Each May, over three million students in the United States and across the globe take AP exams. This past May, students sat for over six million AP exams across 40 different subjects. The College Board, the organization that owns the AP program, made headlines this past spring for several technology glitches it faced in transitioning AP exams from paper to a digital format. Between AP Classroom crashing in the weeks leading up to the 2025 exams to an exam platform malfunction that affected students sitting for the AP Psychology exam, this year’s exam takers faced a series of challenges that added unnecessary stress to an already high-pressure testing season.
Technology glitches aside, the AP program maintains a strong world-wide reputation as a demanding curriculum that is trusted by students and school administrators alike to prepare students for the rigors of college-level work. Each year, Top Tier Admissions students work with our tutors to prepare for these challenging exams.
Top Tier Admissions tutor Heather O’Donovan shared her student’s consensus about the AP English exams this year:
“The feedback from most was that the exams weren’t necessarily easy but that they were certainly manageable — and often more approachable than the practice materials we’d worked through! The exam had no big surprises, no utterly confounding passages, and no major time crunch. Will that translate to higher scores? Only time will tell. Regardless, I’m proud of my students for pushing through some of the toughest test prep materials out there in preparations for the exam.”
On July 7th, this year’s test takers received their scores. In this post, we will break down the 2025 results, as well as the role that AP exam scores play in college admissions.
2025 AP EXAM RESULTS: KEY TAKEAWAYS
There is always some degree of variability in AP exam scores from year to year, and this year’s results revealed several notable differences compared to 2024. The most significant score increases were on the AP English Language and Composition and AP Physics 1 exams, both of which saw a 19% increase in test takers earning scores of 3 or higher. AP Environmental Science wasn’t far behind, with 15% more students earning scores of 3 or higher as compared to 2024. The overall decreases in performance were comparatively smaller, the largest of which was AP Physics C: Mechanics, on which 4% fewer students earned scores of 3 or higher than in 2024. The overall highest scoring exams were AP Research, AP Seminar, and AP Languages (French, Spanish, Chinese), all of which had 85% or more of test takers earn scores of 3 or above.
AP Exam Tutoring
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AP SCORES AS EVIDENCE OF RIGOR
Most students take AP exams as the culmination of a year-long high school course. Students may also choose to independently pursue study of AP content and corresponding exams, especially if their high school does not offer an AP course in an area of interest (or does not offer AP courses at all). The pursuit of AP coursework, whether independently or as part of a rigorous high school curriculum, demonstrates a student’s eagerness to tackle challenges above and beyond standard college prep coursework. An AP course listed on a student’s transcript is less impactful on its own if not accompanied by a supporting strong AP exam score. Although U.S. colleges do not require AP courses and exams for admissions purposes, at the most selective colleges, many applicants do choose to take and report AP exam scores, usually reporting scores in the range of 4 or 5.
AP SCORES FOR COLLEGE CREDIT
Many colleges offer students the opportunity to receive general credit towards graduation in exchange for strong AP exam scores. Although each college has its own policies, scores must typically be 4s or 5s in order for students to earn credit. Some colleges may also accept scores of 3. This credit can be helpful for a variety of reasons. Students with sufficient exam credit might be able to graduate a semester early, study abroad with a non-credit bearing program, or pursue a double major or minor with the extra schedule flexibility afforded by these credits having been completed. Furthermore, students can sometimes place out of introductory-level college courses on the basis of having earned high AP exam scores, jumping directly into higher level, targeted coursework.
AP SCORES FOR ADMISSION TO UK UNIVERSITIES
Although colleges in the United States do not require AP scores for admissions purposes, colleges abroad, particularly those in the United Kingdom, often rely heavily on AP scores. Admissions review processes at non-US universities are usually less “holistic,” focusing narrowly on receipt of a high school diploma and strong standardized test scores, rather than considering scores as one important component of many in assessing a candidate’s application. Many UK universities accept a combination of SAT, ACT and AP exam scores in order to fulfill admissions testing requirements. For example, the minimum admissions requirements for the University of Edinburgh are as follows:
- ACT score of 27 plus two AP scores at 4+
- SAT score of 1290+ (650+ in Evidence Based Reading and Writing and 620+ in Math) plus two AP scores at 4+
- 3 AP scores at 4+
Although some UK universities do offer students alternative paths for admission (particularly for those students whose high schools do not offer AP courses), the most competitive UK universities still expect to see strong standardized test scores from competitive applicants.
HOW TO REPORT AP SCORES
The Common Application and UCAS application (used for universities in the UK) ask students to self-report AP scores on the application. These are not “official” scores and colleges will not know if a student chooses not to submit a score. Once a student has been admitted to a college and has enrolled, official AP exam score reports should be submitted to that college through the College Board website. These official score reports will enable the student to receive general education credit (if offered) by their college. Official score reports are not required for application purposes. For UK university applicants, official score reports are also not required in the application process, but may be required at a later stage, particularly if certain AP exam scores are a condition of admission.
WHICH EXAM(S) SHOULD I TAKE?
Students can review AP results of students at their high school, which can often be found on the school profile or obtained from a high school’s AP Coordinator. These results provide a sense of which AP subjects are well-taught at a particular school. Based on our work with students over the years, we often hear AP Environmental Science, AP Government, AP Psychology, and AP Statistics described as “easier,” exams whereas AP Chemistry, AP World History, and AP Physics are typically named as “hardest.” While choosing which exams to take is an individual decision, Top Tier Admissions counselors can provide excellent guidance on what to choose!
FINAL THOUGHTS
While there are many ways to demonstrate academic aptitude, the pursuit of AP coursework and strong AP exam scores are a clear-cut, standardized way to showcase one’s strength in a particular academic area. Metrics aside, keep in mind that a test score is just one indicator of student learning and achievement. To assess a student’s intellect, colleges consider a range of factors, including essays, grades, recommendations and extracurricular activities. At Top Tier Admissions, we specialize in helping students to position themselves well for success in the college admissions process, showcasing their strengths across all areas.
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