2021 exam results: What were the top-performing subject areas? (2024)

FAQs

How many people have gotten a perfect score on the AP Bio exam? ›

Of these 212,198 students, 1 student achieved a perfect score from all professors/readers on all free-response questions and correctly answered every multiple-choice question, resulting in the rare and impressive feat of earning all 120 of 120 points possible on an AP Biology Exam.

Frequently Asked Questions: AP Biology Score Calculator

Based on the 2022 AP score distributions, only 15% of students received a 5. Alternatively, you would need to have earned 77.5% of the total available composite points on the AP Bio exam to score a 5.

The average or mean AP exam score for 2021 was 2.80. Above 60% of total candidates earned more than three scores in AP exams in 2021. As per the 2021 AP exam passing rate record, Calculus BC, Chinese, Drawing, Japanese, and Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism were the AP courses with the highest average scores.

In terms of Ivy League and Top 20 schools, even a 4 is a relatively low score to earn on an AP exam.

The equivalent of a 3 on an AP exam is B-, C+ or C depending on the subject. The College Board designates 3 to be a pass and therefore qualified for admission. In terms of percentage, this is usually in the 50th percentile.

Physics 1:

AP Physics 1 is the hardest AP class with the least passing rate of 51.6. It means almost half of the students fail this exam. It's 3 hours exam consist of 50 MCQs and 5 free-response questions.

It was pretty surprising," said Felix Zhang, a Penn High School junior. Zhang is the only student in the entire world -- ever -- to earn a perfect score. He didn't miss a single point.

Usually, a 70 to 75 percent out of 100 translates to a 5. However, there are some exams that are exceptions to this rule of thumb.

A 50% is considered a 3 or passing. This is when your AP credit is considered in colleges for being qualified, well qualified or extremely well qualified. Also, most exams have multiple parts to them.

What is a 40% on the AP exam? ›

Yes, a 60 is considered a passing grade in AP classes. In AP, the average passing rate is 60-70%.

Most schools offer college credit to students with a score of 3 or higher on the AP Biology exam. Generally, a score of 3 is considered "qualified," a 4 is "well qualified," and a 5 is "extremely qualified." Some schools will accept a 3 but prefer scores of 4-5 to apply credits toward a college-level biology course.

United States History, Biology, English Literature, Calculus BC, Physics C, and Chemistry are often named as the hardest AP classes and tests. These classes have large curriculums, tough tests, and conceptually difficult material.

For the last few years, the AP® Biology exam has held a steady passing rate of over 60%. The pass rate from the 2022 exam was the highest in many years! Test-takers in the top ~30% typically received a 4 of 5 on this exam, with 10-15% receiving the maximum score of 5.