Calculating AP Score - What's the Process?

Hi everyone! After taking an AP exam, I'm curious about how they calculate the final AP score. How do they consider the multiple-choice and free-response sections, and what's the overall scoring process like? Thanks for the help!

Hello! The process of calculating an AP score involves combining your performance on both the multiple-choice and free-response sections of the exam. The final AP score, which ranges from 1 to 5, is derived through the following steps:

1. Multiple-choice section: Your raw multiple-choice score is determined by the number of questions you answer correctly. Although some schools have piloted a new model, generally there is no penalty for incorrect answers or skipped questions.

2. Free-response section: The free-response section is scored by experienced educators using grading rubrics set by the College Board. Each free-response question is typically worth a specified number of points, and these points are awarded based on how well you fulfill the requirements of the question. Your scores for all the free-response questions are then added up to produce a raw free-response score.

3. Conversion of raw scores: Both your raw multiple-choice and raw free-response scores are then converted into scaled scores, typically ranging from 0 to some fixed maximum value determined by the College Board for that specific exam. The exact conversion method varies according to the test and the year it was administered, and is meant to account for differences in difficulty across different exams and versions.

4. Compilation of composite score: Your final composite score is obtained by combining your scaled multiple-choice and scaled free-response scores, using a specific weighting determined by the College Board for that exam. For most exams, the multiple-choice section represents roughly 50% of the composite score, while the free-response section represents the other 50%. However, this weighting may vary slightly across different subjects, as the percentage contribution of each section is tailored to each subject.

5. AP score determination: Lastly, your composite score is matched to a corresponding AP score, ranging from 1 to 5, based on the score distribution determined by the College Board. Each AP score corresponds to a certain performance level, with a score of 5 denoting "extremely well-qualified" and a score of 1 signifying "no recommendation."

Keep in mind that the cutoff values for each AP score (i.e., the minimum composite score required for a specific AP score) can vary from year to year, as they are determined by the College Board after considering factors such as the difficulty of the exam and the performance of all test-takers.

Overall, the scoring process for AP exams is designed to provide a fair and consistent assessment of your mastery of the subject. I hope this explanation helps!