Important Updates for AP Coordinators

Updates for 2026-27

2027 AP Exam Schedule

2027 AP Exams will be administered in schools over the first two full weeks of May: May 3–7 and May 10–14. The late-testing exam administration will be May 17– 21.  Review the complete schedule. 

2027 AP Exam Start Times

Beginning with the 2027 AP Exam administration, start times for AP Exams administered in some locations have changed to prevent the disclosure of secure exam content across time zones. For most schools, including all schools in the lower 48 United States, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C., exams still begin at 8 a.m. local time and 12 p.m. local time.

Learn more about AP Exam start time changes.

2026-27 Deadlines

Please make note of these important deadlines. For more information, see Key Dates and Deadlines. 

• Preferred ordering deadline: October 2, 2026
• Final ordering deadline: November 13, 2026
• SSD accommodations request deadline for AP: January 22, 2027
• Spring course orders and fall order changes deadline: March 12, 2027

New Courses Launching 

Find course and exam details for AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity, our two new AP Career Kickstart™ courses launching in the 2026-27 school year.

AP World Languages and Cultures

• Starting in May 2027, AP Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish Language and Culture will be delivered as fully digital AP Exams through the Bluebook digital testing application. 
• Students will complete the multiple-choice and free-response questions in Bluebook, with all responses automatically submitted at the end of the exam.
• For the speaking part of the exam, students will hear audio prompts and record their responses directly in Bluebook. 
• Students will need wired headsets with microphones. Learn more about headset requirements. 
• CD players, language labs, handheld digital recorders, the Digital Audio Capture (DAC) app, and the DAS portal will no longer be used.  
• For these subjects, students will complete a course project ahead of exam day and submit a Personalized Project Reference (PPR) through the AP Digital Portfolio by April 30. AP coordinators will need to print each student’s PPR before exam day for students to reference while completing their exam. Details about how AP coordinators access and print the PPRs will be in the 2026-27 AP Coordinator's Manual, Part 2.
• As with all digital AP Exams, AP coordinators and proctors will use Test Day Toolkit to prepare for and oversee testing.
• These courses have been revised for 2026-27 so students can use sources in the target language to prepare for authentic speaking tasks on exam day. The revisions also streamline and reorganize exam items to ensure a smooth digital exam-taking experience in Bluebook while maintaining the core tasks and objectives of each course. Learn more about the AP world language and culture revisions. 
• Learn more about administering AP world language and culture exams. 

AP Music Theory

• Starting in May 2027, AP Music Theory will be delivered as a hybrid digital AP Exam through Bluebook.
• Students will hear audio prompts and complete multiple-choice questions in Bluebook. In the free-response section, they will view their free-response questions and sight-singing melodies in paper exam booklets and handwrite their free-response answers in paper exam booklets. Students will sing and record their sight-singing free response in Bluebook. 
• Students will need wired headsets. Learn more about headset requirements. 
• CD players, language labs, handheld digital recorders, the Digital Audio Capture (DAC) app, and the DAS portal will no longer be used.  
• As with all digital AP Exams, AP coordinators and proctors will use Test Day Toolkit to prepare for and oversee testing.
• Learn more about administering the AP Music Theory Exam.

AP Spanish Literature and Culture

• Starting in May 2027, AP Spanish Literature and Culture will be delivered as a fully digital AP Exam through Bluebook.
• Students will complete the multiple-choice and free-response questions in Bluebook, with all responses automatically submitted at the end of the exam.
• Students will hear audio prompts in Bluebook. CD players will no longer be needed.
• Students will need wired headsets. Learn more about headset requirements.  

AP Statistics

• Starting in May 2027, the AP Statistics Exam will be delivered as a fully digital AP Exam through Bluebook.
• This exam will no longer be hybrid and won’t require free-response booklets. Students will complete the entire exam through Bluebook.  

AP Art and Design

Beginning with the 2027 AP Exam administration, the submission deadline time for AP Art and Design will be 11:59 p.m. ET rather than 8 p.m. ET. This aligns with the submission deadline time used for all other subjects with AP Digital Portfolio submission components. Learn more about AP Art and Design. 

2026-27 AP Registration and Ordering

• In the first week of August 2026, AP coordinators and principals will receive an email with their school's AP Registration and Ordering access code for the 2026-27 school year.
• AP coordinators will need this code to complete initial setup in AP Registration and Ordering. 
• This email will also include the link to download the 2026-27 AP Coordinator’s Manual, Part 1. 

Changes to Setup in AP Registration and Ordering

Starting in 2026-27, there are a few updates to the setup process in AP Registration and Ordering. Complete details are in the 2026-27 AP Coordinator’s Manual, Part 1.

• Instead of a separate AP Participation Form to be signed after setup, AP coordinators will see a new AP Exam Ordering and Administration Terms screen during setup, which they’ll read and accept on behalf of their school.
• There is a new screen where AP coordinators at eligible schools can enable access to BigFuture School and Connections^TM for AP students at their school. Learn more about BigFuture School and Connections. 

Unused/Canceled Exam Fees Update for Newly Launched Courses

Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, the AP Program will waive unused/canceled exam fees for a new AP course in the year the AP Program launches it. No action is required from AP coordinators. In subsequent years, unused/canceled exam fees will apply.

For 2026-27, this waiver applies to AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity. Learn more about AP Exam fees. 

2027 AP ID Label Sheets

Beginning with the 2027 AP Exam administration, students registered for hybrid digital or accommodated paper AP Exams will receive a separate AP ID label sheet for each exam they are taking. In previous years, a single AP ID label sheet included the labels for all of their registered exams.

AP ID label sheets will no longer include a student’s exam schedule. Additionally, AP coordinators will no longer select the sort order. All AP ID label sheets will be sorted alphabetically by student last name. More details about the updated AP ID label sheets will be in the 2026-27 AP Coordinator’s Manual, Part 2.

New AP Services Phone Number

To simplify calling AP Services, there is now a single phone number for educators and students. For the United States and Canada, call 866-630-9305. For international, call 1-212-713-8000.