AP Grade Calculator
Enter how many multiple-choice questions you got right and your free-response points to estimate your AP exam score on the 1 to 5 scale. The cutoffs are approximate, because College Board recurves every exam each year.
How to calculate ap grade
An AP exam has two sections: multiple choice (Section I) and free response (Section II). Turn each into a percentage, your multiple-choice percentage is questions correct divided by the total, and your free-response percentage is points earned divided by the total possible. Most exams weight the two sections about 50/50, so the composite is the average of the two percentages; change the weight if your subject splits them differently. The composite is then mapped to the 1 to 5 score using typical cutoffs. College Board re-curves every exam each year, and the real cutoffs differ by subject, so treat the predicted score as an estimate, not a guarantee.
Composite = MCQ% x (MCQ weight / 100) + FRQ% x (FRQ weight / 100); score = 5 if composite ≥ 75, 4 if ≥ 62, 3 if ≥ 50, 2 if ≥ 38, else 1
Worked example
You got 45 of 60 multiple-choice questions right and earned 18 of 30 free-response points, on an exam that weights the two sections 50/50.
- Multiple-choice percentage: 45 / 60 = 75%
- Free-response percentage: 18 / 30 = 60%
- Composite: 75 x 0.5 + 60 x 0.5 = 37.5 + 30 = 67.5%
- 67.5% falls in the 62 to 74 band, which maps to a predicted score of 4
Result: A composite of 67.5% predicts an AP score of 4.
Frequently asked questions
How is an AP score calculated?
Each AP exam combines your multiple-choice and free-response sections into a single composite score, then maps that composite onto the 1 to 5 scale. This calculator turns each section into a percentage, weights them (about 50/50 on most exams), and applies the typical cutoffs: roughly 75% for a 5, 62% for a 4, 50% for a 3, and 38% for a 2.
Are these AP score cutoffs exact?
No. College Board sets the cutoffs separately for every subject and re-curves them each year based on how students performed, so the real thresholds move. The percentages here are a widely used approximation that gets you close, but a borderline composite could land a grade either way. Use the result to gauge where you stand, not as an official prediction.
What is a passing AP score?
A 3 is generally considered passing and is the minimum many colleges accept for credit. More selective schools often require a 4 or a 5. Check each college's AP credit policy, since the score they accept and the credit they grant vary by school and by subject.
What if my exam does not weight the sections 50/50?
Change the multiple-choice weight field. Most AP exams split the two sections evenly, but some do not: AP Calculus and many science exams weight them 50/50, while certain humanities exams lean more toward the free-response. Your course syllabus or the College Board course description lists the exact split for your subject.
Does the calculator work for any AP subject?
Yes, as long as you enter that subject's question counts and point totals. Because it works from percentages and a weight you control, it adapts to exams with different numbers of multiple-choice questions and free-response points. The 1 to 5 cutoffs stay approximate, since each subject is curved on its own.