How is the AP Psychology Exam Graded?

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Students generally want to know how the different sections of the AP Psychology Exam are graded so here’s an overview, along with an explanation of raw score conversions and estimated grade distributions.

The Multiple Choice Section

Section 1 of the exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions. Each question has 5 possible answer choices and each correct answer is worth 1 point on your raw score. There’s no penalty for incorrect answers, so guessing can only help your score and you should never leave any questions blank. The multiple choice section is worth a total of 100 points towards your raw score. The maximum raw score is 150 points, so this means that the multiple choice section accounts for 2/3 (67%) of your total score.

The Free Response Section 

The remaining third (33%) of your score comes from the free response section. The free response section consists of two free response questions which are worth a total of 50 points on the raw score. Each FRQ is worth a total of 25 raw score points. As mentioned in this post, each free response question contains 7 key terms which must be addressed. The 25 total points for each question is divided evenly for each of these 7, meaning that each correct application is worth 3.57 points on your raw score. There is no partial credit for these answers, so for each term you either earn the 3.57 points or you earn 0 points.

The scoring is the same for both free response questions.

The Raw Score Conversion

After combining all your points from both sections, you’ll receive a raw score out of a maximum total of 150. This score is then converted into an AP score ranging from 1 to 5. The exact cutoff points on the raw score for each AP score from 1 to 5 varies each year, so I can’t tell you exactly what raw score you need to earn a 5. But I can give you some sample cutoffs from previous years and estimate what percentage of the exam you need to answer correctly in order to earn a 5.

Below are the cutoff scores for some previous exams. These scores indicate that students need to correctly answer about 70-75% of the exam questions to earn a 5. Over 250,000 students now take the exam each year, and approximately 20% of students worldwide earn a 5. This means that over 50,000 students will earn a 5 on the exam each year. Will you be one of them?

2014 Exam

99-150 = 5

81-98 = 4

66-80 = 3

56-65 = 2

0-55 = 1

2013 Exam

110-150 = 5

92-109 = 4

77-91 = 3

65-76 = 2

0-64 = 1

2012 Exam

112-150 = 5

94-111 = 4

79-93 = 3

65-78 = 2

0-64 = 1

2007 Exam

113-150 = 5

93-112 = 4

77-92 = 3

65-76 = 2

0-64 = 1

2004 Exam

107-150 = 5

90-106 = 4

73-89 = 3

56-72 = 2

0-55 = 1

Preparing for the AP Psychology Exam? The Master Introductory Psychology guide can help!

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