Understanding AP
The Advanced Placement® Program offers high school students an opportunity to pursue college-level coursework in a variety of disciplines, such as art and design, English, history and social science, STEM, and world languages and cultures. Through AP® courses, students can develop the skills and knowledge needed for success once they arrive in college.
Courses and Exams
Although AP Exam scores are often the most visible marker of academic preparedness used by higher education professionals, it should be noted that AP courses provide a rich opportunity for students to challenge themselves; explore an academic interest; and earn college credit, advanced placement, or both. Each May, students have the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of this knowledge by sitting for internationally administered summative assessments. These exams are scored on a 1–5 scale by a combination of college faculty and experienced teachers; most colleges offer credit or advanced placement or both to students earning qualifying scores of 3 or higher.
A total of 41 AP courses and exams are offered. A full list of courses and extensive information about content and exams can be found here.
Global Reach
Currently, more than 22,000 high schools nationally and around the world offer at least1 AP course, and more than 3 million secondary students take an AP Exam each year.
A Trusted Credential
AP teachers are provided with a detailed course framework and must submit a syllabus for approval before teaching the course. The AP Program offers teachers a range of ongoing in-person and virtual professional development opportunities, including participation in AP Readings, where high school educators work alongside experienced college faculty to score AP Exams.
AP courses are regularly audited by the Advanced Placement Program and approved as meeting course, curricular, and implementing requirements. The AP Course Audit ensures that official AP resources, such as official practice exams, are only accessible to real AP teachers verified by a school administrator. This also ensures that all official AP courses are included in the AP Course Ledger so colleges and universities can verify what they see on student transcripts.