If you've taken an AP exam recently or plan to take one soon, you're probably wondering: when do AP scores come out? Unfortunately, you have to wait a bit longer for AP scores than you do for SAT/ACT scores.
Keep reading to find out exactly when AP exam scores come out. In addition, learn where to find your AP scores and get tips on what you can do as you wait for them.
AP Score Release Dates for 2023
If you took your AP exams in May, you can expect your scores to be available in early to mid July, 2023.
Although College Board has not announced an exact date when scores will be released, they traditionally become available by the second week in July. Each student typically receives all their test scores at once, but score releases are usually rolled out over a few days. AP scores are generally released by rough geographic region. For example, in 2016 all the states on the east coast got their scores first, whereas those in the northwest got theirs last.
You can learn more about the 2023 score release schedule (and a bunch of useful score FAQs) at the College Board website.
How Do I Get My AP Scores?
AP scores are posted online on the AP student website. You'll be able to access them through your College Board account, so make sure you have your username and password on hand. You'll also need your AP number or the student ID number you used on your AP answer sheet.
AP scores are only available online—you won't get a letter or score report in the mail. (As recently as 2013, scores were only mailed and usually arrived in mid-July. You should be excited about the online score system since it's a bit faster!)
Why Does It Take So Long to Grade AP Tests?
While AP scores coming out online saves some time, why does it take the College Board two months to grade AP exams when you can get your SAT scores after just a few weeks?
The reason for this is that it takes a long time to grade free-response questions. Although the multiple-choice sections are graded by a computer, free responses aren't graded until the annual AP Reading conference in June. (Graders may again work from home this year due to the coronavirus.)
This event is basically a huge conference where thousands of high school teachers and college professors gather to grade all the free-response sections on AP tests. The AP Reading usually lasts about two weeks. Since it doesn't start until June (to accommodate teachers' and professors' class schedules), this makes the AP scoring process take longer.
Once the conference is done, the College Board must work quickly to combine the free-response scores with the multiple-choice scores; this process involves weighing and then scaling them to the final 1-5 scoring scale. Readers have just two weeks to do all of this before final AP scores are posted online in July.
Even though the entire scoring process takes two months, it's actually quite a feat for more than four million AP exams to be graded by real people every single year!
Still Waiting for AP Scores? What to Do in the Meantime
Since there's no way to see your AP scores before they're posted online, you'll have to be patient and find a way to occupy yourself in the meantime.
AP exams typically end in May (though they extended into June in 2020 and 2021), but because most school years last until late May or June, try to finish the school year strong. Your GPA is very important in college admissions, so use your time (now that the AP tests are over!) to maximize your grades, especially in your AP classes.
Additionally, since you'll likely be taking finals around this time, make sure to study hard for these so that you can walk away from the class with a grade you're proud of. Finals often count for a big percentage of your overall class grade, so don't put off studying for them!
If you're a freshman or sophomore, you might want to use this time to jumpstart your ACT or SAT prep. It might seem early, but the earlier in your career you begin studying for these tests, the more familiar you'll become with them (and the better you're likely to do).
If you're a junior, you've hopefully already taken the SAT/ACT at least once. However, if you haven't, definitely use the time after your AP test to study for one. If you've already taken the SAT/ACT but plan to retake the test, try to dive into your studies once you're done with AP tests.
If you're a senior, you'll likely have already gotten your college decisions by the time AP tests are done, so finish the year strong and enjoy graduation!
What to Do After You Get Your AP Scores
If you've passed your AP exams, start exploring the College Board's college database to see where you can get credit for your scores. You can also read about the College Board's score reporting service and begin thinking more about the college application process (if you're a junior).
It won't be too long until you'll be filling this out for the first time. Start researching your options now!
On the other hand, if you didn't pass an AP test, you might want to consider retaking the exam next year, especially if it's a course you want to get college credit for. Talk to your guidance counselor and/or AP teacher to discuss your options.
Finally, check back online in August to see if you qualified for any of the AP Student awards. These are basically awards you get if you earn a certain number of passing scores on the AP tests. If you win an award, it will be included on any score reports you send to colleges. Nice!
What's Next?
Above, we mentioned using your time after APs are over to jumpstart your SAT/ACT studying. Here are some of our best resources you can use:
- Develop an SAT/ACT studying timeline to maximize your score
- Learn key strategies to improve your scores on SAT Math, Reading, and Writing
- Hear about the most common ACT mistake and get tips on how to write a perfect essay
- Find practice tests for both the SAT and the ACT, for free online
- Use your dream schools to come up with a target SAT or target ACT score
Aiming for a perfect SAT/ACT score? Read our famous guides to scoring a perfect 1600 on the SAT and a perfect 36 on the ACT. Both were written by a full scorer!
