AP Exams

AP Pass Rates 2026

The share of students who scored a 3 or higher on each of the 40 AP exams in 2026, ranked from the lowest pass rate to the highest. Every number is from College Board's published score distributions.

Rank	Exam	Pass rate (3+)	5	4	3	2	1
1	AP Music Theory	59%	18%	17%	24%	26%	15%
2	AP Statistics	62%	17%	23%	22%	17%	21%
3	AP Computer Science Principles	63%	10%	23%	30%	21%	16%
4	AP Calculus AB	65%	20%	28%	17%	24%	11%
5	AP World History: Modern	66%	14%	36%	16%	26%	8%
6	AP Human Geography	66%	19%	26%	21%	24%	10%
7	AP Macroeconomics	66%	19%	22%	25%	20%	14%
8	AP Computer Science A	66%	25%	26%	15%	11%	23%
9	AP Art History	67%	15%	25%	27%	24%	9%
10	AP Microeconomics	68%	19%	26%	23%	20%	12%
11	AP Physics 1	68%	19%	24%	25%	15%	17%
12	AP German Language and Culture	68%	24%	17%	27%	22%	10%
13	AP Environmental Science	69%	13%	29%	27%	15%	16%
14	AP Italian Language and Culture	69%	19%	22%	28%	20%	11%
15	AP Comparative Government & Politics	70%	15%	22%	33%	18%	12%
16	AP Biology	71%	15%	25%	31%	21%	8%
17	AP French Language and Culture	71%	15%	23%	33%	23%	6%
18	AP Spanish Literature and Culture	71%	20%	23%	28%	20%	9%
19	AP Physics 2	72%	20%	29%	23%	21%	7%
20	AP Physics C: Mechanics	72%	20%	25%	27%	17%	11%
21	AP Japanese Language and Culture	72%	47%	10%	15%	7%	21%
22	AP English Literature & Composition	73%	16%	26%	31%	16%	11%
23	AP Latin	73%	20%	29%	24%	17%	10%
24	AP United States History	74%	14%	37%	23%	18%	8%
25	AP Psychology	74%	15%	35%	24%	18%	8%
26	AP European History	74%	16%	33%	25%	18%	8%
27	AP 3D Art & Design	75%	7%	25%	43%	23%	2%
28	AP English Language & Composition	75%	15%	28%	32%	15%	10%
29	AP Chemistry	75%	15%	31%	30%	18%	6%
30	AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism	75%	24%	24%	27%	17%	8%
31	AP United States Government & Politics	76%	23%	28%	25%	16%	8%
32	AP African American Studies	77%	20%	30%	27%	17%	6%
33	AP Precalculus	82%	29%	29%	24%	11%	7%
34	AP Calculus BC	82%	46%	22%	14%	14%	4%
35	AP Drawing	83%	16%	31%	36%	14%	3%
36	AP Spanish Language and Culture	83%	21%	31%	31%	14%	3%
37	AP 2D Art & Design	85%	12%	30%	43%	12%	3%
38	AP Chinese Language and Culture	85%	48%	19%	18%	6%	9%
39	AP Seminar	88%	10%	21%	57%	10%	2%
40	AP Research	90%	17%	31%	42%	8%	2%

A low pass rate is not the whole story

Pass rates reflect who signs up as much as how hard the exam is. Calculus BC has one of the highest pass rates because the students who take it are a narrower, stronger group than the students who take Calculus AB. Language exams draw many heritage and native speakers.

For admissions, the course on your transcript matters more than the exam's reputation. Pick the AP classes that fit the major you are heading toward and that you can do well in.

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All 40 exams with their 2026 score distributions.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the hardest AP class?

By pass rate, the hardest AP exams in 2026 were Music Theory (59%), Statistics (62%), Computer Science Principles (63%), Calculus AB (65%), World History: Modern (66%). Pass rate is the share of test takers scoring 3 or higher. It measures the exam and who chose to take it, so it is not the same as how hard the class feels.

What is the easiest AP class?

By pass rate, the highest in 2026 were Research (90%), Seminar (88%), Chinese Language and Culture (85%), 2D Art & Design (85%), Spanish Language and Culture (83%). Several of these have high pass rates because of who takes them: language exams draw many heritage and native speakers, and Calculus BC is taken by a narrower group of strong math students.

Which AP exam gives the most 5s?

Chinese Language and Culture (48%), Japanese Language and Culture (47%), Calculus BC (46%), Precalculus (29%), Computer Science A (25%) had the largest share of 5s in 2026.

What counts as passing an AP exam?

A 3 or higher. College Board describes a 3 as qualified, a 4 as very well qualified, and a 5 as extremely well qualified. Colleges set their own rules for credit, and many selective schools give credit only for a 4 or a 5.

When do AP scores come out?

College Board's calendar lists AP score release in July 2027 and had not posted a specific day when we checked.

Source: College Board, 2026 AP Score Distributions. College Board publishes whole-number percentages and updates the page as scores are finalized, so the pass rate can differ by a point from the sum of the columns.