AP^® Psychology Score Calculator

How Is The AP Psychology Exam Structured?

The AP Psychology exam consists of two main sections:

Total exam time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Section Details

• Section 1: Multiple Choice

  • 75 questions testing your knowledge of psychological concepts

  • Questions will ask students to:

    • Define and explain content from a range of course topics

    • Apply skills of concept application, data analysis, and scientific investigation

• Section 2: Free Response

  • Question 1: Article Analysis Question (AAQ)

    • Students analyze one summarized peer-reviewed source

    • Worth up to 7 points across 6 parts:

      • Research method

      • Research variable

      • Statistic interpretation

      • Ethical guideline

      • Generalizability of the study

      • Argumentation and application

  • Question 2: Evidence-Based Question (EBQ)

    • Students analyze three summarized peer-reviewed sources on a common topic

    • Worth up to 7 points across 3 parts:

      • Provide a claim

      • Provide 2 pieces of evidence from the sources to support the claim

      • Provide reasoning to justify why the evidence supports the claim and apply related content

Scoring Process

The AP Psychology exam uses a weighted scoring system that combines your performance on both sections. The multiple-choice section accounts for 66.7% of your score, and the free-response section makes up the other 33.3%.

Your raw scores from each section are converted into a composite score, which is then converted to the final AP score of 1-5. The distribution of scores from the most recent exam was:

What Is A Good Score?

A score of 3 or higher is generally considered passing, though many top colleges only award credit for scores of 4 or 5. For college admissions purposes, a 4 or 5 is considered a strong score.

To earn a high score (4 or 5), students typically need to demonstrate:

• Strong understanding of psychological concepts and theories

• Ability to analyze research methods and statistical data

• Skills in interpreting psychological studies and their implications

• Clear written communication and scientific reasoning

• Application of psychological concepts to real-world scenarios