Taking AP Exams can be stressful, but if you know what to expect on test day, you can eliminate a lot of that anxiety. The AP Psychology exam is one of the more popular AP tests, and it has a pretty straightforward format and scoring system. In this article, I'll tell you what's on the AP Psychology test, how it's graded, and which prep methods you should use to get a great score.
How Is the AP Psychology Exam Structured?
The AP Psychology exam and course were significantly revamped in 2024. The test is now 40 minutes longer than it used to be, contains new types of free-response questions, and is fully digital. The AP Psych test consists of two sections: a multiple-choice section and a free-response section.
Overall, AP Psychology is one of the shorter AP exams, clocking in at just 2 hours and 40 minutes in total. The exam will take place on Friday, May 16, 2025, at 12:00pm.
Before we get into the details of each section, here's an overview of what AP Psych looks like:
| AP Psychology | Question Type | Time | # of Questions | % of Score |
| Section 1 | Multiple Choice | 90 mins | 75 | 67% |
| Section 2 | Free Response | 70 mins | 2 | 33% |
| TOTAL | — | 2 hrs 40 minutes | 77 | 100% |
Section 1: Multiple Choice
Here is a quick rundown of the multiple-choice section format:
- Number of Questions: 75
- Time: 90 minutes
- Scoring: Worth 2/3 of your final AP Psych score
All multiple-choice questions come with four possible answer choices. These questions will typically ask you to do the following, per the College Board:
- Apply psychological perspectives, theories, concepts, and research findings.
- Evaluate qualitative and quantitative research methods and study designs.
- Evaluate representations of psychological concepts depicted in quantitative research (tables, graphs, charts, and diagrams) and described in qualitative research.
Section 2: Free Response
Here is an overview of the free-response section on the AP Psychology test:
- Number of Questions: 2
- Time: 70 minutes
- Scoring: Worth 1/3 of your final AP Psych score
The first free-response question is an Article Analysis question (AAQ). For it, you'll be given one summarized, peer-reviewed source. You'll need to "identify research elements (methodology, variables, and ethical guidelines) and interpret basic statistics presented in the article." You'll also need to explain if the study can be generalized and how the article supports or refutes the will also be expected to explain whether psychological concept being explored in the study. You'll have 25 minutes, included a 10-minute reading period, to complete this question. You can earn up to seven points across six question parts:
- Research method
- Research variable
- Statistic interpretation
- Ethical guideline
- Generalizability of the study
- Argumentation and application
The second question is an Evidence-Based question (EBQ). For this question, you'll be given 3 summarized peer-reviewed sources on a common topic. After reviewing the sources, you'll need to propose a claim about the topic using evidence from the three sources and additional psychology knowledge to support your claim. You'll have 45 minutes to answer this question, including a 15-minute reading period.
You can earn up to 7 points across 3 question parts:- Provide a claim
- Provide 2 pieces of evidence from the sources to support the claim
- Provide reasoning to justify why the provided evidence supports the claim and apply related content from AP Psychology to help justify their response
Ah, May. The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping—and the rustle of freshly opened AP test booklets fills the air.
How Is the AP Psychology Exam Scored?
Now that you understand the structure of the AP Psychology exam, it's time to learn how your final AP score is calculated. As mentioned, the multiple-choice section is worth 67% of your final Psych score, while the free-response section is worth 33% of your score.
For multiple choice, scoring is relatively simple: you earn a point for every question you answer correctly. No points are deducted for incorrect answers or questions left blank; therefore, you can earn a maximum of 100 points on the multiple-choice section.
Free-response questions are reviewed by AP graders. You'll get a score out of 7 for each of the two questions. Each of these scores is then multiplied by 3.57 so that, together, they make up 1/3 of your total raw AP Psychology score.
Your raw score is then compared with the curve calculated by the College Board to see what score you'll get on the final 1-5 AP scale.
The following table offers estimated raw-to-AP-score conversions for the AP Psychology test. Keep in mind that each year the curve is slightly different, so this will give you a rough estimate of your score and not an exact prediction.
| Raw Composite Score | AP Score | % of Students Earning Each Score (2024) |
| 113-150 | 5 | 19.2% |
| 93-112 | 4 | 23.1% |
| 77-92 | 3 | 19.5% |
| 65-76 | 2 | 11.8% |
| 0-64 | 1 | 26.5% |
Source: The College Board
For example, let's say you got 55 questions right on the multiple-choice section and scored a 4 on one free-response question and a 5 on the other. This would add up to a raw score of around 87 because 55 + (4 * 3.57) + (5 * 3.57) = 87.13. Based on the chart above, this score would translate to 3 for your final AP score.
Topics and Example Questions on the AP Psychology Test
In this section, I'll give you some real-life examples of test questions so you can get a better idea of what the AP Psychology test is actually like.
As a preface to the questions, here are the five overarching topics you'll see on AP Psych. You should consult this list to make sure that you've fully reviewed the content for the test and are not missing anything important (especially in the most common topic areas).
| AP Psychology Unit | % of Exam Questions |
| Unit 1: Biological Bases of Behavior | 15-25% |
| Unit 2: Cognition | 15-25% |
| Unit 3: Development and Learning | 15-25% |
| Unit 4: Social Psychology and Personality | 15-25% |
| Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health | 15-25% |
Source: AP Psychology Course and Exam Description, 2024-2025
Multiple-Choice Question Example
Here is a sample question from the 2024-2025 AP Psychology Course and Exam Description:
To answer this question, you'll need to "evaluate the appropriate use of research design
elements in experimental methodology" (this is Skill 2.B in the AP Psychology Course Framework) and "understand how different encoding processes work to get information into memory" (this is Learning Objective 2.4.A).
An independent variable is the variable the researcher actively changes in an experiment, and the dependent variable is the variable that changes as a result. (If you need a refresher, we have an entire article explaining independent and dependent variables.) In this experiment, the independent variable is how students studied (either 30 minutes a day or one long session the night before the test), and the dependent variable--what changed as a result of the type of studying--was their word recall. Therefore, the correct answer is D.
"I ga ga, therefore I goo goo." Tom, please stop.
Free-Response Question Examples
The following free-response questions also come from the 2024-2025 AP Psych Course and Exam Description. You can find the included sources for both questions, as well as answer explanations, beginning on page 159 of the document.
Article Analysis Question
Evidence-Based Question
"Does free will exist, or am I just a made-up person who exists solely to provide context for a question on an exam taken by beings in an alternate universe?" Oh, Annabelle, save it for college.
How to Prep for the AP Psychology Exam: 6 Critical Tips
If you're aware of the AP Psych exam's structure and content, you can use specific prep methods to help you succeed on the test. Here are six tips guaranteed to give you a higher chance of earning a great AP Psych score.
#1: Take Practice Tests
The best way to prepare for standardized tests like AP Psychology is to take practice tests so that you have a good idea of where your weaknesses lie. Practice tests will also help you get used to the format of the test and the types of questions it asks.
The College Board offers practice free-response questions from previous years (up to 2021). You can also access three full-length official AP Psychology practice tests as free PDFs:
After you take a practice test or two, review your answers to see which content areas gave you the most trouble. Focus on going over the topics for which you had the highest concentration of incorrect answers.
#2: Make Use of AP Classroom
In 2019, the College Board released an online portal called AP Classroom, which connects students with their AP teachers. You can turn in homework on the portal, get feedback on your assignments, and receive access to official AP Psych study materials, including a question bank with real test questions. Your teacher will run the AP Classroom course page.
#3: Use the Topic Breakdown Information
For AP Psychology, we know exactly which topics will be covered and how frequently we can expect to see them on the test. This is valuable information you can use to your advantage when studying.
Specifically, spend more time reviewing unfamiliar topics that are especially common on the exam. It's better to know the ins and outs of a high-frequency topic super well than to have only a rudimentary knowledge of two low-frequency topics. Prioritize wisely!
A topic breakdown sounds almost like a topic breakdance! Am I relating to the youth yet?
#4: Learn to Budget Your Time Appropriately
This is something you can do in conjunction with taking practice tests. On the AP Psychology test, you only have about 70 seconds for each multiple-choice question. This means you have to be smart about skipping questions that are taking up too much of your time (and either going back to them later or picking a random letter—remember that there's no penalty for incorrect answers, so you should definitely fill in every single one!).
If you take a practice test and find that you're often running out of time, you might need to push yourself to work faster or move on from difficult questions more quickly.
#5: Go Over Important Terms
On the AP Psych exam, it's crucial for you to know the meanings of key terms related to the course. Questions often ask you to explain how a scenario relates to a certain psychological concept. But if you don't remember what the concept means, you won't be able to answer the question.
There are lots of confusing terms in AP Psychology, which is why it's so important that you take the time to compile them and go through them methodically when you study. This is especially true of terms you learned at the beginning of the school year, as they'll be less fresh in your mind when the time comes to take the test.
#6: Avoid Cramming
There's a lot to remember for AP Psychology, and you aren't going to be able to stuff it all in your brain in one night!
For courses like this that are memorization-heavy, it's best to get in the habit of studying as you go along and taking the time to review old material periodically. If you can gradually build up your knowledge throughout the school year and avoid completely forgetting what you learned at the beginning of class, the exam will feel much less stressful for you.
Every one or two months, do a comprehensive review of everything you've learned so far to refresh your memory. You might be surprised by how little you have to study for the AP Psych test at the end of the school year when everyone else is freaking out!
And remember, ladies, you're never too busy to throw on a little eye glitter between study sessions.
Recap: What to Know About the AP Psychology Test
The AP Psychology exam is a relatively short AP test. However, because it encompasses a variety of content areas, it's important to know all the key terms and psychological theories that are covered in the course.
In order to succeed on this test, you must be able to connect specific psychological terminology to a wide range of different scenarios.
Overall, AP Psychology is probably one of the easier AP exams, but that doesn't mean you should skip studying. Make sure you take official practice tests and are fully aware of the exam's format and content so you won't be caught off guard on test day!
What's Next?
Still not sure if AP Psychology is the right choice for you? Learn more about AP classes and tests to see whether it's worth it to take them. You can also dip your toe in the AP Psych pool with this article about Stockholm Syndrome (something you'll likely learn about in AP Psych).
What do AP scores mean for your future? Find out more about how AP credit works at colleges.
Trying to plan out your schedule? Read this article to get a better idea of how many AP classes you should take based on your college goals.
