AP Psychology Revisions for 2024-25
In 2022, the American Psychological Association (APA) released recommendations for introductory psychology course content and skills. To align with these recommendations and with how college and university instructors in the U.S. teach introductory psychology, we’ve revised the AP Psychology course and exam.
The revisions take effect with the 2024-25 school year (May 2025 exam).
What’s Changing?
Course Revisions
We’ve updated the course framework to simplify the course structure and clarify key terms. Visit Course Revisions for details.
Exam Revisions
We’ve also revised the exam design to assess a wider range of skills in more authentic ways. Visit Exam Revisions for details.
Subject Area Update
To allow for more flexibility and opportunities for college credit, we now list AP Psychology as a science course in addition to a social science course.
Colleges and high schools have long classified psychology as a social science or social studies course, and APA now recommends offering psychology as a science course. Teacher licensure should allow for both subject areas.
Teacher Resources
We recognize this revision is coming relatively close to the start of the fall semester and understand that you may be concerned about preparation time.
To support teacher planning and student learning, free resources will be added to AP Classroom on a rolling basis, starting in July:
- Hundreds of topic questions and progress checks
- Updated AP Daily videos
- Comprehensive question bank
What to Expect
- March 2024: The AP Course Audit opens for 2024-25. Learn how to reauthorize your course.
- June 2024: AP Summer Institutes (APSIs) will begin training teachers on the revised course and exam description (CED).
- July 2024: We’ll start updating AP Classroom with new progress checks, topic questions, AP Daily videos, and an updated question bank.
- Fall 2024: AP Psychology teachers will start implementing the revised course framework in their classrooms.
- May 2025: Students will take AP Psychology Exams that align with the revised course framework.
Send Us Your Questions
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FAQ
Why did College Board revise AP Psychology?
The American Psychological Association (APA) recently updated its standards for Introductory Psychology. The revised AP Psychology Course and Exam Description (CED) aligns to the new APA standards.
Will AP Psychology teachers need to resubmit in the AP Course Audit?
Yes. All new and returning AP Psychology teachers will need to complete an AP Course Audit form attestation in 2024-25. They can select one of these three submission options:
- Adopt a sample syllabus or unit guide
- Claim an identical syllabus to a colleague who has been authorized for the 2024-25 school year
- Submit a new or revised course document
For teachers selecting the third option: The original course document should only outline how the course fulfills the curricular requirements and does not need to be the full syllabus used in the classroom. Teachers should not submit syllabi that include classroom management policies.
Information about AP Course Audit requirements, updated sample syllabi, and an updated syllabus development guide are available on the AP Psychology Course Audit page on this site.
Why are these changes being announced now?
The updated course framework and exam have been in development since the APA’s recommendations were released. The AP Psychology Development Committee’s top priorities were ensuring that key stakeholder groups could provide input and that AP Psychology is strongly aligned with expectations from the discipline and college and university practices.
We recognize these revisions are being announced relatively close to the start of the 2024-25 academic year, and we will provide ample resources to assist teachers as they prepare for the revised course and exam.
Will there be new AP Classroom resources for the revised course and exam?
Yes. AP Classroom resources will be updated for the 2024-25 school year, including AP Daily videos, progress checks, topic questions, and an updated question bank.
Most resources will be available on July 1, 2024, when AP Classroom updates to the next school year. Additional resources will be released on a rolling basis throughout the school year.
How will AP Classroom align the existing question bank items with the revised content?
We’re evaluating and revising current question bank items as needed to align them to the revised course and exam. We’re also developing new question bank items to give students opportunities for formative assessment and retrieval practice for each topic in the course and the types of questions that will appear on the AP Psychology Exam.
What will happen to the questions and quizzes that teachers created in AP Classroom?
Questions and quizzes authored by teachers will stay in AP Classroom. We’ll contact teachers in the coming months with more information about how to retag their questions and quizzes to the new framework.
What professional development opportunities will be available to help teachers prepare for the new content?
AP Summer Institutes and other opportunities for learning and collaboration will be available to teachers to help prepare them for the revised course.
Will the textbooks we currently use for AP Psychology work with the revised course?
Yes. Current textbooks adequately address the material needed for the revised course.
Textbook requirements have not changed: students should have access to a college-level introductory psychology textbook that has been published in the last 10 years.
We’ve informed publishers of the changes. They’re working to update their materials to align with the revised course so that schools wishing to purchase textbooks aligned to the changes can do so.
Who was involved in the revisions?
As with all AP courses, a development committee of experienced educators and college faculty was responsible for revising AP Psychology. The AP Psychology Development Committee also worked with high school teachers and higher education faculty reviewers and consultants.
Were universities consulted during the revision process, and will they still have the same credit policies?
Universities were consulted during the revision process, and many faculty members were included on the development committee. Almost 100 college and university faculty participated in a symposium where they shared input on the framework and exam design. We expect these revisions will preserve current credit and placement policies and create opportunities to broaden them.