Hey 👋 so, you’re wondering if you should take AP Psychology 🧠. Let’s talk about it!
Overview of AP Psychology 🤗
AP Psychology gives you a taste of what you would learn in a semester-long introductory psychology course. There are 9 different units that you cover in AP Psych, all of which require zero prerequisites 🥳
There is a lot of memorization in this course. Most units can also be visualized and put into a graph. If you’re a visual learner 👀, this course is very viable for you.
Image Courtesy of Bolinsky AP Psychology. This is one of the many diagrams that help you visualize specific information!
Regardless, as long as you review the content necessary for the exam and practice, you will do really well. Many students take AP Psych as their first AP, deeming it as one of their “easier” exams.
Format of the Exam
For the first section of the exam, you are given 70 minutes to answer 100 multiple-choice questions 🤔 These 100 questions count for 67% of your total score.
For the second section of the exam, you are given 50 minutes to answer two free-response questions ✍️ These count for the other 33% of your total score and are more focused on applying your psychology knowledge to real-life situations.
Once you nail the concepts and units, all that is left to do is practice. Let’s get into it!
Well, how hard is AP Psych? 🧠
Data 📊
According to the College Board:
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20.5% got a 5 in 2019 🥳
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64.5% passed the exam and got a 3+ in 2019 🎉
There is no way to truly judge how hard the course is, but many deem it to be really fun, interesting, and engaging. It all really depends on the teacher you have, your workload, and how much time you want to commit to this course alone ⬇️
Factors to Consider 💭
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Workload: The amount of time 🕙 you may spend on AP Psych every day varies based on your teacher 👩🏫 👨🏫. They may assign you daily assignments for future success! If you…
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Love to study in advance, pace your learning throughout the year, and learn the most:
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It’s best to read a few pages a day and take some notes. If you want, you could even outline the textbook and take notes on the most important concepts 📔 These outlines may really help closer to the exam date 🎉 The course is generally interesting, so this won’t be as tedious as reading your AP Chem textbook 😉
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Learn quickly and cramming often works for you:
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You can set a few days before a big exam and begin to study the vocabulary 💭 Quizlet is very useful when it comes to studying in bulk for AP Psych. The day before the test, go through the concepts you have been struggling with and practice some MCQs and FRQs❓
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Motivation: Motivation plays a huge part in school. In general, 🏫 a little bit of motivation can help you through the day, and complete everything on your to-do list ✅ If you are going to take AP Psych, set a goal for yourself, and celebrate doing the little things!
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Whether or not you love psychology, or even studying in general, you can definitely find motivation by setting a goal 🏆
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Time commitment: AP Psychology is one of the more manageable APs and shouldn’t take much time out of your day. If you decide to take it, make sure you nail down the vocab terms and complete practice questions❓ You’ll be set for success with just the right amount of effort 💯
Is AP Psych worth it?
Most students are so happy they took AP Psychology and consider it very fun and interesting to learn about. Just in case, here are some factors to consider:
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Your interests: If you want to learn about the psychological reasons behind the way we interact 🗣️, behave 🏃, and learn 🧠, this course is right for you! If not, you may want to consider taking it just to try something new out.
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AP Experience: If you have never taken AP classes before, AP Psychology might be a perfect first choice! It introduces you to the level of AP classes while having a manageable workload
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Credit 🎓: Many colleges accept credit for AP Psychology if you score high enough. This does not always mean you’ll get course credit, but you may skip an introductory course and take a higher-level psychology course.
Quotes from Students that have taken AP Psychology
“AP Psychology was truly insightful as it opened the door to secrets about me that I hadn’t yet discovered, teaching me how my mind works and thinks. The course allowed me to understand why certain parts of my brain and body functioned in various ways. I was fascinated!” —Meghna P.
“AP Psych, by all means, was worth it! Personally, what I loved most about it was that everything we learned was so directly applicable to real life.” —Mishika G.
“AP Psych was more than worth it. It had a unique curriculum that incorporated science, history, and language all in one. I usually forget content after taking the test, but the information I learned in AP Psych has truly stuck with me.” —Lillian M.
“AP Psych is not related to my major, but it taught me so much about culture, how people behave/interact, and how to communicate well with others. It taught me people skills, how to have a good school-work-life balance, proper eating/sleeping/studying habits (seriously. there’s a whole module dedicated to this, and it’s so helpful) and cultural differences!” —Colleen B.
As always, we’ve got your back…
Resources:
Closing Thoughts
Weigh all of the factors in and make your decision on whether or not you want to take AP Psych. If you go for it, you’ll never forget this class 🙃. No matter what you choose, you got this!
AP Psychology is one of the most in-demand AP courses in Hopkinton High School. With over a hundred and eighty students enrolled in this course, it is no wonder why the school created two other classes, Time to Think and Introduction to Psychology, in order to enable students to learn about Psychology. But there are flaws in this particular system, because if a student enrolls in Introduction to Psychology in their high school career, they are unable to apply for AP Psychology in senior year.
Brendan Hemenway became a victim of this system when he was told he was unable to join AP Psychology this year. He was under the impression that if he took introductory to psychology, that he would have a better understanding of the topic as a whole.
“I felt the class was a bit underwhelming but I stuck it out to be able to understand it for the AP [psychology] course. I expected the class to cover more topics than it did, but I was able to get an understanding of psychology,” Hemenway said.
It does not mean that Intro to Psychology should be dropped as a course, but that people shouldn’t be penalized for taking the extra course. Caraline Carrazza is an example, as she was able to take Time to Think as well as taking AP Psychology this year.
Time to Think is a course taught by Mr. Sullivan, an AP Psychology teacher. The course is similar to Intro to Psychology but the only difference is that students are able to take AP psychology in the upcoming year if they choose.
“It really helped me understand what people were thinking and what was going on around me as well as preparing me for psychology,” Carrazza said.
“Taking the course this year has been easier since I’ve already gotten used to the quizzes and tests,” Carrazza added. “Also I already know most of the terms so I am able to get the concepts easier.”
There is one student named Sam McAuliffe who has taken AP courses throughout his high school career and believes that Intro to Psychology isn’t even beneficial for the learning of the course but should be an option for students who learn things over a period of time.
“You are not supposed to take Intro to psychology and AP Psychology is because there is a lot of overlap in the terms as well as the concepts but I have never taken Intro to Psych.” said McAuiffe.
Many students believe that there should be more information about these courses in order to enable the students to make the choice for themselves. But overall, that every student should be able to take the class that they want and not have to be penalized for the lack of information given.
Are you looking to understand the ins and outs of the 2022 AP® Psychology exam? Read the FAQs below to learn everything you need to know before crushing the test!
Is AP® Psychology easy? What can make it hard?
The AP® Psychology course is definitely more difficult than the typical high school psychology course. AP® courses are meant to teach students at an introductory college level. Compared to other AP® exams, AP® Psychology is considered one of the easier exams to pass in the AP® catalog for the reasons described below.
In 2021, the AP® Psychology exam had a passing rate of 53.3% with a mean score of 2.71. The 2021 results represent a noticeable decrease in passing rate and the average score on the AP® Psych exam compared to other exam years (likely because COVID complicated the exam format and testing structure).
Historically, the AP® Psychology exam has had a relatively high passing rate compared to all other AP® exams.
All of these statistics are based on the total number of students who sit for the AP® Psychology exam every year. This exam averages about 300,000 students every year, which makes it one of the more popular exams in the AP® test catalog.
If you want to maximize your study time, you’ll want to focus your effort in the areas that are most represented in the exam. It will be helpful to know how the individual units are weighted on the exam so you can target your study time accordingly.
For the multiple choice portion of the exam, each of the nine units of the course are represented, but with varying weights. Unit 1: Scientific Foundations of Psychology is weighted at 10-14% of the exam. Unit 5: Cognitive Psychology, makes up 13-17% of the exam. Unit 7: Motivation, Emotion, and Personality, accounts for 11-15% for the exam, and Unit 8: Clinical Psychology, makes up 12-16% of the exam. These four units account for roughly half of the exam content.
Even though the AP® Psychology exam has a better than average passing rate, it might still be helpful to know how many questions you need to get right in order to pass the exam with a score of 3 or higher. According to the AP® Psychology score calculator provided by Albert, you will need to answer 53 of the 100 multiple-choice questions correctly and score at least 4 of the 7 possible points on each of the two free-response questions.
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Is AP® Psychology worth it?
There are a variety of reasons why many students feel that taking the AP® Psychology exam is worth their time and effort. First, AP® courses in general provide a glimpse into college level classes and the workload associated with them. Also, students who do well in AP® courses feel better prepared and more confident about their upcoming college experience.
Second, for students who plan to attend college, having AP® classes on your resume can assist you in the admissions process, especially at the more competitive colleges. According to the National Society of High School Scholars, “College admissions professionals like to see that you have challenged yourself and are also prepared for college-level curriculum. Doing well in AP® courses can show college admissions staff that you are ready to succeed in college.”
Third, and probably most importantly financially, are the potential savings you could realize when using AP® courses for college credit. Students who enter college with credits through AP® courses can see big savings by paying for fewer credit hours.
Below is a chart that shows these savings for a few select colleges that accept the AP® Psychology exam for college credit.
SchoolMinimum Score RequiredNumber of CreditsEstimated Tuition Savings
American University
4
3
$4,761
Rutgers University
4
3
$2,745
Univ of California – Berkeley
3
2.7
$1,461
Ohio State University
3
3
$3,735
Northeastern University
4
4
$6,308
San Diego State
3
3
$1,188
Texas A & M
3
3
$3,429
Carnegie Mellon
4
9
$6,786
The combination of all of these factors, both academically and financially, make most students feel that taking the AP® Psychology exam is worth it.
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When is the 2022 AP® Psychology exam?
The 2022 AP® Psychology exam will be given in person using paper-and-pencil tests. The 2022 AP® Psychology exam will take place on:
Tues, May 3, 2022 at 12pm (noon) local time
Curious about when other AP® exams are happening in 2022? View or download the complete AP® exam schedule here.
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When do AP® Psychology scores typically come out?
According to the latest update from the College Board exam season timeline, students will receive their AP® scores in July 2022. Historically, the College Board typically releases AP® scores early in the month of July.
You’ll be able to access your AP® scores online with your College Board account username and password
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How is AP® Psychology scored? What’s the weighting of different questions?
Below is the scoring breakdown for the AP® Psychology exam:
SectionQuestionsTime% of Exam Score
1: Multiple Choice
100 questions
1 hour and 10 minutes
66.7%
2: Free Response
2 questions
50 minutes
33.3%
The first section is the multiple choice section. In this section you will need to answer 100 questions in one hour and 10 minutes. This requires you to answer questions at a rate of less than one minute per question.
In the multiple choice section, you will be required to define and explain concepts as well as apply skills such as concept application, data analysis and scientific investigation.
The free response portion consists of two questions. In these questions, you will need to apply a variety of theories and concepts from different subsets of psychology. You will also be required to analyze research studies and analyze and interpret quantitative data.
Pro tip: Memorization of terms and concepts is not enough to do well on the AP® Psychology exam. You will need to have the ability to apply these concepts to real world scenarios in order to gain the best grade on this exam. The chart below shows how the different course units are reflected in the exam questions. To see how these weightings translate into an exam score, try Alberts free AP® Psychology score calculator.
UnitsExam Weighting
Unit 1: Scientific Foundations of Psychology
10-14%
Unit 2: Biological Bases of Behavior
8-10%
Unit 3: Sensation and Perception
6-8%
Unit 4: Learning
7-9%
Unit 5: Cognitive Psychology
13-17%
Unit 6: Developmental Psychology
7-9%
Unit 7: Motivation, Emotion, and Personality
11-15%
Unit 8: Clinical Psychology
12-16%
Unit 9: Social Psychology
8-10%
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What happens if you fail AP® Psychology?
Failing the AP® Psychology exam is not the end of the world. There are many ways you can reduce the impact of a failing score on your academic career.
Students have the ability to take the AP® Psychology exam as often as they like. That means that if you fail the exam, you can retake it every May until you achieve the score you want. You will be responsible for all exam fees each time you choose to take the exam.
If you are concerned about the impact that failing the AP® Psychology exam might have on your overall high school GPA, you’ll be happy to hear that AP® exams grades are rarely factored into high school grades. Your AP® teacher will base your course grade on the work and tests that occurred prior to the AP® exam.
The college admissions process has the most opportunity to be impacted by failing the AP® Psychology exam. If you are attempting to use your AP® Psychology exam score for college credit, you will need a score of three or better in order to be awarded college credit.
However, as the student you are in control of which exam scores are sent to colleges. If you fail the exam, you can choose not to send the score. If you do end up sending a low score you have the ability to cancel it. You also have the ability to substitute a higher score from a future re-take.
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When do students typically take AP® Psychology? When is best?
Students typically take AP® Psychology in their sophomore year, according to our research. It is commonly considered one of the easier exams and, as a result, schools tend to recommend that it be taken earlier in a student’s AP® course career.
AP® Psychology typically requires no prerequisites and covers a straightforward body of knowledge that is easier for students to memorize and explain on an AP® exam. It does not cover as wide a content area as some of the other AP® History and Social Science exams, allowing students more time to get familiar with the content.
Since AP® Psychology is not as intensive as some of the other AP® courses like AP® World History or AP® US History, students can consider taking this alongside some of the more intensive courses. As you plan your high school career, it is helpful to have an idea of which AP® courses you want to take and plan each year’s courses in advance so as to attempt to pair more intensive courses with less intensive ones.
In the end, when you decide to take AP® Psychology is completely up to you. We recommend discussing the timing of your AP® courses with your teachers, your guidance counselor and your parents. They can provide you with valuable insight into when might be the right time to take AP® Psychology.
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Where can I find past AP® Psychology exams?
Past AP® Psychology exams for the last 20 years can be found on the AP® Central website.
You should take the time to review the free-response questions for the last few years. Reviewing these questions can help you understand what kinds of questions have been asked in the past. You can also see examples of answers that have received full points in the past. This information will allow you to better prepare for these difficult and rigorous questions.
Below you will find links to the free-response questions for the AP® Psychology exam for recent years:
You can also prepare in advance for the multiple choice portion of the AP® Psychology exam. The College Board has provided a few multiple choice questions in their AP® Psychology Course and Exam Description. This guide only provides a few multiple choice questions, however, so it won’t cover all of the concepts that will be covered on the actual exam.
You can get more multiple choice practice on Albert’s AP® Psychology exam prep page. This page provides hundreds of additional multiple choice questions that are aligned with the learning objectives of the AP® Psychology course.
To fully prepare for the AP® Psychology exam, you should explore all of the resources available on the AP® Central website. The College Board has compiled a wealth of useful information that can help you boost your score.
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AP
Psychology
Scoring Guidelines:
2019
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2018
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2017
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2016
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AP
Psychology
Chief Reader Reports:
2019
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2018
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2017
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2016
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AP
Psychology
Scoring Reports:
2019
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2018
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2017
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2016
The scoring guidelines will give you valuable information as to how points are awarded for the free response questions and what kinds of answers received more points. These questions can be more subjective than the multiple choice portion of the exam, so doing your homework here will pay off on your final score.
The Chief Reader reports includes a wealth of useful information about how students answered past free response questions and where they went wrong. Learning from the past mistakes of other students can really help you to not repeat those same mistakes.
The 2019 AP® Psychology Chief Reader Report stated that many students had memorized terms and definitions but were unable to apply them to real world scenarios. Using past questions, students should practice delving beyond simple definitions and work toward application of the information to the stated scenarios.
If you want to know which questions students struggled with the most on past exams, you can find that information on the scoring reports. These reports will tell you the mean score of each question on past exams. For example, on the 2019 AP® Psychology exam, students scored a mean of 1.80 points out of a possible 7 on question #1.
If you then look at the Chief Reader report for that question you will see that to successfully answer the question you needed to go apply psychological concepts to the provided scenario. Knowing this in advance gives you important information on where to focus your efforts as you study for the exam.
Another tool you should use in preparing for the AP® Psychology exam are the sample responses. These reports provide three sample student responses to each past free response question. Each sample response report includes a response that received full marks as well as two that missed some or most of the points. The report includes a detailed explanation of the points awarded for each response.
In the end, it is important to remember that the free response portion of the AP® Psychology exam only accounts for 33.3% of your overall exam grade. The other 66.6% comes from the multiple choice section, so you will want to make sure you’re prepared for that section as well. You can find hundreds of sample multiple choice questions at the Albert AP® Psychology website. These questions have been carefully designed to follow the learning objectives of the AP® Psychology course.
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Who should take AP® Psychology? What sort of students may like it more than others?
AP® Psychology is a course that can be a good choice for a large number of students. The subject matter is easily accessible and relatable for many students. If you are interested in how the human brain works and have a good ability to memorize terms and concepts, AP® Psychology would be a good choice for you. You can find more information about AP® Psychology in the course overview.
Of course, no AP® exams are required. If psychology as a subject does not interest you, or if you struggle with memorizAtion, you might want to choose a different AP® course that is more aligned with your skills and academic strengths.
AP® Psychology can also be a really good choice for students who want to achieve high scores on all of their AP® exams. This exam has a higher than average passing rate. In 2019, 64.5% of the students who took this exam passed with a score of 3 or better.
If your goal is to score a 5 on your AP® exams, then AP® Psychology is also a good choice. In 2021, 14.1% of students who took this exam scored a 5. This is one of the higher percentages of perfect scores among all of the AP® exams.
Of course, you should not take an exam just because you have a better chance of scoring a 5 on it. If psychology is not interesting to you, you may struggle engaging with the content, which could hurt your exam score.
As the student, you are in control of which AP® courses you choose to take. We suggest that you reach out to your guidance counselor, parents and teachers for advice before you make this important decision.
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How do students typically score on AP® Psychology? What’s the score distribution?
Students typically score a three or better on the AP® Psychology exam. In recent years, approximately 65% of the students who took the exam passed it, which is higher than the overall passing rate for all AP® exams. You can find a detailed scoring breakdown below that can provide some useful numbers as a guide. Your individual score, of course, will depend on how well you study and prepare for this exam.
The score breakdown for recent AP® Psychology exam is as follows:
Year% of 5s% of 4s% of 3s% of 2s% of 1sPass Rate %202114.1%21.2%18.0%15.2%31.5%53.3%202022.4%25.4%23.5%9.6%19.1%71.3%
2019
20.5%
25.3%
18.7%
13.5%
22.0%
64.5%
2018
21.2%
26.3%
18.1%
14.5%
19.9%
65.6%
2017
19.1%
25.1%
20.0%
14.6%
21.2%
64.2%
The AP® Psychology exam has seen a higher than average passing rate for the last few years. The number of students who score a 4 or higher is nearly 50%, with approximately 20% of test-takers receiving a 5 on this exam. The score for the 2021 exam season were significantly lower than previous years likely because of the COVID-related exam season changes (digital exams, etc.)
The mean score for the AP® Psychology exam for 2021 was 2.71 which was based on a total AP® Psychology testing population of 288,511 for the exam.
Need help preparing for your AP® Psychology exam?
Albert has hundreds of AP® Psychology practice questions, free response, and full-length practice tests to try out.
