The AP Psychology exam since the redesign
AP Psychology was redesigned for the 2024-25 school year, and the May 2027 exam keeps that format. Section I is 75 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes (66.7% of the score). Section II is two free-response questions in 70 minutes (33.3%): the Article Analysis Question asks about a provided peer-reviewed research article (its method, a statistic, its findings), and the Evidence-Based Question asks you to back a claim with evidence from three provided sources. Each is scored out of 7 points.
Enter the number of multiple-choice questions you got right, then score each free-response answer against College Board’s scoring guidelines for that question, part by part.
The pre-redesign chart
Psychology’s cutoffs come from the 2012 practice exam, a dozen years before the AAQ and EBQ existed. Then, 100 multiple-choice questions in 70 minutes carried two thirds of the score and two concept-application essays the rest, each also marked out of 7. The weighting matches today’s; the questions don’t, and with 42 seconds per multiple-choice question then against 72 now, the old percentages are a shaky guide to the new section.
Two things follow. First, the estimate is rough, so a 4 near the line is as likely a 3 or a 5. Second, old practice tests from before 2025 are still useful for multiple-choice practice, but their free-response questions don’t follow the AAQ and EBQ rubrics, so don’t enter them in the free-response boxes here.
AP Psychology exam format, May 2027
| Part | Scored out of | Share of score |
|---|---|---|
| Section I: Multiple choice · 1 h 30 min · 66.7% | ||
| Multiple-choice questions correct | 75 | 66.7% |
| Section II: Free response · 1 h 10 min · 33.3% | ||
| Article analysis (AAQ) · 0–7 points | 7 | 16.7% |
| Evidence-based (EBQ) · 0–7 points | 7 | 16.7% |
Estimated cutoffs
From the 2012 AP Psychology Practice Exam, scoring worksheet, College Board's newest published conversion chart for this subject (2012 exam: 100 multiple-choice questions (2/3) and two free-response questions scored 0–7 (1/3), before the 2024 redesign). The calculator puts your weighted score on that chart's 0–150 scale.
| AP score | 2012 composite | Weighted score from |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 112–150 | 74.3% |
| 4 | 94–111 | 62.3% |
| 3 | 79–93 | 52.3% |
| 2 | 65–78 | 43% |
| 1 | 0–64 | 0% |
AP Psychology score distributions
| Year | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 15% | 35% | 24% | 18% | 8% |
| May 2025 | 14.4% | 30.9% | 25.2% | 19.7% | 9.8% |
Share of students earning each score, from College Board's AP Psychology score distributions. 334,038 students took the exam in May 2025. The May 2026 figures are College Board's rounded whole percentages.