What Is AP (Advanced Placement)?
Advanced Placement (AP) is a special program offered to high school students in the United States. It gives students the chance to take college-level courses. AP courses usually cover fields such as English, math, science, social studies, foreign languages, and the arts. These courses can be more intense and demanding than standard high school classes. That is because they aim to build skills like analytical thinking, critical reading, writing, and problem solving.
Students who score high on the exams given within the Advanced Placement program may earn the right to enroll at these schools. They may also have those courses counted for credit. The AP program helps students strengthen their academic preparation before college. Advanced Placement began in the United States and has spread quickly around the world. Today, the program serves as a mark of credibility with universities worldwide for students who join and complete it successfully. Recognized by many universities around the world, the Advanced Placement program is valid in more than 100 countries.
For detailed information about AP (Advanced Placement), you can read our AP program article.
2024 AP Exam Dates
AP exams are held once a year, usually in May, at authorized schools and test centers. Schools that offer the Advanced Placement program can give these exams to their own students and to outside students. Schools that do not give AP exams can direct their students to another AP test center. Also:
- The Advanced Placement Program includes a total of 38 different courses across 7 different subject areas.
- Each course is designed on the model of a comparable college course in that subject.
- Each course is assessed with an Advanced Placement Exam. These exams are standardized tests that measure students' knowledge and skills in the subject.
You can find the 2024 AP exam dates below:
2024 AP Exam Dates (Week 1)
May 6, 2024
- United States Government and Politics
- Art History
- Chemistry
May 7, 2024
- Human Geography
- Microeconomics
- Seminar
- Statistics
May 8, 2024
- English Literature and Composition
- Comparative Government and Politics
- Computer Science A
May 9, 2024
- Chinese Language and Culture
- Environmental Science
- Psychology
May 10, 2024
- European History
- United States History
- Macroeconomics
- Spanish Literature and Culture
2024 AP Exam Dates (Week 2)
May 13, 2024
- Calculus AB
- Precalculus
- Italian Language and Culture
- Calculus BC
May 14, 2024
- English Language and Composition
- African American Studies
- Physics C: Mechanics
- Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
May 15, 2024
- French Language and Culture
- World History: Modern
- Computer Science Principles
- Music Theory
May 16, 2024
- Spanish Language and Culture
- Biology
- Japanese Language and Culture
May 17, 2024
- German Language and Culture
- Physics 1: Algebra-Based
- Latin
- Physics 2: Algebra-Based
AP Exam Fees
AP exam fees can change from year to year. So anyone planning to register should check the official website for the latest information. The AP exam fees announced for 2024 are as follows:
- AP exam fee (except AP Seminar and AP Research) for students testing outside the US: $128
- AP Seminar and AP Research exam fee: $146
- Late registration fee for registrations made between November 16 and March 15: $40 for each exam, in addition to the standard exam fee
- Fee for unused/canceled exams: $40 for each exam
