AP score distributions show what share of students earned each score from 1 to 5 on every AP exam. College Board released the 2026 figures as whole-number percentages on its score distributions page, and this page sets them beside the 2025 results so families can see which exams are hardest to score well on and which moved. For when scores reach students, see our AP score release dates.
What Are the 2026 AP Score Distributions?
The tables below give the share of students earning each score in May 2026, grouped by subject area, with the share scoring 3 or higher in 2026 and 2025.
Arts
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 or higher, 2026 | 3 or higher, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP 2-D Art and Design | 12% | 30% | 43% | 12% | 3% | 85% | 83.0% |
| AP 3-D Art and Design | 7% | 25% | 43% | 23% | 2% | 75% | 71.6% |
| AP Art History | 15% | 25% | 27% | 24% | 9% | 67% | 65.6% |
| AP Drawing | 16% | 31% | 36% | 14% | 3% | 83% | 84.2% |
| AP Music Theory | 18% | 17% | 24% | 26% | 15% | 59% | 60.5% |
English
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 or higher, 2026 | 3 or higher, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP English Language and Composition | 15% | 28% | 32% | 15% | 10% | 75% | 74.3% |
| AP English Literature and Composition | 16% | 26% | 31% | 16% | 11% | 73% | 74.2% |
History and Social Sciences
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 or higher, 2026 | 3 or higher, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP African American Studies | 20% | 30% | 27% | 17% | 6% | 77% | 79.2% |
| AP Comparative Government and Politics | 15% | 22% | 33% | 18% | 12% | 70% | 71.8% |
| AP European History | 16% | 33% | 25% | 18% | 8% | 74% | 72.6% |
| AP Human Geography | 19% | 26% | 21% | 24% | 10% | 66% | 64.7% |
| AP Macroeconomics | 19% | 22% | 25% | 20% | 14% | 66% | 67.3% |
| AP Microeconomics | 19% | 26% | 23% | 20% | 12% | 68% | 68.2% |
| AP Psychology | 15% | 35% | 24% | 18% | 8% | 74% | 70.5% |
| AP United States Government and Politics | 23% | 28% | 25% | 16% | 8% | 76% | 71.7% |
| AP United States History | 14% | 37% | 23% | 18% | 8% | 74% | 73.7% |
| AP World History: Modern | 14% | 36% | 16% | 26% | 8% | 66% | 64.3% |
Math and Computer Science
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 or higher, 2026 | 3 or higher, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Calculus AB | 20% | 28% | 17% | 24% | 11% | 65% | 64.2% |
| AP Calculus BC | 46% | 22% | 14% | 14% | 4% | 82% | 78.6% |
| AP Computer Science A | 25% | 26% | 15% | 11% | 23% | 66% | 67.2% |
| AP Computer Science Principles | 10% | 23% | 30% | 21% | 16% | 63% | 61.9% |
| AP Precalculus | 29% | 29% | 24% | 11% | 7% | 82% | 80.8% |
| AP Statistics | 17% | 23% | 22% | 17% | 21% | 62% | 60.3% |
Sciences
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 or higher, 2026 | 3 or higher, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Biology | 15% | 25% | 31% | 21% | 8% | 71% | 70.4% |
| AP Chemistry | 15% | 31% | 30% | 18% | 6% | 76% | 77.9% |
| AP Environmental Science | 13% | 29% | 27% | 15% | 16% | 69% | 69.2% |
| AP Physics 1 | 19% | 24% | 25% | 15% | 17% | 68% | 67.3% |
| AP Physics 2 | 20% | 29% | 23% | 21% | 7% | 72% | 72.6% |
| AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 24% | 24% | 27% | 17% | 8% | 75% | 72.9% |
| AP Physics C: Mechanics | 20% | 25% | 27% | 17% | 11% | 72% | 73.2% |
World Languages
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 or higher, 2026 | 3 or higher, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Chinese Language and Culture | 48% | 19% | 18% | 6% | 9% | 85% | 89.2% |
| AP French Language and Culture | 15% | 23% | 33% | 23% | 6% | 71% | 73.5% |
| AP German Language and Culture | 24% | 17% | 27% | 22% | 10% | 68% | 71.5% |
| AP Italian Language and Culture | 19% | 22% | 28% | 20% | 11% | 69% | 75.2% |
| AP Japanese Language and Culture | 47% | 10% | 15% | 7% | 21% | 72% | 74.7% |
| AP Latin | 20% | 29% | 24% | 17% | 10% | 73% | 58.6% |
| AP Spanish Language and Culture | 21% | 31% | 31% | 14% | 3% | 83% | 85.0% |
| AP Spanish Literature and Culture | 20% | 23% | 28% | 20% | 9% | 71% | 70.3% |
Capstone
| Exam | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 or higher, 2026 | 3 or higher, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Research | 17% | 31% | 42% | 8% | 2% | 90% | 88.5% |
| AP Seminar | 10% | 21% | 57% | 10% | 2% | 88% | 83.4% |
AP Chemistry is shown at 76% scoring 3 or higher, as on College Board’s AP Chemistry score page; the summary page lists 75%.
Which AP Exams Have the Highest Pass Rates?
Among exams scored mainly on a timed test, AP Chinese (85%), AP Spanish Language (83%), AP Calculus BC (82%), AP Precalculus (82%) and AP African American Studies (77%) had the highest shares scoring 3 or higher in 2026. The capstone courses rank higher still, with AP Research at 90% and AP Seminar at 88%, and the AP 2-D Art and Design portfolio matched AP Chinese at 85%. A high pass rate does not make an exam easy. AP Calculus BC and the language exams draw students who are already strong in the subject, many of them native or heritage speakers in the case of Chinese and Japanese.
Which AP Exams Have the Lowest Pass Rates?
The lowest shares scoring 3 or higher in 2026 were AP Music Theory (59%), AP Statistics (62%), AP Computer Science Principles (63%), AP Calculus AB (65%), and four exams at 66%: AP Human Geography, AP Macroeconomics, AP World History and AP Computer Science A. AP Statistics and AP Computer Science A also had the largest shares of 1s among large exams, 21% and 23%.
Which AP Exams Have the Most 5s?
AP Chinese (48%), AP Japanese (47%) and AP Calculus BC (46%) had by far the largest shares of 5s in 2026. Next came AP Precalculus (29%), AP Computer Science A (25%), AP German (24%), AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism (24%) and AP United States Government and Politics (23%). AP 3-D Art and Design (7%), AP Seminar (10%) and AP Computer Science Principles (10%) had the fewest 5s.
How Did 2026 AP Scores Compare With 2025?
Most exams moved by less than two points. The largest rise was AP Latin, from 58.6% scoring 3 or higher in 2025 to 73% in 2026, followed by AP Seminar (83.4% to 88%), AP United States Government and Politics (71.7% to 76%), AP Psychology (70.5% to 74%), and AP Calculus BC (78.6% to 82%) and AP 3-D Art and Design (71.6% to 75%), each up 3.4 points. The largest falls were in world languages: AP Italian (75.2% to 69%), AP Chinese (89.2% to 85%) and AP German (71.5% to 68%). College Board had published no subject-level explanation for the 2026 changes when this page was written.
Why Have AP Score Distributions Changed in Recent Years?
College Board adopted Evidence Based Standard Setting in 2022 (College Board). Under it, the AP Program draws on input from hundreds of college and university faculty and verifies each subject’s standards every 5 to 10 years, and higher education faculty “generally support AP grade distributions” in which 60% to 80% of AP students earn a 3 or higher (AP score setting). The research looks at how AP students who use their credit to place out of introductory college courses perform, and the results can support a larger share of students receiving credit-qualifying scores, confirm the existing standards, or reduce the share receiving particular scores (College Board help center).
AP English Language shows the effect. Its share scoring 3 or higher was 54.6% in 2024 and 74.3% in 2025, after new standards were applied (College Board); College Board’s 2025 findings compared it with 83% of college students earning a C or higher in the equivalent course (key findings). Psychology, the four physics exams, Human Geography and Environmental Science received new standards in 2025 as well (College Board).
What Does Each AP Score Mean?
- 5: extremely well qualified, equivalent to a college A+ or A.
- 4: very well qualified, equivalent to an A-, B+ or B.
- 3: qualified, equivalent to a B-, C+ or C.
- 2: possibly qualified.
- 1: no recommendation.
A 3 is the usual minimum for college credit or placement, but each college sets its own policy. Yale grants acceleration credit only for 4s or 5s, depending on the subject (Yale College); Princeton uses AP scores for placement and some requirements (Princeton) and has discontinued advanced standing for the Class of 2029 and later (Princeton); and Michigan lists credit by subject and score (University of Michigan).
How Many Students Take AP Exams?
In 2025, 3,243,979 students took 6,182,171 AP exams (AP Program Summary Report 2025). College Board had not published 2026 totals when this page was written. Among US public high school graduates in the class of 2025, more than 1.3 million took over 4.8 million AP exams during high school, and 24.8% scored 3 or higher on at least one (College Board newsroom).
How Much Do AP Scores Matter in College Admissions?
Less than the courses themselves. In NACAC’s most recent survey of colleges, 76.8% rated grades in college preparatory courses as of considerable importance, 63.8% rated strength of curriculum, and 1.1% rated AP and IB exam scores (NACAC). Colleges see the AP courses on the transcript at application time, while May scores of seniors arrive after decisions. Oriel Admissions advises students applying to selective colleges to report 4s and 5s and to leave lower scores off the application where the college allows self-reporting. For the course load itself, see course rigor in college admissions and the best AP courses for junior year.
Frequently Asked Questions About AP Score Distributions
It depends on the exam. In 2026, 46% of AP Calculus BC students earned a 5, against 15% in AP English Language, 14% in AP United States History and 15% in AP Biology. AP Chinese (48%) and AP Japanese (47%) had the highest shares.
By the share scoring 3 or higher in 2026, AP Music Theory (59%), AP Statistics (62%) and AP Computer Science Principles (63%) had the lowest pass rates, followed by AP Calculus AB at 65%.
Among exams scored mainly on a timed test, AP Chinese (85%), AP Spanish Language (83%), AP Calculus BC (82%) and AP Precalculus (82%) had the highest shares scoring 3 or higher in 2026. AP Research (90%) and AP Seminar (88%) were higher still.
A 3 means qualified and is the usual minimum for credit, but many selective colleges award credit only for a 4 or 5. For admission to selective colleges, Oriel Admissions treats 4s and 5s as the scores worth reporting.
College Board adopted Evidence Based Standard Setting in 2022, and new standards have since been applied in several subjects. AP English Language rose from 54.6% scoring 3 or higher in 2024 to 74.3% in 2025 after its new standards.
In 2025, 3,243,979 students took 6,182,171 AP exams. College Board had not published 2026 totals as of October 2026.
Colleges see the scores a student self-reports and any official score report the student sends. An official AP score report includes every AP score the student has received unless the student withholds or cancels a score. Many colleges accept self-reported scores during admission and require an official score report only after enrollment, for credit.
College Board releases AP scores in July. It had listed July 2027 for the May 2027 exams without naming a day.
Sources: College Board, 2026 AP Score Distributions, College Board, AP Score Distributions by Subject 2025, College Board, AP Program Summary Report 2025, College Board, AP score setting and scoring, College Board, implementation of EBSS, College Board, AP English Language key EBSS findings, College Board help center, College Board newsroom, NACAC, factors in the admission decision, Yale acceleration credit, Princeton AP placement, University of Michigan AP credit, Princeton advanced standing, College Board AP Chemistry score distribution, College Board AP English Language score distribution, College Board key EBSS findings, AP Psychology, College Board score report help
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a Princeton-based college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy. Our team brings deep expertise across every dimension of the application, and our distinctive 360 approach develops strategy, positioning, activities, essays, and interviews as one coherent whole. To discuss your family’s admissions strategy, schedule a consultation.
