The College Board has recently announced important updates to the Advanced Placement (AP) exams, as detailed in their publications "AP Scores Changes: 2024" and "Accelerating Our Transition to Digital AP Exams." These updates are essential for students preparing for AP exams, as they provide valuable insights into upcoming changes that will impact both study strategies and exam performance.
This blog will summarize the main points from these announcements, offering a clear analysis to help students understand the average performance in various subjects and the latest changes to AP exam standards.
Navigating the 2024 AP Exam Changes: Key Data and Updates from the College Board
1. AP Exam Score Data Analysis
The College Board has published a chart on their official website showing the distribution of scores for each subject from last year’s AP exams. This chart reveals trends in how students performed across different subjects.
1. High Average Scores in AP Art Courses
AP art courses tend to have high pass rates. For example, 78.2% of students scored 3 or higher in AP Drawing. Similarly, 84.8% of students in AP 2-D Art and Design and 72.1% in AP 3-D Art and Design achieved scores of 3 or higher. This indicates that students generally perform well in AP art courses.
2. AP Exam Performance in Science and Math Subjects
AP Biology: 64.4% of students scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 3.04.
AP Chemistry: 71.1% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 3.06.
AP Calculus AB: 58.0% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 2.99.
AP Calculus BC: 78.5% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 3.75.
AP Physics C: Mechanics: 74.0% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 3.36.
Among these subjects, AP Calculus BC has the highest average score of 3.75, showing strong student performance. In contrast, AP Calculus AB has the lowest average score of 2.99, indicating that students may find this subject particularly challenging at first.
3. Low Average Scores in AP History
AP World History: 64.7% of students scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 2.61.
AP U.S. History: 52.5% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 2.73.
AP European History: 74.7% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 3.21.
AP Government and Politics - United States: 49.2% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 2.59.
AP History subjects yielded lower average scores. For example, AP Government and Politics has the lowest average score at 2.59. This suggests that AP History courses are particularly challenging, making them harder for students to excel in.
4. Score Trends in Other Important AP Subjects
AP Computer Science A: 68.0% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 3.21.
AP Psychology: 57.4% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 2.89.
AP Statistics: 63.7% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 2.89.
AP Environmental Science: 53.7% scored 3 or higher, with an average score of 2.79.
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AP Exam Updates for 2024
The College Board has also highlighted significant changes for future AP exams. They plan to adjust the difficulty of certain subjects based on recent exam results. The goal is to align the success rates (students scoring 3 or higher) with the average AP exam success rate of 60%-80%. These adjustments aim to ensure fairness and accessibility in AP exams.
AP Exam with Score Changes: 2022-24
| AP Subject | Year of EBSS Standard Setting | 2024 AP Exam Success Rate |
| AP World History | 2022 | 64% |
| AP English Literature | 2022 | 72% |
| AP Biology | 2022 | 68% |
| AP Macroeconomics | 2023 | 62% |
| AP Microeconomics | 2023 | 65% |
| AP Chemistry | 2023 | 75% |
| AP U.S. Government | 2024 | 73% |
| AP U.S. History | 2024 | 72% |
| AP European History | 2024 | 72% |
AP Exams Format Changes by Subjects
The College Board has made significant updates to the AP exam formats. Starting in 2025, 16 subjects will transition entirely to digital exams, eliminating the option for paper versions. Other subjects will adopt a hybrid format, combining both digital and paper elements, while some will remain unchanged.
Fully digital AP subjects for 2025
The following subjects will transition entirely to digital format in 2025, with no option for a paper version available.
AP African American Studies
AP Art History
AP Comparative Government and Politics
AP Computer Science A
AP Computer Science Principles
AP English Language and Composition
AP English Literature and Composition
AP Environmental Science
AP European History
AP Human Geography
AP Latin
AP Psychology
AP Seminar
AP United States Government and Politics
AP United States History
AP World History: Modern
Hybrid digital AP subjects for 2025
The following subjects will adopt a hybrid exam format: Students will access all exam questions through Bluebook, but will continue to answer free-response questions on paper as they have in the past.
AP Biology
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
AP Chemistry
AP Macroeconomics
AP Microeconomics
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based
AP Physics: Electricity and Magnetism
AP Physics: Mechanics
AP Precalculus
AP Statistics
Unchanged AP Subjects
The following subjects will continue with their current format in 2025 but will transition to Bluebook digital testing in the future:
AP Chinese Language and Culture
- AP French Language and Culture
AP German Language and Culture
AP Italian Language and Culture
AP Japanese Language and Culture
AP Spanish Language and Culture
AP Spanish Literature and Culture
AP Music Theory
As the College Board implements these significant changes to the AP exams, it's crucial for students to stay informed and adapt their study strategies accordingly. The transition to digital testing and the adjustments in exam difficulty will impact how students prepare and perform. To help you navigate these updates and maximize your exam scores, 7EDU offers comprehensive AP Test prep courses tailored to meet the new requirements and enhance your performance. Learn about our Test Prep courses or schedule a FREE AP Diagnostic Test with us.
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