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AP score distributions 2026

In May 2026, the share of students scoring 3 or higher ranged from 59% in Music Theory to 90% in AP Research. Across all exams, pass rates climbed from 60% in 2022 to 71% in 2025, mostly because College Board changed how it sets score cutoffs.

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By , founder of Ashore · Updated · Sources at the bottom of the page

  • 71%

    of all AP exams scored 3 or higher in 2025, up from 60% in 2022

  • 18%

    scored a 5 in 2025, up from 15% in 2022

  • 22 of 40

    exams had a higher pass rate in 2026 than in 2025

Pass rates ranged from 59% to 90% in 2026

Each bar is one exam. Scores of 3 and up extend right of the line, 1s and 2s extend left, so the exams where many students struggle stand out.

Share of students at each score, May 2026, sorted by pass rate

Hover or tap a row for exact numbers.

  • Scored 5
  • Scored 4
  • Scored 3
  • Scored 2
  • Scored 1
  1. AP Research
    90%
  2. AP Seminar
    88%
  3. 2-D Art and Design
    85%
  4. Chinese Language
    85%
  5. Drawing
    83%
  6. Spanish Language
    83%
  7. Calculus BC
    82%
  8. Precalculus
    82%
  9. African American Studies
    77%
  10. US Government and Politics
    76%
  11. 3-D Art and Design
    75%
  12. Chemistry
    75%
  13. English Language
    75%
  14. Physics C: E&M
    75%
  15. European History
    74%
  16. Psychology
    74%
  17. US History
    74%
  18. English Literature
    73%
  19. Latin
    73%
  20. Japanese Language
    72%
  21. Physics 2
    72%
  22. Physics C: Mechanics
    72%
  23. Biology
    71%
  24. French Language
    71%
  25. Spanish Literature
    71%
  26. Comparative Gov. and Politics
    70%
  27. Environmental Science
    69%
  28. Italian Language
    69%
  29. German Language
    68%
  30. Microeconomics
    68%
  31. Physics 1
    68%
  32. Art History
    67%
  33. Computer Science A
    66%
  34. Human Geography
    66%
  35. Macroeconomics
    66%
  36. World History
    66%
  37. Calculus AB
    65%
  38. Computer Science Principles
    63%
  39. Statistics
    62%
  40. Music Theory
    59%

Note: College Board rounds each score's share to the nearest whole percent, so a bar can differ from its 3+ figure by a point. World language results include students who speak the language at home.

Source: College Board, AP score distributions 2026.

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Most exams stayed within 3 points of 2025

9 exams moved 3 points or more. Latin had the biggest swing.

Exams whose pass rate changed by 3 points or more, 2025 to 2026

  • 2025
  • 2026
  1. Latin
    +14.4
  2. AP Seminar
    +4.6
  3. US Government and Politics
    +4.3
  4. Psychology
    +3.5
  5. 3-D Art and Design
    +3.4
  6. Calculus BC
    +3.4
  7. German Language
    −3.5
  8. Chinese Language
    −4.2
  9. Italian Language
    −6.2

Note: Change in percentage points. College Board reports 2026 shares as whole numbers and 2025 shares to one decimal.

Source: College Board, 2025 score distributions; College Board, AP score distributions 2026.

Pass rates jumped when College Board reset its cutoffs

Since 2022, College Board has been moving exams to a new way of setting the score cutoffs, which it calls evidence-based standard setting. It compares AP results with how college students do in the matching course, and it started with exams it had recently redesigned. US History and US Government each rose about 24 points in 2024, the year their new cutoffs took effect, and English Language rose about 20 points in 2025. College Board says a 3 now matches what a student who earns a C or better in the college course knows. Some researchers argue it makes scores harder to compare across years.

Share scoring 3 or higher, 2022 to 2026: all exams and the 10 largest

The 10 exams with the most students in 2025. Gray line in each panel: all AP exams.

  • This exam
  • All AP exams

All AP exams

71% in 2025 · +11 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 60.2% scored 3 or higher2023: 61.8% scored 3 or higher2024: 66.6% scored 3 or higher2025: 71.4% scored 3 or higher

English Language

75% in 2026 · +19 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 55.7% scored 3 or higher2023: 56.1% scored 3 or higher2024: 54.6% scored 3 or higher2025: 74.3% scored 3 or higher2026: 75% scored 3 or higher

US History

74% in 2026 · +26 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 48.2% scored 3 or higher2023: 47.5% scored 3 or higher2024: 72.2% scored 3 or higher2025: 73.7% scored 3 or higher2026: 74% scored 3 or higher

English Literature

73% in 2026 · −5 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 77.9% scored 3 or higher2023: 77.2% scored 3 or higher2024: 72.4% scored 3 or higher2025: 74.2% scored 3 or higher2026: 73% scored 3 or higher

World History

66% in 2026 · +4 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 62.1% scored 3 or higher2023: 64.7% scored 3 or higher2024: 63.7% scored 3 or higher2025: 64.3% scored 3 or higher2026: 66% scored 3 or higher

US Government and Politics

76% in 2026 · +27 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 48.6% scored 3 or higher2023: 49.2% scored 3 or higher2024: 73% scored 3 or higher2025: 71.7% scored 3 or higher2026: 76% scored 3 or higher

Psychology

74% in 2026 · +16 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 58.3% scored 3 or higher2023: 59.6% scored 3 or higher2024: 61.7% scored 3 or higher2025: 70.5% scored 3 or higher2026: 74% scored 3 or higher

Biology

71% in 2026 · +3 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 67.9% scored 3 or higher2023: 64.4% scored 3 or higher2024: 68.3% scored 3 or higher2025: 70.4% scored 3 or higher2026: 71% scored 3 or higher

Calculus AB

65% in 2026 · +9 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 55.7% scored 3 or higher2023: 58% scored 3 or higher2024: 64.4% scored 3 or higher2025: 64.2% scored 3 or higher2026: 65% scored 3 or higher

Human Geography

66% in 2026 · +13 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 53.2% scored 3 or higher2023: 54.4% scored 3 or higher2024: 56.1% scored 3 or higher2025: 64.7% scored 3 or higher2026: 66% scored 3 or higher

Statistics

62% in 2026 · +2 pts since 2022

40%60%80%202220262022: 60.5% scored 3 or higher2023: 60% scored 3 or higher2024: 61.8% scored 3 or higher2025: 60.3% scored 3 or higher2026: 62% scored 3 or higher

Note: All-exam figures are calculated from College Board's counts of each score; the 2026 total isn't published yet. The y-axis runs from 40% to 80%.

Source: College Board, score distributions for all subjects, 2005–2025; College Board, yearly score distributions.

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Every exam, sortable

Filter by subject area or click a column to sort. Exam names link to the score calculator where we have one.

May 2026 AP score distributions by exam. Click a column header to sort.
English Language152832151075%+0.7616,294
US History14372318874%+0.3516,738
English Literature162631161173%−1.2416,531
World History14361626866%+1.7411,547
US Government and Politics23282516876%+4.3387,973
Psychology15352418874%+3.5334,038
Biology15253121871%+0.6287,232
Calculus AB202817241165%+0.8285,891
Human Geography192621241066%+1.3282,781
Statistics172322172162%+1.7266,791
Precalculus29292411782%+1.2253,596
Environmental Science132927151669%−0.2245,371
Spanish Language21313114383%−2.0182,670
Macroeconomics192225201466%−1.3176,356
Computer Science Principles102330211663%+1.1175,174
Physics 1192425151768%+0.7174,401
Chemistry15313018675%−2.9168,833
Calculus BC46221414482%+3.4160,436
AP Seminar10215710288%+4.6126,001
Microeconomics192623201268%−0.2117,548
Computer Science A252615112366%−1.293,217
European History16332518874%+1.486,729
Physics C: Mechanics202527171172%−1.265,980
2-D Art and Design12304312385%+2.048,279
AP Research1731428290%+1.543,214
Physics C: E&M24242717875%+2.129,708
Spanish Literature20232820971%+0.727,266
Comparative Gov. and Politics152233181270%−1.827,150
Art History15252724967%+1.425,584
Physics 220292321772%−0.624,211
Drawing16313614383%−1.223,107
African American Studies20302717677%−2.221,435
French Language15233323671%−2.519,639
Chinese Language4819186985%−4.218,312
Music Theory181724261559%−1.517,799
3-D Art and Design7254323275%+3.410,304
Latin202924171073%+14.44,336
German Language241727221068%−3.54,213
Japanese Language47101572172%−2.73,245
Italian Language192228201169%−6.22,241

Scores 5 to 1 are the percent of students, May 2026. vs 2025 is the change in the 3-or-higher rate, in points. Students are 2025 counts; College Board hasn't posted 2026 counts. Source: College Board.

If you're taking AP exams in 2027

A pass rate tells you how the whole group did, not how you will. Your own score depends on the cutoff for your exam, which you can estimate from released exams, and on the units you lose the most points in.

Questions

Still have a question? support@tryashore.com

Across all subjects, 71% of AP exams taken in May 2025 scored 3 or higher, up from 60% in 2022. College Board hasn't yet published the all-subject total for 2026. By exam, 2026 pass rates ran from 59% in Music Theory to 90% in AP Research.

How we put this together

  • 2026 and 2025 shares come from College Board's score distribution pages for each year, for all students worldwide who took the May exam. World languages use College Board's total group, which includes students who speak the language at home.
  • The 3-or-higher rate is College Board's own figure. Because each score's share is rounded, adding up the 3, 4 and 5 shares can be off by a point.
  • The all-exam trend is calculated from College Board's count of exams at each score, 2022 to 2025. Student counts are from the 2025 report.
  • Where two College Board pages disagree, we use the yearly summary table. For 2026 Chemistry, that table shows 75% scoring 3 or higher and the subject page shows 76%.
  • We checked every number against the source on November 12, 2026. If you spot an error, email support@tryashore.com.

Cite this data

In a sentence

According to Ashore's analysis of College Board data (tryashore.com/ap/score-distributions).

Full citation

Ashore. (2026). AP score distributions 2026: pass rates and 5s for every exam. Retrieved November 12, 2026, from https://tryashore.com/ap/score-distributions

Download all the data (CSV). Free to reuse with credit and a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).

By Marteen Tang · Founder of Ashore

Marteen Tang founded Ashore and works on its SAT and AP lessons, practice and plans. Updated .

Sources

  1. 1. College Board, AP score distributions 2026
  2. 2. College Board, 2025 score distributions
  3. 3. College Board, 2024 score distributions
  4. 4. College Board, 2023 score distributions
  5. 5. College Board, 2022 score distributions by subject (PDF)
  6. 6. College Board, 2025 score distributions by subject (PDF)
  7. 7. College Board, score distributions for all subjects, 2005–2025
  8. 8. College Board, AP score changes: 2024 summary (PDF)
  9. 9. College Board, 2025 AP exams: scoring and standards
  10. 10. Education Next, on AP score inflation

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A jacket's price is increased by 20% and then the new price is decreased by 20%. The final price is what percent of the original price?
  • A96%96\%
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  • C104%104\%
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