Important Updates
Support for Students and Schools Impacted by Coronavirus
In response to school closures due to COVID-19, we’ve made changes to the AP Research assessment. Note that these changes may not be reflected on all AP Central pages. Get details and the latest updates at Taking Online AP Exams.
New AP Resources
We've introduced a new assessment registration platform for students. They’ll need to complete a simple, five-minute digital activation at the beginning of the school year in order to submit an academic paper.
2019 Score Reports Now Available
Access 2019 AP score reports.
Note: The following information and resources are for AP Research teachers at participating AP Capstone™ schools. In order to offer AP Research, schools must apply through the AP Program to participate in AP Capstone, and they must first offer AP Seminar. In addition, teachers attend mandatory training. For more information, visit the AP Capstone Diploma program page.
Assessment Overview
In AP Research, students are assessed on the academic paper and presentation and oral defense of research. The academic paper is 4,000–5,000 words, and the presentation and defense take approximately 15–20 minutes.
Encourage your students to visit the AP Research student page for assessment information and practice.
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- TUE, MAY 26, 2020, 11:59 PM ET
Deadline to Submit AP Research Performance Tasks
Assessment Format
The AP Research assessment will continue to have consistent weighting and scoring guidelines every year, so you and your students know what to expect.
| AP Research Through-Course Performance Task—100% of AP Research Score | ||
|---|---|---|
| Component | Scoring Method | Weight |
| Academic Paper (4,000–5,000 words) | College Board scored | 75% |
| Presentation and Oral Defense (15–20 minutes total for both the presentation and 3–4 questions from a panel of 3 evaluators that follows). | Teacher scored | 25% |
Assessment Questions and Scoring Information
For sample AP Research academic papers, see the link below.
Be sure to review the Chief Reader Report. In this invaluable resource, the chief reader of the AP Exam compiles feedback from members of the AP Reading leadership to explain how students performed on the through-course performance tasks, summarize typical student errors, and address specific concepts and content with which students have struggled the most that year.
| Performance Task Overview | Scoring | Samples and Commentary | Score Distributions |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Academic Paper Presentation |
Scoring Guidelines - Academic Paper |
Scoring Distribution |