Important Updates
2021 Exam Information
Updated April 8 Students can now download the digital testing application and take digital practice to prepare them for the testing experience. See below for more information on digital practice and taking the digital exam.
AP Psychology Exams will be offered on paper in early May and as a digital exam in late May and early June.
The paper and the digital versions of the AP Psychology Exam will be full length, containing the typical multiple-choice and free-response sections and covering the full scope of course content, giving students the opportunity to qualify for college credit and placement.
There are differences between the paper and digital versions of some 2021 AP Exams, and those variations differ by course. The information below applies to AP Psychology only. View a summary of all 2021 AP Exam formats.
Learn more about 2021 testing.
AP Daily and AP Classroom
Short, searchable AP Daily videos can be assigned alongside topic questions to help you cover all course content, skills, and task models, and check student understanding. Unlock personal progress checks so students can demonstrate their knowledge and skills unit by unit and use the progress dashboard to highlight progress and additional areas for support. As the exam approaches, assign AP practice exams in the AP Classroom question bank and encourage students to take advantage of AP Daily: Live Review sessions April 19–29.
Exam Overview
Exam questions assess the course concepts and skills outlined in the course framework. For more information, download the AP Psychology Course and Exam Description (CED).
Encourage your students to visit the AP Psychology student page for exam information.
Digital Practice and Testing Information
Updated April 8
Digital Practice Now Available
Starting April 8, students can try out the test-day experience by answering example questions in the digital testing application. See the Digital Practice page for general information about practice options.
AP Psychology students will have two options to answer example questions in the digital testing application. Both provide approximately the same time limit per question as the full exam.
- Digital Practice has a shortened multiple-choice section (15 questions, 10 minutes), a shortened break of 5 minutes, and a full-length free-response section (2 questions, 50 minutes).
- The App Demo is an even shorter subset of the questions in Digital Practice–5 multiple-choice questions, a 2-minute break, and 1 free-response question.
We highly recommend all students take the Digital Practice, and strongly advise that if they can’t take the Digital Practice, they at least take the App Demo. Both can be taken multiple times, and can be accessed directly in the digital testing application. Students can access their answers and solution materials (MCQ answer key, FRQ scoring guidelines) for the Digital Practice. Note: Taking the App Demo after completing Digital Practice may override student answers from Digital Practice. Teachers can also access digital practice from the teacher dashboard, available in beginning April 22.
Taking the Digital Exam
Students should be aware of some aspects of testing digitally that they’ll encounter—in the Digital Practice and on exam day:
- As a reminder:
- Students will answer all multiple-choice questions and type all free-response answers directly in the digital exam application. Scratch paper is permitted for notes or planning, but students cannot handwrite or otherwise upload responses.
- Students cannot go back to questions they’ve already answered and cannot skip ahead.
- Exam directions and section-specific directions will not be read by a proctor–they’ll appear entirely in the application. Students will see them at the beginning of each section, and can access them at any time during the exam. Please note that the exam timer starts when the directions appear. While students should read the directions, they should be aware that the timer will be running while they do so. Teachers and students can view the full text of the exam and section directions in advance of the exam.
More information about taking digital exams is available in the Digital Testing Guide.
Digital Exam Readiness Dashboard
Beginning April 22, AP teachers and AP coordinators will have access to a new digital exam readiness dashboard. Teachers and coordinators will access the dashboard from their personalized AP login page (after signing in through AP Central or through myap.collegeboard.org). The dashboard can be used to monitor students’ progress in taking the steps necessary before and on exam day exam. See details in the “Preparing for Digital AP Exams” section of the AP Digital Testing Guide.
Exam Dates
-
- TUE, MAY 11, 2021, 12 PM LOCAL
AP Psychology Exam—Administration 1
-
- THU, MAY 20, 2021, 4 PM EDT
AP Psychology Exam—Administration 2
-
- THU, JUN 3, 2021, 4 PM EDT
AP Psychology Exam—Administration 3
Exam Format
The AP Psychology Exam has consistent question types, weighting, and scoring guidelines every year, so you and your students know what to expect on exam day.
Note on 2021 exams: Both the paper and digital versions of the AP Psychology Exam will be full length, containing the typical multiple-choice and free-response sections, and cover the full range of skills and knowledge specified in the course and exam description.
There are differences between the paper and digital versions of some 2021 AP Exams, and those variations differ by course. The information below applies to AP Psychology only. View a summary of all 2021 AP Exam formats.
Section I: Multiple Choice
100 Questions | 1 Hour 10 minutes | 66.7% of Exam Score
- Questions will ask students to do the following:
- Define and explain content from a range of course topics
- Apply skills of concept application, data analysis, and scientific investigation
Section II: Free Response
2 Questions | 50 minutes | 33.3% of Exam Score
- Questions will ask students to do the following:
- Explain behavior and apply theories using concepts from different theoretical frameworks or subdomains in the field
- Analyze psychological research studies, including analyzing and interpreting quantitative data
Exam Questions and Scoring Information
| Questions |
|---|