AP support that aims straight for the 5

What every programme includes

• ✓ AP Calculus AB and BC, from limits to series
• ✓ AP Physics 1, Physics 2 and Physics C
• ✓ AP Chemistry and AP Biology
• ✓ AP Computer Science A (Java)
• ✓ Free-response answers scored against College Board guidelines
• ✓ Aligned to your school's unit calendar

How AP exams work in 2027

AP exams are scored from 1 to 5 and taken over two weeks in May: in 2027, May 3-7 and May 10-14. From 2027 every AP exam is digital. Most are taken in the Bluebook app, either fully digital (Computer Science A, Statistics and English Language, for example) or hybrid digital, where students answer multiple-choice questions in Bluebook and handwrite free-response answers on paper (Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Precalculus).

The 2027 exam fee is $99 at US schools and $129 elsewhere, with a $37 fee reduction for students with significant financial need. Scores are released in early July.

Exam formats for the most-tutored courses

Each course has its own timing, and the formats have changed recently, so practice should match the current exam:

• ✓ Calculus AB and BC (from May 2027): 42 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour 40 minutes, 29 without a calculator and 13 with a graphing calculator, then 6 free-response questions in 1 hour 30 minutes
• ✓ Physics 1: 42 multiple-choice questions in 85 minutes and 4 free-response questions in 95 minutes, each half the score, with a calculator allowed
• ✓ Computer Science A (revised for 2025-26): 42 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes (55%) and 4 free-response questions in 90 minutes (45%), all in Bluebook

Credit, placement and where points are lost

Many colleges award credit or placement for scores of 3 or higher, while selective colleges often ask for a 4 or 5. Each college sets its own policy, which you can look up in College Board's AP credit policy search. The points that separate a 3 from a 5 are usually lost in the same places:

• ✓ Free-response answers that skip the justification the scoring guidelines require
• ✓ Units, labeled diagrams and significant figures in physics and chemistry
• ✓ Fall units forgotten by May, because the exam covers the whole course
• ✓ Timing: about two minutes per multiple-choice question
• ✓ Calculator questions attempted without a plan for the graphing calculator

2027 AP exam dates for the most-tutored courses

In most of the US, morning exams start at 8am and afternoon exams at 12pm local time. Schools order AP exams in the fall, so check your school's registration deadline.

An AP year that peaks in May

1. 1

   August-October

   Secure the first units and the skills the rest of the course builds on, such as limits and derivatives in calculus.

2. 2

   November-February

   Keep pace with the school's unit calendar, with free-response questions scored against the guidelines every few weeks.

3. 3

   March-April

   Full practice exams under timing, plus review of the fall units.

4. 4

   May

   Short targeted sessions before each exam.

5. 5

   July

   Scores released; plan next year's AP courses with the results in hand.

What tutoring costs in the USA

Plan your AP prep package

Pick an intensity and the weeks you have. Hours are our suggested defaults for AP; your tutor confirms the plan after the free diagnostic.

Common questions

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 2026-10-02.

• College Board: 2027 AP Exam dates
• College Board: 2027 AP Exam fees
• College Board: how AP Exams are administered
• AP Central: AP Calculus AB exam
• AP Central: AP Physics 1 exam
• AP Central: AP Computer Science A exam
• College Board: AP credit policy search
• EduShaale: AP tutoring cost in the US, 2026