Future AP Statistics Revisions
We periodically update AP courses and exams to reflect new developments in their disciplines and more clearly communicate required content and skills.
We’re revising AP Statistics to align with expectations of current introductory college statistics courses. The practices and skills for the course focus on student understanding of the statistical problem-solving process and are aligned with American Statistical Association recommendations.
The earliest these revisions will launch is the 2026-27 school year (May 2027 exam).
What’s Going to Change?
Course Revisions
- Removing the second-year algebra prerequisite to allow students who possess sufficient mathematical maturity and quantitative reasoning ability to take the course earlier in their secondary school career.
- Adding topics on investigative questions.
- Removing the following topics: analyzing departures from linearity (2.9), combining random variables (4.9), the geometric distribution (4.12), chi-square goodness of fit test (8.2 and 8.3), and Unit 9: Inference for Quantitative Data: Slopes. These changes align the course with introductory college statistics courses and allow AP teachers to cover other topics in more detail.
- Consolidating Units 1–8 into 5 units.
Exam Revisions
Multiple-Choice Section
- Increasing the number of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) from 40 to 42.
- Decreasing answer choices per question from 5 to 4.
- Including 2 multiple-choice sets with 3 questions in each set. One set will focus on topics from Unit 2: Probability, Random Variables, and Probability Distributions, and the other set will focus on topics from Unit 5: Regression Analysis.
Free-Response Section
- Decreasing the number of free-response questions (FRQs) from 6 to 4.
- Increasing the number of points in each FRQ from 4 points to 10 points.
- Including 1 FRQ with the primary focus on assessing Practice 1: Formulate Questions and Practice 2: Collect Data.
- Including 1 FRQ with the primary focus on assessing Practice 3: Analyze Data and Practice 4: Interpret Results.
- Including 1 FRQ with a primary focus on assessing the inference skills associated with Practices 2, 3, and 4.
- Including 1 FRQ assessing Practices 2, 3, and 4 and multiple content areas from the course.
Learn More in the Course Framework
To preview the future course and exam in more detail, download the revised course framework (.pdf).
What to Expect
We’ll email AP Statistics teachers and update this page with more information and resources, including:
- A detailed preview of the launch timeline
- Professional development opportunities to help teachers get ready
- A revised course and exam description (CED)
- Robust instructional resources and AP Classroom updates aligned with the revisions
Send Us Your Questions
Contact us using this feedback form.
FAQ
Why are you revising AP Statistics?
We periodically update AP courses and exams to reflect new developments in their disciplines and more clearly communicate required content and skills.
We’re revising AP Statistics to align with expectations of current introductory college statistics courses. The practices and skills for the course focus on student understanding of the statistical problem-solving process and are aligned with American Statistical Association recommendations. We also removed the second-year algebra prerequisite for AP Statistics to provide opportunities for students who possess sufficient mathematical maturity and quantitative reasoning ability to take the course earlier in their secondary school career.
Do AP Statistics teachers need to prepare for these revisions for the 2025-26 school year?
No. These revisions won’t affect the 2025-26 school year. We’ll email AP Statistics teachers and update this page when we finalize the launch timeline.
When will the AP Statistics revisions launch?
The earliest these revisions will launch is the 2026-27 school year (May 2027 exam). We’ll email AP Statistics teachers and update this page when we finalize the launch timeline.
Will AP Statistics teachers need to resubmit in the AP Course Audit?
Yes. All new and returning AP Statistics teachers will need to complete the AP Course Audit the year that the revised course launches. We’ll email teachers and administrators with details after we finalize the launch timeline.
When will the revised AP Statistics CED be available?
The revised CED will be available in the spring before launch.
Will there be new AP Statistics practice exams?
Yes. At least one new practice exam will be available beginning in the summer before launch.
Will there be new AP Classroom resources for the revised AP Statistics course and exam?
Yes. We’ll update AP Classroom resources beginning in the summer before launch.
What professional learning opportunities will be available to help AP Statistics teachers prepare for the new content?
We’ll offer AP Summer Institutes and other professional learning opportunities for teachers closer to launch year.
Will the textbooks teachers currently use for AP Statistics work with the revised course?
Yes. Textbooks published in the last 10 years will adequately address the revised course material.
We will work with publishers to update their materials so that schools can purchase new textbooks if they wish.
Who was involved in the AP Statistics revisions?
Multiple committees consisting of high school teachers and higher education faculty were responsible for the revisions. We also gathered feedback on the revised framework from AP Statistics teachers and higher education faculty.
Did you consult colleges and universities about the AP Statistics revisions, and will they still have the same credit policies?
We consulted universities during the revision process and included many faculty members on the advisory board. We expect these revisions will preserve current credit and placement policies and create opportunities to broaden them.