AP Practice Test

What the AP is and how it works

According to College Board, “will need to find a school where they can test”^[4]

College Board runs the AP Exams. Each exam covers one AP subject. You order it through your school's AP coordinator, not directly from College Board. If your school does not offer the exam, or you studied on your own, you will need to find a school where you can test. The final ordering deadline is November 13, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET, so speak to a coordinator well before then.

The 2027 AP Exams are given in schools over two weeks in May: May 3–7 and May 10–14, 2027. Each subject has its own date and session. For example, AP English Literature and Composition is on Wednesday, May 5, 2027 (Session 1), and its late-testing date is Monday, May 17, 2027. That exam is fully digital in the Bluebook app. Delivery differs by subject, so check the assessment page for your course.

Students who qualify may get a $37 College Board fee reduction per exam. If an exam is ordered and then not used or canceled, the charge is $40 per exam instead of the full fee. Your coordinator can tell you the full fee and your school's own deadlines.

Most scores come out in July, but some take longer. Scores from before 2018 are archived and can only be sent to a college, university or scholarship program. This page does not cover the score scale, college credit or retake rules. Check apstudents.collegeboard.org for those.

AP Exam at a Glance

What changed for AP in 2026

• Oct 19, 2026: Delivery (AP English Literature and Composition) changed to Fully digital in the Bluebook app (previously Fully digital in the Bluebook app, taken at school).^[3]
• Oct 19, 2026: Eligibility changed to Ordered through a school's AP coordinator; outside students must find a school (previously Ordered through a school's AP coordinator; homeschool and other outside students must find a school to test at).^[4]
• Oct 19, 2026: Next exam date (AP English Literature and Composition) changed to Wednesday, May 5, 2027 (Session 1) (previously Wednesday, May 5, 2027 (Session 1, morning)).^[3]
• Oct 19, 2026: Next exam date (AP English Literature and Composition (late testing)) changed to Monday, May 17, 2027 (Session 1) (previously Monday, May 17, 2027 (late-testing schedule)).^[7]
• Oct 19, 2026: Exam fee (Fee reduction) changed to $37 fee reduction per exam (previously $37 College Board fee reduction per exam for students with significant financial need).^[1]
• Oct 19, 2026: Validity changed to Pre-2018 scores archived (previously Scores kept on record; pre-2018 scores archived).^[2]
• Oct 19, 2026: Other (update 2027-04-30) changed to New for 2027: AP World Languages and Cultures students must submit the Personalized Project Reference (PPR) by April 30, 2027, 11:59 p.m. ET. (previously New for 2027: AP World Languages and Cultures students must submit their Personalized Project Reference (PPR) as final through the AP Digital Portfolio by April 30, 2027.).^[6]

AP content outline and where to practise each area

The content areas below are copied from the official AP content outline published by College Board. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.

Worked examples: how to reason through AP questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: A liquid with a high vapor pressure at room temperature most likely has:

1. Weak intermolecular forces
2. Strong hydrogen bonding
3. High molar mass
4. Strong ion-dipole forces

Answer: A. Weak intermolecular forces

Explanation:

A is correct. Vapor pressure measures how easily molecules escape from a liquid into the gas above it. When the attractions between molecules are weak, less energy is needed to break free, so more molecules evaporate at room temperature and the vapor pressure is high.

B is wrong because strong hydrogen bonding holds molecules together, which lowers vapor pressure. C is wrong because a higher molar mass usually means stronger dispersion forces, which also lowers vapor pressure. D is wrong because ion-dipole forces are strong attractions that keep particles in the liquid.

Rule to remember: stronger intermolecular forces mean lower vapor pressure and a higher boiling point. Weaker forces mean higher vapor pressure and a lower boiling point.

Example 2

Question: Milgram's famous shock experiment required participants' obedience and demonstrated the existence of what psychological phenomenon?

1. The power of reinforcement
2. The power of authority
3. The power of peer pressure
4. The power of social learning

Answer: B. The power of authority

Explanation:

B is correct. In Milgram's study, an experimenter told participants to give what they believed were stronger and stronger electric shocks to another person. Many kept going when the experimenter insisted. This showed how readily people obey someone they see as a legitimate authority, even against their own conscience.

A is wrong because reinforcement means rewards or consequences that change how often a behavior happens, and obedience here was not driven by rewards. C is wrong because peer pressure comes from equals in a group, which is closer to Asch's conformity research. Here the pressure came from one authority figure. D is wrong because social learning means learning by watching others, as in Bandura's work.

Rule to remember: obedience is following direct orders from an authority. Conformity is matching a group.

Example 3

Question: The internal energy change ΔU equals which expression?

1. q + w
2. q − w
3. w − q
4. q × w

Answer: A. q + w

Explanation:

A is correct. The first law of thermodynamics says the change in a system's internal energy equals the heat added to it plus the work done on it: ΔU = q + w. In the convention AP Chemistry uses, q is positive when heat flows into the system. w is positive when the surroundings do work on the system, for example by compressing a gas.

B, q − w, is the form used when w means work done by the system. Many physics courses use that convention, but it does not match the one in this question. C flips the sign of heat, so adding heat would lower internal energy, which is backwards. D multiplies two energies, so the result is not even in units of energy.

Rule to remember: energy that goes into the system, as heat or as work done on it, is positive.

How to use these practice tests

Start with your AP coordinator. Confirm which exams you are taking and make sure they are ordered before November 13, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET. Then find your subject's date within May 3–7 and May 10–14, 2027 and plan your weeks back from that day.

Next, take one of our sets for your subject without notes. Write down every question you miss and why you missed it. Group the misses by topic and spend most of your study time on the weakest ones. Chemistry and Psychology have topic sets, such as APCE Electrochemistry and AP Psychology Memory Exam, so you can drill one unit at a time.

We wrote these questions for practice. They are not taken from real exams, so use them alongside official material. Your subject's College Board course page shows the exam format and sample free-response questions. If your exam is digital, practice in the Bluebook app so the testing tools feel familiar.

In the last weeks, mix topics in each session instead of drilling just one. Retake the sets where you missed questions, and time yourself on written answers.

Sources & last verified

1. College Board — exam fee (official source). “may be eligible for a $37 College Board fee reduction per AP Exam” Verified Oct 19, 2026 · source checked Oct 16, 2026.
2. College Board — validity, score release (official source). “They have been archived and can only be sent to a college, university, or scholarship program” Verified Oct 19, 2026 · source checked Oct 16, 2026.
3. College Board — delivery, next exam date (official source). “This is a fully digital exam.” Verified Oct 19, 2026 · source checked Oct 16, 2026.
4. apcentral.collegeboard.org — eligibility (official source). “will need to find a school where they can test” Verified Oct 19, 2026 · source checked Oct 16, 2026.
5. apcentral.collegeboard.org — registration deadline (official source). “November 13, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET: Final ordering deadline” Verified Oct 19, 2026.
6. College Board — testing window, other (official source). “The 2027 AP Exams will be administered in schools over two weeks in May: May 3–7 and May 10–14.” Verified Oct 19, 2026 · source checked Oct 16, 2026.
7. apcentral.collegeboard.org — next exam date (official source). “Late-Testing Schedule: May 17–21, 2027” Verified Oct 19, 2026 · source checked Oct 16, 2026.
8. apcentral.collegeboard.org — other (official source). “short fiction units 1 4 7” Verified Oct 20, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.