AP Psychology
What the redesigned AP Psychology exam covers, how it's scored, the five units it's built on, and how to practice your way to a 5.
AP Psychology is a college-level introductory course and exam about behavior and mental processes. It was organized under the current five-unit framework, and now covers five units, from the biological bases of behavior to mental and physical health. The current exam runs about 2 hours: roughly 75 multiple-choice questions and 2 free-response — an Article Analysis Question and an Evidence-Based Question — scored from 1 to 5. Because the format recently changed, confirm the current structure on College Board. It's taken in May, and many colleges grant credit for a 3 or higher — confirm your target college's policy.
Practice, write, rehearse and review.
Four connected tools follow the same 5 units and exam structure.
A redesigned exam, five units
The course and exam were revised into the current five-unit format. The figures below are approximate — because the format recently changed, confirm the current structure, timing and question counts on College Board.
About 75 questions.
Discrete questions that test concepts, research methods and the ability to apply psychological science to scenarios and data — drawn from the five units. Question counts are approximate; confirm the current format on College Board.
2 questions, redesigned.
The redesigned free-response uses two task types: an Article Analysis Question, which asks you to evaluate a brief research description, and an Evidence-Based Question, which asks you to build an argument using sources. These replace the older free-response types.
One 1–5 score.
The two sections combine into a single 1–5. A 3 is "qualified"; a 4 or 5 is strong. Score distributions are approximate and vary by year, and the redesign reset prior-year comparisons — confirm them on College Board, and check each college's credit policy.
Practice it, unit by unit.
Reading about psychology isn't the same as answering AP-style questions and learning from every miss. Start free and practice by unit.
What AP Psychology covers
- Unit 1 — Biological Bases of Behavior
- Unit 2 — Cognition
- Unit 3 — Development and Learning
- Unit 4 — Social Psychology and Personality
- Unit 5 — Mental and Physical Health
- Units were reorganized in the current framework — confirm on College Board.
How to study for AP Psychology
- Use current, post-redesign materials — older prep with nine units is out of date.
- Practice the two free-response task types: Article Analysis and Evidence-Based.
- Know research methods and how to read studies — the redesign leans on them heavily.
- Learn key terms, theories and researchers by unit, then apply them to scenarios.
- Review every miss until the concept, not just the answer, is clear; sit timed sets to build pace.
AP Psychology questions
What's on the redesigned AP Psychology exam?
How is AP Psychology scored?
What is a good AP Psychology score?
Did AP Psychology change?
When is the AP Psychology exam?
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