Average Advanced Placement Score

Advanced Placement Exams or AP exams are mostly attempted by high school students before they begin their college career. These exams are conducted once a year, in the month of May, just before the new academic year. The academic level of this exam lets universities know that candidates have the ability to excel in college level courses even before they officially start college.

The AP exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest. Many universities in the U.S. offer college credits to candidates who have scored 3 and above. That is why, many work hard to score the highest they can to build themselves a vibrant future.

Students choose their AP exam subjects according to their interest, goals, or even to get accepted to the university of their choice. Finding the average AP scores in every subject is often necessary for students who wish to choose a subject for the examination. While one must ideally go for the subject that they are passionate about and good at, it may not be practical for them to choose a subject with a below-3 average score. Students who analyze the scores, choose a subject that peaks their interest that also has an above 3 average score every year will have a higher chance of getting college credits.

Scoring in Advanced Placement Exams

Students who clear the AP exams in any subject during their high school will be able to get extra credit and placements in the college of their choice. They may also be more inclined to receive better financial aid or they will be provided with the option of taking up more electives than students normally can in their first year of college.

There is no pass or fail grade for AP Exams. Although colleges mostly accept scores above 3 in any subject. This is also dependent on the difficulty of the paper the candidate has chosen. Universities themselves decide the cut-off for AP examinations. The score provided and their corresponding grade equivalent in college are as follows-

AP Score	College Equivalent	Explanation
1	-	No recommendation
2	-	Possible qualification
3	B-, C+, C	Qualified
4	A-, B+, B	Well Qualified
5	A+, A	Extremely Well Qualified

Calculating Average AP Score

The AP Exams give candidates the opportunity to advance their knowledge in their chosen field of study and that is why it is highly recommended by most high schools. In DC, for instance, high schools are supposed to provide 8 AP classes every year for students, and students are highly encouraged to be a part of these classes.

Though there is no pass or fail grade, students who receive a score of 2 or below are likely not eligible to receive any college credit.

Average/Mean AP Score by Test

The mean score for the different exams conducted in the year 2023 is as follows.

AP Test Subject	Mean Score	% with 3 or Higher
Art and Design: Drawing	3.47	84.8
Art and Design: 2 D	3.36	83.6
Art and Design: 3 D	3.07	72.1
Art History	3.04	64.6
Biology	3.04	64.4
Calculus AB	2.99	58.0
Calculus BC	3.75	78.5
Chemistry	3.26	75.1
Chinese Language	4.09	88.4
Computer Science A	3.21	68.0
Computer Science Principles	2.90	63.1
Macro Economics	3.08	64.7
Micro Economics	3.25	68.0
English Language and Composition	2.82	56.1
English Literature and Composition	3.26	77.2
Environmental Science	2.79	53.7
European History	2.95	59.4
French Language	3.21	74.7
German Language	3.20	68.0
Government and Politics Comparative	3.14	70.8
Government and Politics Unites States	2.59	49.2
Human Geography	2.75	54.4
Italian Language	3.32	72.9
Japanese Language	3.72	76.9
Latin	2.79	56.7
Music Theory	3.02	60.7
Physics 1	2.55	45.6
Physics 2	3.15	69.8
Physics C Electrical and Magnetism	3.49	70.2
Physics C Mechanics	3.40	73.5
Psychology	2.89	59.6
Research	3.34	84.4
Seminar	3.24	85.0
Spanish Language	3.60	83.8
Spanish Literature and Culture	2.98	67.4
Statistics	2.89	60.0
United States History	2.54	47.5
World History	3.04	64.7