AP Exams: How Are They Administered?
Like last year, most 2026 AP Exams will be delivered digitally (fully digital or hybrid digital) through Bluebook. The remaining AP Exams will be administered through other modes of testing.
Digital AP Exams in Bluebook
Students take digital AP Exams through the Bluebook testing application. AP coordinators and proctors use Test Day Toolkit to prepare for testing and administer exams. See Bluebook and Test Day Toolkit Overview to learn more.
Fully Digital AP Exams
Students complete multiple-choice and free-response questions in Bluebook, with all responses automatically submitted at the end of the exam.
- AP African American Studies
- AP Art History
- AP Comparative Government and Politics
- AP Computer Science A
- AP Computer Science Principles*
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP English Literature and Composition
- AP Environmental Science
- AP European History
- AP Human Geography
- AP Latin
- AP Psychology
- AP Seminar*
- AP United States Government and Politics
- AP United States History
- AP World History: Modern
*For AP Computer Science Principles and AP Seminar, students complete a fully digital end-of-course exam in Bluebook and submit performance tasks through the AP Digital Portfolio for scoring.
Hybrid Digital AP Exams
Students complete multiple-choice questions and view free-response questions in Bluebook. They handwrite their free-response answers in paper exam booklets that are returned to the AP Program for scoring. See Hybrid Digital AP Exams to learn more.
- AP Biology
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Calculus BC
- AP Chemistry
- AP Macroeconomics
- AP Microeconomics
- AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
- AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based
- AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
- AP Physics C: Mechanics
- AP Precalculus
- AP Statistics
AP Exams Not Delivered Through Bluebook
The following AP Exams aren’t delivered through Bluebook. They have either audio components or consist solely of portfolio assessments. For more information about how each exam is administered, see Subject-Specific Information for AP Exams.
- Art and Design (AP 2-D Art and Design, AP 3-D Art and Design, and AP Drawing): Students submit all work (3 portfolio components) for scoring through the AP Digital Portfolio.
- AP Chinese and AP Japanese Language and Culture: These exams are administered on school-owned and -controlled devices through a separate exam application.
- AP French, German, Italian, and Spanish Language and Culture: Students complete the multiple-choice and written free-response sections in paper exam booklets and record spoken free responses on a device supplied by the testing school. These exams require special equipment and materials.
- AP Music Theory: Students complete the multiple-choice and written free-response sections in paper exam booklets and record sight-singing free responses on a device supplied by the testing school. These exams require special equipment and materials.
- AP Research: There’s no end-of-course written exam for AP Research. Students are assessed on performance tasks based on a yearlong research project: an academic paper (submitted for scoring through the AP Digital Portfolio), a presentation, and an oral defense of research.
- AP Spanish Literature and Culture: Students complete the multiple-choice and free-response sections in paper exam booklets. These exams require special equipment and materials.