Here is a list of the top universities in the world that accept advanced placement scores.

AP Exam Accepting Universities

Princeton University

Columbia University

Harvard University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Stanford University

Yale University

University of Chicago

Johns Hopkins University

University of Pennsylvania

California Institute of Technology

University of California

Emory University

Cornell University

University of Southern California

Boston University

University of Michigan

New York University

University of Illinois

Duke University

University of Washington

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Does AP stand for Advanced Placement?

Yes, AP stands for Advanced Placement, designed by the College Board to evaluate high school student's knowledge on various subjects such as arts, sciences, mathematics and more. Students with high AP exam scores can earn pursue higher education and earn advanced placement in universities abroad.

2. Who is eligible for the AP exam?

The AP exam is available to all high school students, irrespective of age or level of education. There are no official prerequisites, although students should take the appropriate AP course to prepare. Those who are homeschooled or learning privately can also register for the exam.

3. How much does one AP exam cost in India?

AP exam fees in India are USD 128 (Rs 10,690 approximately). However, the fees vary in the USA, Canada and other territories, which is USD 98.

4. Is a 70% a 5 on the AP Exam?

A 70% on an AP exam is not equivalent to a 5. AP scores range on a scale of 1 to 5 , 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. The percentage required for a 5 varies by subject and year, with most scores requiring higher than 70%.

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