How the numbers fit together
Before the individual terms, the single most useful mental model is this: AP scoring is a two-step process. First the exam produces raw scores — a multiple-choice count and free-response points. Second, those raw scores are weighted into one composite percentage, which is then mapped to a 1-5 through the subject's cutoff curve. Every other term on this page is a detail inside one of those two steps.
Composite % = (MCQ correct ÷ MCQ total × MCQ weight) + (FRQ points ÷ FRQ total × FRQ weight)Run that exact math with your own numbers on any subject calculator; the page shows the formula, the weights, and the cutoffs it uses.
The 1-5 scale
Each final score is a qualification level set by the College Board, identical in meaning on every exam:
| Score | Recommendation | Grade equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Extremely well qualified | A+ or A |
| 4 | Well qualified | A−, B+, or B |
| 3 | Qualified | B−, C+, or C |
| 2 | Possibly qualified | No standard equivalent |
| 1 | No recommendation | No standard equivalent |
Terms, defined
Composite score
the single percentage (0-100) that results from weighting your multiple-choice and free-response section scores together. It's the number the College Board converts into your final 1-5. how AP exams are scored.
Raw score
your unweighted count - how many multiple-choice questions you got right, and how many free-response points you earned before any weighting is applied. AP score percentages explained.
Section weighting
the fixed percentage each section counts for in your composite - 50/50 on most exams, 40/60 on AP history subjects, 67/33 on AP Psychology.
Cutoff (curve)
the minimum composite percentage that lands in a given score band. Cutoffs differ by subject and shift slightly each year through equating. the curve guide.
Equating
the process the College Board uses after the exam to compare difficulty across years and keep a 5 meaning the same level of achievement each year. the curve guide.
Pass rate
the share of test-takers scoring 3 or higher, computed from the distribution. the pass-rates page.
5-rate
the share of test-takers earning a 5. It ranges from about 8% (AP Physics 1) to about 50% (AP Chinese and AP Japanese) because of who takes each exam. the pass-rates page.
Mean score
the average 1-5 score across all test-takers, weighted by the full distribution. the pass-rates page.
MCQ / Section I
the multiple-choice section. On most exams it carries 40-67% of the composite; on digital exams it is delivered through the Bluebook app.
FRQ / Section II
the free-response section - essays, problems, or performance tasks. Questions are self-scored against a rubric by trained AP Readers.
AP Reader
a college professor or experienced AP teacher who scores free responses at the annual Reading. the scoring explainer.
Rubric
the point-by-point standard AP Readers use to grade free responses. Self-grading against the rubric is the key to honest practice-test scoring. the practice-test scoring guide.
DBQ
document-based question, the signature essay of AP history exams, worth about 25% of the score. the AP US History calculator.
LEQ
long essay question, a scored essay on AP history exams that asks you to develop an argument using your own evidence. the AP European History calculator.
SAQ
short answer question, brief responses used on AP history and government exams. the AP US Government calculator.
Score report
the official record of your scores that colleges and scholarship programs receive. You can choose which score groups to send and, in most cases, withhold individual scores. how to send AP scores.
Score send
having the College Board deliver your score report to a college. The first send is free if you use it before the June deadline; every report after that costs a fee. the sending guide.
Withholding
keeping a specific score off a report you send to a college, for a fee. Withheld scores still exist on your record and can be restored later. the cancel guide.
Cancellation
permanently removing a score so it can never be reported. Free but irreversible, and it must be requested through your school's AP coordinator by June 15. the cancel guide.
Score release
when scores post to your College Board account - typically starting early July in a state-by-state rollout. the release-dates guide.
Score band
one of the five 1-5 result levels, each with a College Board recommendation label. what is a good AP score.
Placement
the alternative to credit hours - skipping an intro course based on a high AP score without earning units. Common at selective private universities. the credit guide.
Articulation agreement
a formal arrangement - most common in public systems - that guarantees credit for certain AP scores at member colleges. AP credit by state.
Score choice
the rule (depending on the college) that lets you decide which AP scores a school sees. the cancel guide.
Blueprint
the study blueprint for each AP course - the official Course and Exam Description that lists the topics the exam can test.
Performance task
a scored component outside the exam itself - the AP CSP Create task, AP Seminar and AP Research projects, and AP Art portfolio pieces.
Score management terms
The terms above that trip students up most often are the logistics ones - cancellation, withholding, score choice, and the free score send. They have hard deadlines and small fees, and they are easy to get wrong. The cancellation guide and the sending guide walk through each one with the dates and costs; the one-page score logistics reference puts all the deadlines in a single table.
When you're ready to act on a term, the fastest path is always the same: find your subject's calculator, plug in your practice numbers, and see where the composite lands on the band chart.
AP Score Glossary: Scoring, Curve & Credit Terms, Defined - quick answers
What is the difference between a raw score and a composite score?
A raw score is your unweighted count - MCQ correct and FRQ points. A composite score is those raw numbers combined with each section's weight into one percentage (0-100), which the College Board converts to your final 1-5. Run the math on any subject calculator.
Do AP scores expire?
No. AP scores never expire and can be sent to colleges at any time, although archived records (older than a few years) cost more to retrieve. See the score logistics reference for the fees.
What is a passing AP score?
A 3 is the conventional passing threshold - about 60% of AP test-takers score 3 or higher. Whether a 3 earns credit depends entirely on the college's policy.
What does 'the curve' mean on an AP exam?
The curve is the subject's set of cutoff percentages that map composite scores to 1-5. It is set through equating so a 5 means the same achievement every year; it is not graded against other students.
Want a number, not just an explanation? Jump to your subject's score calculator and plug in your results.
Related reading
Quick calculators: AP Lang · APUSH · AP Calc AB · AP Biology