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Our Top Tips for 2021 AP Exam Prep

By April 8, 2021April 9th, 2021Advanced Placement, For Students, Test Prep

The 2021 AP exams are mostly back to normal, with a few important exceptions. We’re compiling some helpful information here, including how to parse the differences in exam format, using knowledge about AP scoring to your advantage, and some top tips from our expert tutors.

We will continue to update this page with additional resources and tips throughout the 2021 AP testing season.

Test Dates and Format

College Board has created a complex calendar of in-school and at-home testing in an effort to make AP Exams fully available to students this spring. Schools, not students, make the choice on exam schedule and format, so be sure to check with your school’s AP coordinator if you have any questions. The three administration windows are as follows, and the full schedule of exams can be found here.

  • Administration 1
    May 3–7, 10–12, 14, 17
    In School
    Paper-and-Pencil
  • Administration 2
    May 18–21, 24–28
    In School and At Home
    Paper-and-Pencil and Digital
  • Administration 3
    June 1–4, 7–11
    In School and At Home
    Paper-and-Pencil and Digital

There are a few key differences in the formats of the paper-and-pencil and the digital exams. The full list can be found on the College Board’s website, but here are some highlights:

  • The digital AP Art History exam will not require works of art to be identified
  • Digital versions of AP Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Calculus AB and BC (all sections), and Chemistry will not prohibit calculators, but will include questions written in such a way that a calculator does not allow for an undue advantage
  • Digital versions of history and science exams will include different numbers or types of Free Response Questions from the paper/pencil versions

Compass Top Tips for AP Exam Prep

The Rewards and Challenges of AP Exams

Strong AP Exam scores offer considerable rewards, including college credit and growing value in admissions contexts, but obtaining strong AP Exam scores is challenging, and not just because the exams test difficult, college-level material. Many students take a number of AP Exams in close succession in May or June, while concurrently studying for the ACT/SAT and finals, and juggling sports, jobs, and extracurriculars. AP season is a rigorous way to end a rigorous school year. Those who navigate AP season best assess where to devote their precious study time by building thoughtful study plans. Thoughtful study plans are grounded in a clear understanding of how AP Exams are scored.

How are AP Exams Scored?

We have collected exam-specific tips from top Compass tutors below. Regardless of which exam(s) you’re taking, our overall top study and testing tip is to use the AP Scoring Scales and the rubrics from past FRQs (where available) to inform your preparation.

Students do not need to test perfectly and earn every single point on any AP Exam to get the top score (a 5). Perfect scores are rare—far rarer than perfect scores on ACTs or SATs.

Different AP Exams weigh the multiple choice and FRQs differently.  Using these weightings, raw (unweighted) points are converted into weighted points, which are used to determine where students fall within the 1 to 5 range (the scaled score). The percentage of weighted points needed to earn a certain scaled score differs by exam. College Board has not released weighted points to scaled scores conversion tables for the 2021 Exams.

College Board does, however, publish the percent of the total score conferred to the multiple choice sections, the percent of the total score conferred to the FRQs, and detailed FRQ scoring rubrics. These provide valuable information for shaping study plans and practicing FRQ responses. Know where the bulk of the points lie, know how to get them, and you’ll be able to appropriately respond to prompts in a way that helps maximize point gains in the time allocated.

There’s No Such Thing as a “5+” or a “5–”

College Board AP Exam score reports inform students and colleges only of the scaled score (1 through 5), not the performance on individual multiple choice or FRQs. Colleges have no way of distinguishing between the lowest possible and the highest possible 5. Compared to the grading scales they’re used to in school (where 90% = A), students are sometimes surprised to learn how they can achieve a 5 by scoring ~60 – 80% of the weighted points, depending on the exam. For example, while scoring 75% of the available points on a school test may earn students a C, scoring 75% of the points on AP English and Language typically earns students a 5.

While students who score at their peaks tend to adopt the mindset of attempting to gain every possible point, they also are strategic in how they take the test. For example, if a Document Based Question (DBQ) only awards evidence points for including three of the seven documents, smart test-takers will not “overachieve” by trying to weave in all seven documents.

Study the Rubrics and Top Tips from Compass Tutors 

Scoring rubrics can differ significantly across AP Exams, which can inform test-taking strategy. Below, please find more information about some of the most popular AP Exams, including top tips from expert tutors. In addition to tips from the tutors and notes about format differences between paper and digital exams this year, we also list the approximate percentage of students who attained each score last year. Despite the differences in format, the score distributions from the 2020 exams were fairly closely in line with the score distributions from prior years.

Practice How You Play

College Board released access to the digital testing platform. If you will be taking a digital test, remember that it is absolutely essential for you to practice testing in this format! If you’re only taking paper-based exams, be sure to practice with pencil on paper.

Individualize Your AP Exam Prep Plan

For assistance constructing a study and tutoring plan for your specific AP Exams, please reach out to your Compass Director, fill out a Contact Us form, or call us at (800) 685-6986.

AP Biology

In 2020, AP Biology students scored 9% 5s, 23% 4s, 37% 3s, 24% 2s, 7% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

In both the digital and paper formats in 2021, the exam consists of a 60 question multiple choice section and then 6 FRQs.

The structure of the FRQs is typically 2 longer questions worth 10 points each, and then 3 shorter questions worth 4 points, and 3 more shorter questions worth 3 points. Overall, the FRQs are worth 50% of the exam score, so FRQs 1 and 2 are worth about 25% of your overall exam score and demand commensurate attention. The longer questions also have more parts, so more opportunities for partial credit even if you don’t know the answer to 1 (a).

College Board provides the rough time allocations they recommend in the FRQ instructions. Be sure to read the instructions, and practice with prior FRQs: “Questions 1 and 2 are long free-response questions that require about 22 minutes each to answer and are worth 10 points each. Questions 3–8 are short free-response questions that require about 6 minutes each to answer. Questions 3–5 are worth 4 points each and questions 6–8 are worth 3 points each.”

AP Calculus

In 2020, AP Calculus AB students scored 19% 5s, 20% 4s, 21% 3s, 24% 2s, 16% 1s, and AP Calculus BC students scored 44% 5s, 17% 4s, 19% 3s, 14% 2s, 5% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

The 2021 FRQs will be written to accommodate typed responses. No handwritten work will be allowed on the digital exam. Calculators will be allowed on all parts of the digital exam. Be sure to review the calculator policy.

For both AB and BC, the multiple choice and FRQs each constitute half of the grade. The multiple choice and FRQs are each deliberately broken into two smaller timed sections. The splits are provided to give different sections with and without a calculator on the paper-based exam. FRQ Part A has a 30 min section with 2 questions; FRQ Part B has a 60 min section with 4 questions. Each FRQ is worth 9 points. Here are examples of FRQs for Calculus AB and Calculus BC.

Compass Tutor Tips

“Showing your work helps you earn credit on the FRQs, and each sub-question is graded independently so don’t give up if you don’t know the answer to part (a). For a simple sub-question worth 2 points, sometimes 1 point is getting the answer and 1 point is setting up the integral, so getting the right answer without showing your work and how you set it up is only 50% credit. Even if you don’t know how to solve it, setting it up properly is 50% credit. Partial credit on the FRQs is important, so when you study make sure you also review how the past FRQs were graded.

“Check your UNITS. Check your NEGATIVE SIGNS. Make sure you do NOT round as you go. And make sure you REREAD THE QUESTION.”

–  AP Calculus Tutor

“Spend a minute before you read the first question to ‘brain dump’ anything you’re worried about forgetting. Worried about the unit circle? Jot it down. Worried about dropping negative signs? Leave yourself a note to check. This will help save your energy and prevent second-guessing.”

– AP Calculus Tutor

AP Chemistry

In 2020, AP Chemistry students scored 10% 5s, 18% 4s, 26% 3s, 24% 2s, 21% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

The 2021 digital exam format will have more multiple choice and fewer FRQs than the paper exam. College Board provides a thorough tip sheet.

Be sure to plan your studying and time allocation based on the format of the exam you will be taking. Here are the sample FRQs from the 2019 exam.

Compass Tutor Tips

“The best way to prepare for the AP Chemistry exam is to make sure that your chemistry knowledge is sound. Work hard in your class, and do practice problems in your spare time. Don’t worry about getting things wrong while you’re studying. That can actually be the best way to learn! Do make sure you understand *why* you’re getting questions wrong: did you forget or misapply a fundamental principle? Did you use the wrong equation or approximation? What are things to look for, to remind yourself of how to address a similar problem, in the future? Make sure you can explain the answer, in your own words, before moving on.

“Regarding the AP Exam, specifically, it’s important to remember that there’s a nice curve, so you don’t have to get everything right! Process of elimination is key on the multiple choice section — if one part of an answer choice is wrong, the whole answer choice is wrong, and you should cross it off and stop thinking about it. On the FRQs, err on the side of over-explaining your thought process. Which fundamental principles are relevant to the question, and how do you apply them to arrive at your answer? The grader is looking for a few specific elements for each question. You won’t be penalized for writing too much, or for introducing unrelated information, but you will be penalized if any of those elements are missing — so be sure to elaborate!”

– AP Chemistry Tutor

“Make sure you can easily approximate [H+] from pH (and vice versa), without using a calculator.

“Be very familiar with titration curves (most prevalent ions, factors determining pH, pKa, equivalence point, etc.)

“Compare your class syllabus to the AP topic list, as early as you can, to make sure you have time to cover topics that your class won’t be covering (this isn’t a super-common issue, but it can happen).”

– AP Chemistry Tutor

AP Environmental Science

In 2020, AP Environmental Science students scored 12% 5s, 28% 4s, 13% 3s, 25% 2s, 22% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

For the 2021 AP Environmental Science exam, the 80 multiple choice questions comprise 60% of the score, and the 3 FRQs comprise 40% of the score. Those 3 FRQs are typically equally weighted (10 points each); be sure to read the instructions carefully on test date. In 2019, there were 4 FRQs, and College Board recommended allocating 22 minutes to each question.

AP Micro and Macro Economics

In 2020, AP Macroeconomics students scored 20% 5s, 25% 4s, 18% 3s, 16% 2s, 21% 1s and AP Microeconomics students scored 23% 5s, 29% 4s, 17% 3s, 14% 2s, 18% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

For the 2021 AP Macroeconomics and AP Microeconomics exams, the multiple choice section (60 questions = 60 raw points) is worth 66% of the overall score, whereas the three FRQs (9 points, 6 points, and 5 points = 20 raw points total) are worth 33% of the score. As a result, a single multiple choice question is worth 1.1% of your overall score. A single point on an FRQ is worth 1.65% of your overall score. A great place to start is with the Microeconomics and the Macroeconomics sample FRQs. 

AP Physics 1 and 2

On the 2020 AP Exams:

  • AP Physics 1 students scored 9% 5s, 18% 4s, 25% 3s, 26% 2s, 23% 1s.
  • AP Physics 2 students scored 14% 5s, 24% 4s, 35% 3s, 22% 2s, 6% 1s.

2021 Exam Formats

The 2021 Physics 1 and 2 digital exams will feature more multiple choice and fewer FRQs than the paper format exams. Please see full details here. Here are past FRQ examples for Physics 1 and Physics 2.

Students taking the digital format should also be sure to practice with the testing platform when it is released to get comfortable with it.

AP Physics C

On the 2020 AP Exams:

  • AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism students scored 40% 5s, 22% 4s, 12% 3s, 16% 2s, 10% 1s.
  • AP Physics C: Mechanics students scored 41% 5s, 26% 4s, 16% 3s, 10% 2s, 8% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

The 2021 Physics C digital exams will only feature multiple choice. There will be no FRQs (unlike the paper format exams). Please see full details here.

For students taking the paper versions, here are practice FRQs for E&M and Mechanics. This is an example of where your studying might change dramatically based on the exam format — doing practice FRQs is a great way to test your integrated knowledge of different topics as you practice, but for the digital version of these exams you should be preparing only for multiple choice questions and it will be very important to get comfortable with the digital testing platform when it is released.

AP English Language

In 2020, AP English Language and Composition students scored 13% 5s, 20% 4s, 29% 3s, 26% 2s, 12% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

The multiple choice section (45 questions = 45 raw points) is worth 45% of the score, whereas the three FRQs (six points each = 18 raw points total) are worth 55% of the score. As a result, a single multiple choice question is worth 1% of your overall score. A single point on an FRQ is worth just over 3% of your overall score. In other words, one more point on an FRQ is three times as valuable as one more point on the multiple choice section. To allocate study time accordingly, first understand exactly how points are awarded on FRQs. A good place to start is with this past year’s FRQs.

Compass Tutor Tips

“While writing style is important for AP Lang and you are encouraged to write in your own voice, this is not a creative writing course. This is an academic writing course; clear and concise sentences will still win the day. Don’t sacrifice a clear and direct thesis in favor of your own variation on the prompt (as brilliant as it may be). Instead, funnel your brilliance through a on-topic thesis that directly responds to the prompt and allow your unique ideas to support your thesis throughout the body paragraphs. A successful thesis formula to follow: “__Answer to prompt__ through _A_, _B_, and _C_.” Create body paragraphs based on A, B, and C in the same order they are listed. After reading hundreds of meandering essays, your test reader will thoroughly appreciate your lucid approach.

“In general, creating a mental toolbox for any AP exam is my absolute recommendation. This requires studying smarter, not harder, by breaking down the course material into section-based vocab card piles and studying them separately instead of all at once.”

– Michael B, Villanova

AP English Literature

In 2020, AP English Literature and Composition students scored 9% 5s, 17% 4s, 34% 3s, 28% 2s, 12% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

For the 2021 AP English Literature exam, both the paper and digital formats will feature 55 multiple choice questions (45% of the score), and 3 FRQ essays (55% of the total score; all three FRQs are typically equally weighted, so each essay is worth about 18% of your score). Here are example FRQs — when evaluating your own work, be sure to use the scoring rubrics.

Compass Tutor Tips

“For essay writing, build your memory bank. Half the battle with this test is having enough outside material, especially works of important literature, that can be used at a second’s notice. Create a “one-page” of go-to information, realizing that many books and literary terms can be used interchangeably for multiple essay prompts. Memorize your one-page as though it were your name.

“In your writing, be sure to indent, use exciting nouns and verbs to keep the reader engaged. Writing a grammatically perfect introduction that directly responds to the prompt is also a great way to win the graders over early.”

– Michael B, Villanova

AP Human Geography

In 2020, AP Human Geography students scored 12% 5s, 22% 4s, 25% 3s, 11% 2s, 31% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

Both the digital and paper formats of the 2021 AP Human Geography exams will feature 60 multiple choice questions (50% of the score) and 3 FRQs (50% of the score). Past FRQs have been mostly evenly weighted, and College Board recommended allocating 25 minutes to each question.

Compass Tutor Tips

“The eye-doctor test: For every multiple-choice question, play the “eye-doctor” test — that is, comparing just 2 options, deciding which is BETTER amongst those two, and eliminating the inferior option. Which is better, A or B? B is better, eliminate A. Which is better, B or C? B is still better, eliminate C. Which is better, B or D? D? Great, circle that and move on. Comparing 2 instead of all four at a time makes it easier to focus on them and makes sure you read all the answers.

“Even if you’re not 100 percent sure about an answer, any elimination you can do helps up your chances of guessing the right answer — so use any information you have. Do you generally know something about the specific area they are talking about (ex. if the question is about Africa, what do you know about Africa generally? If it’s comparing somewhere in Africa to somewhere in the US, what do you think the largest differences are between those two locations?) and eliminate anything that doesn’t fit with your general knowledge.”

– Hilah L, Columbia

AP Music Theory

In 2020, AP Music Theory students scored 24% 5s, 19% 4s, 25% 3s, 22% 2s, 10% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

The 2021 AP Music Theory exam will not be offered in digital format at home. It will be offered in the traditional in-person paper format for all 3 examination windows. Here are the FRQs from 2019 for the theory questions with audio prompts, and the sight singing questions.

The AP Music Theory score breakdown is 45% of the score from 75 multiple choice questions, 45% of the score from 7 FRQs, and 10% of the score from sight singing.

Compass Tutor Tips

“When writing in figured bass and voice leading, after putting in the bass line as required, don’t get fancy with the other parts! College Board is primarily grading for errors, not flair. There are some points given for creativity, but very few. Start by spreading your parts as evenly as possible across the staffs. Pick a part, and stick as closely as possible to stepwise motion. When writing in your next part, again stick to stepwise motion, but avoiding voice leading errors. Fill in the final part. Finally, check carefully for voice leading errors. 9 times out of 10, this method will produce almost flawless results (if a bit boring).”

– Zach F,  Northwestern University

AP Psychology

In 2020, AP Psychology students scored 22% 5s, 25% 4s, 23% 3s, 10% 2s, 19% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

In 2021, both the paper and digital formats will feature 100 multiple choice questions (2/3 of the score) and 2 FRQs (1/3 of the score). On past FRQs, the two questions were equally weighted.

AP US History

In 2020, AP US History students scored 13% 5s, 19% 4s, 27% 3s, 20% 2s, 21% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

Please see full details here. The 2021 paper based exam includes some options about which FRQs you will do while the digital exam does not. The digital exam does not have a Long Essay Question (LEQ). Here are example FRQs from 2019.

Compass Tutor Tips

“On the multiple choice section, each chunk of source material (quotation, political cartoon, chart, etc.) will have several questions accompanying it. Make sure you read all the questions in a set before starting to answer any of them! Often there will be useful context that you can glean from a later question and use to to your advantage on an earlier question in the same set.

“On the DBQ, after reading the prompt, brainstorming should be your very next step! Take just a minute or two to jot down anything related to the prompt that comes into your head — year, date, important figures, background, related themes and movements, etc. If you look at the documents first, it can be hard to then think of other non-document things later. A quick brainstorm up front will help with the contextualization point as well as the outside information point. The more things you come up with in your brainstorm, the less likely it is that the documents will duplicate all of them.”

– Todd M,  Middlebury

“For multiple choice questions and the DBQ, when in doubt, think macro! For the most part, questions are geared towards testing knowledge of larger themes/events/movements, rather than making certain you’ve memorized every term and fact. So, even if you don’t remember a specific detail or know exactly how to use a specific document in the DBQ, that’s okay! Look for clues to what the ‘big picture’ of the question/prompt might be and try to connect back to that context.

“If you like flashcards, use those. If you like enormous study guide documents, use those. If you like to collaborate with friends on review, do that. Take ownership of your review to make it work for you!”

– AP US History Tutor

AP World History

In 2020, AP World History – Modern students scored 9% 5s, 23% 4s, 28% 3s, 26% 2s, 14% 1s.

2021 Exam Format

Please see full details here. The 2021 paper based exam includes some options about which FRQs you will do while the digital exam does not. The digital exam does not have a long essay question. Here are example FRQs from 2019.

Compass Tutor Tips

“On the multiple choice section, each chunk of source material (quotation, political cartoon, chart, etc.) will have several questions accompanying it. Make sure you read all the questions before starting to answer any of them! Often there will be useful context that you can glean from a later question and use to to your advantage on an earlier question in the same set.

“On the DBQ, after reading the prompt, brainstorming should be your very next step! Take just a minute or two to jot down anything that comes into your head – year, date, important figures, background, related themes and movements, etc. If you look at the documents first, it can be hard to think of other non-document things later. A quick brainstorm up front will help with the contextualization point as well as the outside information point. The more things you come up with in your brainstorm, the less likely it is that the documents will duplicate all of them.”

– Todd M,  Middlebury

Other Useful Resources from College Board

Contact Us

Visit our AP Exam page for more about our tutoring program, and give us a call at 800-685-6986 to get started!

About the Authors

Eric Anderson graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was a Rhodes Scholarship campus nominee and an award-winning Global Studies instructor. After joining our LA team as a tutor in 2015, Eric returned to his hometown of Chicago to open Compass’s Midwestern office.

Dulcie Head graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors from Pomona College, with BAs in Physics and Geology. She then earned her PhD in Geophysics at Stanford, where she served as an award-winning teaching assistant. Dulcie started at Compass as a tutor and now uses her experience to help students and families navigate the standardized testing landscape in her role as director.

Dulcie, Eric, and our fabulous team of tutors collaborated to provide this resource. You can read more about some of our tutors here.

The Compass Team

Compass is one of the world's leading providers of in-home and online, live one-on-one tutoring for high school students aspiring to attend selective colleges.

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