The Exam
Put your knowledge to the test: The AP Calculus AB Exam assesses your mastery of Calculus AB concepts and techniques. It also gives you the chance to earn college credit while in high school.
About the Exam
The AP Calculus AB Exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes. The 105-minute, 45-question multiple-choice section tests your proficiency on a wide variety of topics. The 90-minute, six-problem free-response section gives you the chance to demonstrate your ability to solve problems using an extended chain of reasoning.
Section I: Multiple-Choice
The multiple-choice section of the exam has two parts. For Part A, you'll have 55 minutes to complete 28 questions without a calculator. For Part B, you'll have 50 minutes to answer 17 questions using a graphing calculator. For more information, see the calculator policy for the AP Calculus Exams.
Unlike other multiple-choice tests, random guessing can hurt your final score. While you don't lose anything for leaving a question blank, one quarter of a point is subtracted for each incorrect answer on the test. But if you have some knowledge of the question and can eliminate one or more answers, it's usually to your advantage to choose what you believe is the best answer from the remaining choices.
Section II: Free-Response
The free-response section tests your ability to solve problems using an extended chain of reasoning. You'll have 45 minutes for each of the two parts of the free-response section. In Part A, you'll answer three questions using a graphing calculator. In Part B, you'll answer three questions without a calculator. During the second timed portion of the free-response section (Part B), you are permitted to continue work on problems in Part A, but you are not permitted to use a calculator during this time. For more information, see the calculator policy for the AP Calculus Exams.
For more information, refer to the general instructions for Calculus AB/BC: Section II. (.pdf/173K)
Scoring the Exam
The multiple-choice and free-response sections each account for one-half of your final exam grade. Since the exams are designed for full coverage of the subject matter, it is not expected that all students will be able to answer all the questions.
