Accommodations for AP Exams

Accommodations Request Deadline for 2024 AP Exams is January 18, 2024

AP Coordinator's Manual, Part 2

This page offers a summary to help you prepare for the 2024 AP Exams. Review the AP Coordinator’s Manual, Part 2 for complete information.

In addition to the AP Coordinator's Manual, Part 2, more information about administering AP Exams for students with approved accommodations is in the SSD Guidelines.

Students with documented disabilities may be eligible for accommodations on AP Exams, such as:

  • Braille exam format 
  • Assistive technology–compatible (ATC) exam format
  • Large-print exam format
  • Extended time
  • Extra breaks
  • Large-block answer sheets
  • Permission to use a computer for typing essays
  • Permission to use a magnification device (electronic or non-electronic)
  • A human reader to dictate questions
  • A writer/scribe to record responses
  • A written copy of oral instructions

To take an AP Exam with accommodations, a student must be approved for accommodations by the College Board Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office. Providing accommodations to students without College Board approval will result in cancellation of these students' scores. 


New: There are new guidelines regarding the Personalized Project Reference for students taking the AP Computer Science Principles Exam with certain accommodations, including braille, large-print, and screen readers. See the AP CSP FAQ for complete information.  

Requesting Accommodations

Most students work with the school's SSD coordinator to apply for accommodations before the AP Exam administration. The SSD coordinator requests and manages the accommodations through SSD online.

All requests for accommodations for this year's AP Exams and, when required, complete documentation must be submitted by the SSD coordinator through SSD Online by January 18, 2024.

To learn more about requesting accommodations and administering AP Exams with accommodations, visit College Board SSD.

There is a separate request process for a student who needs temporary assistance to complete an exam due to a temporary medical or physical condition (e.g., a broken hand). Details are in the AP Coordinator’s Manual, Part 2.

Ordering Exams for Students with Accommodations

At the beginning of the school year, work with your school's SSD coordinator to identify all students with approved or expected accommodations. When you order exams, you'll need to identify which students may require special AP Exam formats or materials.

In AP Registration and Ordering, you'll be able to indicate per student any special exam formats or materials needed. You'll also be able to view the status of accommodations requested for students, which will help to inform your exam order. It's still important to work with your school's SSD coordinator to account for students who will likely need accommodations but whose requests haven't yet been submitted or haven't yet been approved by College Board.

Important: Special format exam materials will be shipped only if the AP coordinator has indicated this in AP Registration and Ordering and submitted the information as part of the exam order. Exam materials don’t ship automatically based on accommodations approval—they must be indicated in the exam order. 

Some students may not have received approval from the College Board SSD office for testing accommodations by the November 15 final ordering deadline. However, you should still include these students in your exam order and indicate all approved or expected special exam formats or materials before submitting your exam order.

You'll be able to update an existing exam order for any students who receive accommodations approval after the November 15 final ordering deadline without incurring an additional fee. However, if you add a new exam order for a student after the November 15 final ordering deadline, an additional $40 per exam late order fee will be incurred.

After March 15, you'll be able to make a change in AP Registration and Ordering to a student's exam materials only if necessitated by a change in a student's accommodations approval that's received after March 15.

Important: Although you can indicate special materials for students with expected but not yet approved accommodations, a student must be approved for accommodations by the College Board SSD office in order to take an AP Exam with accommodations. 

For more information about ordering exams with accommodations, go to Students Testing with Accommodations.

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