United States · ExamHow the AP Program works
Your school teaches the AP course, and College Board writes and scores the AP Exam at the end of it. There are 42 AP courses in 2026-27, in the arts, English, history and social sciences, math and computer science, the sciences and world languages, plus AP Capstone and the new Career Kickstart courses.
You sign up by a fall deadline, take the exams in May and get scores from 1 to 5 in early July.
What a good AP score gets you
College Board says nearly all colleges and universities in the US grant credit and placement for qualifying AP scores. Which scores qualify is up to each college, and it can differ by subject.
Check the colleges you’re interested in with the AP Credit Policy Search before you decide which exams to take.
AP Scholar awards
College Board gives three awards based on your AP scores:
| Award | What you need |
|---|---|
| AP Scholar | 3 or higher on 3 or more AP Exams |
| AP Scholar with Honor | An average of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and 3 or higher on 4 or more |
| AP Scholar with Distinction | An average of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and 3 or higher on 5 or more |
The average counts every year you’ve taken exams, and if you took an exam twice, only your best score counts. The awards show on your score report. They’re a recognition, not money.
AP Capstone and the AP International Diploma
AP Capstone is built on AP Seminar and AP Research. Score 3 or higher in both, plus 3 or higher on four other AP Exams, and you earn the AP Capstone Diploma. Seminar and Research alone earn the AP Seminar and Research Certificate.
The AP International Diploma is for students at schools outside the US, or US students sending scores to a university abroad. You need 3 or higher on at least 5 AP Exams across four areas: two different languages, one exam with a global focus such as Human Geography or World History: Modern, one math, computer science or science exam, and one more. There’s no application. It’s awarded automatically.
What does AP stand for in Pre-AP?
The same thing. Pre-AP is a separate set of College Board courses that build the skills for Advanced Placement classes later. Its courses include Pre-AP English 1 and 2, Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry with Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, World History and Geography, and four arts courses.
Pre-AP isn’t AP. Your school has to offer it, and the AP credit and awards above come from AP Exams.
Explore
Everything else, in one place
Sources: College Board, AP Central and 6 more. Checked October 2026.
- College Board: What Is AP? ↗
- College Board: AP Courses and Exams ↗
- College Board: AP Scholar Awards ↗
- AP Central: AP Capstone ↗
- College Board: AP International Diploma ↗
- College Board: Pre-AP ↗
- College Board: Pre-AP courses ↗
- College Board: AP Credit Policy Search ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.