AP Latin
What the AP Latin exam covers, the Vergil and Caesar readings it's built on, how the translation and analysis sections work, and how to practice your way to a 5.
AP Latin is a college-level course and exam built on required readings from Vergil's Aeneid and Caesar's Gallic War. The exam runs about 3 hours: a multiple-choice section on translation and analysis of Latin passages — including some unseen sight passages — and a free-response section with a required translation, analytical essays and short-answer questions on the syllabus readings, scored from 1 to 5. It's taken in May, and many colleges grant credit or placement for a 3 or higher — confirm each college's policy.
Two sections, two authors
The exam pairs a multiple-choice section on translating and analyzing Latin with a free-response section built around the required Vergil and Caesar readings — about 3 hours in all.
Translation & analysis.
Questions on the meaning, grammar and literary features of Latin passages — drawn from the required Vergil and Caesar readings and from some unseen "sight" passages you've never seen before. Close reading and accurate translation matter throughout.
Translation, essays & short answers.
A required passage to translate as literally as the Latin allows, two analytical essays that argue from the text in Latin and English, and short-answer questions on the syllabus readings — rewarding precise translation and literary argument.
One 1–5 score.
The two sections combine into a single 1–5. A 3 is "qualified"; a 4 or 5 is strong. Credit and placement policies are set by each college — confirm yours on the school's site.
Practice it, passage by passage.
Reading about the format isn't the same as translating Latin and building literary arguments under time. Start free and practice translation and analysis.
What AP Latin covers
- Reading and translating Latin accurately and literally.
- Vergil's Aeneid — required passages in Latin, plus context in English.
- Caesar's Gallic War (De Bello Gallico) — required passages in Latin and English.
- Handling unseen "sight" Latin without a vocabulary list.
- Literary analysis — figures of speech, meter, tone and rhetoric.
- Grammar and syntax — cases, tenses, moods and constructions.
- Historical and cultural context of both authors and their works.
How to study for AP Latin
- Translate a little of the required Latin every day to keep it fresh.
- Drill sight reading so unfamiliar Latin doesn't slow you down.
- Memorize core vocabulary and high-frequency forms cold.
- Practice timed analytical essays that cite the Latin directly.
- Learn the literary devices and meter Vergil and Caesar lean on.
- Review every miss until the construction, not just the answer, is clear.
AP Latin questions
What's on the AP Latin exam?
What do you read for AP Latin?
How is AP Latin scored?
What is a good AP Latin score?
When is the AP Latin exam?
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