Every year since 2019 we’ve gone deep into AP data, painstakingly crunching numbers from pass rates and over 3200 course reviews to provide an unparalleled analysis of how each AP class ranks for difficulty.
Here’s your tl;dr for the top 3 easiest and hardest AP classes:
- The easiest AP class in 2024 was Computer Science Principles, followed by Psychology, and Chinese.
- In contrast, the hardest AP class in 2024 was Physics C – Electricity & Magnetism, closely followed by Physics C – Mechanics, and Chemistry.
Want to know which AP classes to choose? We’ve got a ranking list, a comprehensive bubble chart and an interactive table for you. So let’s dive right into …
A definitive list of AP classes ranked by difficulty
The results are in: here’s your complete list of all the AP classes, ranked by difficulty from easiest to hardest. There are currently 28 main AP classes, plus a number of smaller and newer courses (see notes below).
Letters in [square brackets] reference a note given below. Click on a hyperlink to learn about our analysis of an individual AP class difficulty in more detail!
For each AP class we’ve noted our assessment, plus the average difficulty rating out of 10 (10 = hardest), determined by data from 3,295 reviews by real class alumnae (see Methodology section below for more details):
- Computer Science Principles: 2.9 – Very Easy
- Psychology: 3.5 – Very Easy
- Chinese: 3.9 – Very Easy, though much harder for non-speakers [a]
- Computer Science A: 4.2 – Quite Easy
- Human Geography: 4.3 – Quite Easy
- Environmental Science: 4.3 – Quite Easy, but difficult to score well [b]
- US Government and Politics: 4.4 – Quite Easy
- Microeconomics: 4.6 – Quite Easy
- Comparative Government and Politics: 4.8– Quite Easy
- Macroeconomics: 4.9 – Quite Easy
- Statistics: 4.9 – Quite Easy
- Art History: 4.9 – Quite Easy
- Seminar: 5.0 – Moderate Difficulty, most pass but 5 scores are rare [c]
- Spanish Language: 5.1 – Moderate Difficulty, though much harder for non-speakers [d]
- English Language: 5.2 – Moderate Difficulty, though 5 scores are rare [e]
- Calculus AB: 5.6 – Moderate Difficulty
- Calculus BC: 5.6 – Moderate Difficulty
- US History: 6.0 – Quite hard, and time-intensive to study [f]
- World History: 6.0 – Quite Hard, and time-intensive to study [f]
- Biology: 6.4 – Quite Hard
- European History: 6.4 – Quite Hard, and time-intensive to study [f]
- Music Theory: 6.4 – Quite Hard – though may be relatively quick to study [g]
- Physics 2: 6.7 – Quite Hard
- Physics 1: 7.2 – Very Hard – with a very low pass rate [h]
- English Literature: 7.3 – Very Hard
- Chemistry: 7.4 – Very Hard, especially if you’re self-studying [i]
- Physics C – Mechanics: 7.5 – Very Hard
- Physics C – E/M: 8.0 – Very Hard
Notes on the difficulty ranking, and some points you need to know:
[a] AP Chinese is often taken by people already familiar with the language, which perhaps explains why it’s considered so easy (3.9 / 10), so quick to study (3.4 / 10) and why the average score (4.0) is the highest of all AP classes. You’ll likely find AP Chinese much harder work if you’re new to the language!
[b] AP Environmental Science class alumnae rate it as a relatively easy class (4.3 / 10) BUT the pass rate is quite low (54%), especially for such an easy-rated class. Very few students graduate with the top grade of 5 (just 9% in 2024 – one of the lowest of any AP class we track).
[c] AP Seminar is a funny one: it’s rated as moderate difficulty overall (5.0 / 10), BUT is rated as quite challenging if you are self-studying (7.1 / 10). Most students pass (89%), but a very large number (34%) don’t recommend the class.
[d] AP Spanish is considered moderately difficult (5.1 / 10), but has a pass rate (83%) that’s behind only Seminar and Chinese. As with other AP languages, the class will be much harder if you don’t already speak some Spanish.
[e] It’s tough to get to the top: only 9% of AP English Language students scored a 5 in 2024.
[f] Clear your schedule: The three History APs all rate among the most time-intensive AP classes to study with scores of 7.3 / 10 (APUSH), 6.8 / 10 (Euro) and 6.7 / 10 (World).
[g] AP Music Theory is rated as relatively quick to study (4.9 / 10), but many people choosing the class already have a musical background. You’ll likely find it much tougher if not.
[h] AP Physics 1 has the lowest overall pass rate (46%) of all APs, and the lowest proportion of 5 scores (8%).
[i] AP Chemistry is rated as the hardest of all AP classes if you’re self-studying, at 8.4 / 10.
Small AP classes:
Some AP classes were too small for us to have sufficient difficulty rating data to include in our analysis. These were either foreign languages (Spanish Literature, French, Italian Language & Culture, Latin, German, Japanese), or courses in the Art & Design programme (2D and 3D Art & Design, Drawing).
New AP classes for 2024:
Two new APs were introduced for 2024 – Precalculus and African American Studies.
- Precalculus was taken by 152,000 students. 76% passed, and 25% scored a 5.
- The number taking African Amercian Studies has not yet been disclosed, but 73% of candidates passed, with 15% scoring a 5.
We will add Precalculus and African American Studies to our full analysis from 2025 onwards, once we have sufficient data on student difficulty ratings.
AP classes ranked by difficulty: a visual
Not sure what to make of where the AP classes you’re interested in fall in the rankings? Let’s take a look at our signature bubble chart to examine the main 28 AP class difficulty rankings a different way:
There are five main factors to look out for as you compare the bubbles:
- The easiest and least time-consuming classes (as rated by alumnae) are in the bottom left corner, led by CompSci Principles.
- The hardest and most time-consuming classes (as rated by alumnae) are in the top right corner, led by Physics C – E&M.
- The colour of the bubble indicates 2024 pass rates. Red is low, green is high, and brown is average (College Board, 2024).
- The bubble size shows how many students took the class in 2024. The largest classes were English Language and US History.
- A red outline indicates that more than 15% of students do not recommend the class. Whilst that’s a lot, don’t get discouraged – the majority of alumnae still recommend taking these classes!
- This rating applies to Seminar, Physics 1 and 2, English Literature, Macroeconomics and Music Theory.
Interactive table: AP classes ranked by difficulty
Now, that bubble chart provides a great visual overview, but what if you want to get into the details and compare specific classes?
Well, then you can explore this information-packed interactive table, which lets you sort ALL the data from our AP classes analysis, in any way you want.
By easiest or by hardest? Yup, got you covered. By self-studying ratings? You can do that too! Simply click the column headers to sort by the different metrics.
This table includes data for each class for:
- Difficulty rating out of 10 (10 = hardest)
- Time required rating out of 10 (10 = most time-intensive)
- Ease for self-study rating out of 10 (10 = hardest to self-study)
- Percentage of alumnae who do NOT recommend the class
- 2024 average score
- 2024 pass rate
- Percentage of examinees who achieved a 5 rating in 2024
Want to learn more about our methodology and how we came to these conclusions? Check out the methodology section below.
| AP CLASS | Our OVERALL ASSESSMENT | HOW DIFFICULT? (10=Toughest) | STUDY TIME NEEDED? (10=Most) | EASY TO SELF STUDY? (10=Hardest) | % Alumnae who DON'T Recommend | 2024 Average Score | Pass Rate (3+) | % 5s (Perfect Score) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science Principles | Very Easy | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 13% | 2.9 | 65% | 11% |
| Psychology | Very Easy | 3.5 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 2% | 2.9 | 61% | 18% |
| Chinese | Very Easy - though much harder for non-speakers | 3.9 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 5% | 4.0 | 87% | 50% |
| Computer Science A | Quite Easy | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 2% | 3.1 | 66% | 24% |
| Human Geography | Quite Easy | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 9% | 2.8 | 56% | 18% |
| Environmental Science | Quite Easy - but difficult to score well | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 9% | 2.8 | 54% | 9% |
| US Government and Politics | Quite Easy | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 3% | 3.2 | 73% | 16% |
| Microeconomics | Quite Easy | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 2% | 3.1 | 65% | 17% |
| US Comparative Government | Quite Easy | 4.8 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 7% | 3.5 | 73% | 24% |
| Macroeconomics | Quite Easy | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 17% | 3.0 | 62% | 16% |
| Statistics | Quite Easy | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 5% | 3.0 | 62% | 17% |
| Art History | Quite Easy | 4.9 | 6.5 | 5.7 | 5% | 3.0 | 63% | 14% |
| Seminar | Quite Easy - most pass, but 5 scores are rare | 5.0 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 34% | 3.3 | 89% | 9% |
| Spanish Language | Moderate Difficulty - though much harder for non-speakers | 5.1 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 9% | 3.5 | 83% | 21% |
| English Language | Moderate Difficulty - though 5 scores are rare | 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 6% | 2.8 | 54% | 9% |
| Calculus AB/BC | Moderate Difficulty | 5.6 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 4% | 3.9 | 80% | 45% |
| Calculus AB/BC | Moderate Difficulty | 5.6 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 4% | 3.2 | 64% | 21% |
| US History | Quite Hard - and time intensive to study | 6.0 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 8% | 3.2 | 72% | 13% |
| World History | Quite Hard - and time intensive to study | 6.0 | 6.7 | 6.3 | 7% | 3.1 | 64% | 12% |
| Biology | Quite Hard | 6.4 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 3% | 3.1 | 68% | 16% |
| European History | Quite Hard - and time intensive to study | 6.4 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 13% | 3.3 | 72% | 13% |
| Music Theory | Quite Hard - though may be relatively quick to study | 6.4 | 4.9 | 6.5 | 18% | 3.0 | 61% | 19% |
| Physics 2 | Quite Hard | 6.7 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 22% | 3.1 | 68% | 15% |
| Physics 1 | Very Hard - with very low pass rate | 7.2 | 5.9 | 7.4 | 19% | 2.5 | 46% | 8% |
| English Literature | Very Hard | 7.3 | 6.0 | 6.9 | 23% | 3.1 | 72% | 13% |
| Chemistry | Very Hard - especially if self-studying | 7.4 | 7.0 | 8.4 | 17% | 3.3 | 75% | 17% |
| Physics C - Mechanics | Very Hard | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.9 | 5% | 3.4 | 75% | 23% |
| Physics C - E/M | Very Hard | 8.0 | 7.1 | 7.8 | 6% | 3.3 | 67% | 27% |
Behind the scenes with our Data Analyst and methodology
Exam Study Expert founder William Wadsworth is a Cambridge University trained psychologist and data analyst. Since he first started crunching AP data in 2019, over half a million AP students have used his difficulty ratings analysis to choose their AP classes.
Additional research, graphics, and article review by Dr Kerri-Anne Edinburgh
Analysing AP class data: the methodology
We wish to be transparent about how we research, collect and analyse all the AP data we use to provide you with our assessments and class rankings. This methodology gives a brief outline of our source material and analytical processes:
Please note, you can also click here to learn more about our rigorous editorial policies here at Exam Study Expert.
Source material for AP data:
When crunching the data on the difficulty of all the AP classes, we use two primary sources of data:
- Pass rate data from College Board itself, including the proportion of students who pass overall (3+ score) and the proportion of students who score a 5. This data is taken from the College Board website plus tweets from Head of AP Trevor Packer, which includes the score breakdown, and sometimes, numbers of students taking each class.
- Student reviews posted by users from r/APStudents who actually took the AP courses (as of 2024 the dataset includes 3,295 reviews). These reviews include a rating for:
- Overall difficulty rating
- Difficulty if self-studying
- How much time is required
The data we post is based on College Board’s June data release, and may shift slightly as late-arriving exams are scored. This shift has historically been negligible.
How we evaluate and use the data on AP classes:
We consider class alumnae’s difficulty ratings to be the most reliable indicator of difficulty, more so than pass rate.
Pass rate, or percentage of students scoring a certain grade, is a misleading metric for two main reasons:
- Some classes attract highly able students, so may have a high pass rate, but this is more a reflection of the calibre of students taking the class. This particularly applies to language classes.
- Research has shown that popular, widely taken AP classes tend to have lower passing rates. So a low passing rate could indicate a larger variety of student skill, not necessarily class difficulty.
Our assessments of course difficulty
We have given each every AP class a graded ranking of difficulty (“Our Assessment”) based on the data we analysed, in particular class alumnae difficulty ratings. Many other important factors are taken into consideration when making recommendations for how easy or hard you may find the AP course, as can be seen in the “Notes” section above, and in our individual in-depth course articles (all hyperlinked above).
The rankings are determined as followed:
- Very Easy – scores less than 4.0
- Quite Easy – scores between 4.0 and 4.9
- Moderate Difficulty – scores between 5.0 and 5.9
- Quite Hard – scores between 6.0 and 6.9
- Very Hard – scores more than 7.0
You should take every available metric into account when making your choice of AP classes. Remember that some students tend to find certain fields easier or harder than others, based on pre-existing experience.
And remember, as College Board’s Trevor Packer reminds us, an AP score is only one indicator of student learning and achievement.
Zooming in: the easiest AP classes you can choose
Let’s examine the top easiest-rated AP classes, according to the data from over 3,800 alumnae difficulty ratings.
To recap, the three classes that ranked as the easiest out of all available AP courses are:
- Computer Science Principles: Very Easy
- Scored 2.9 / 10 for difficulty and 3.7 / 10 for self-studying difficulty
- Had a 65% pass rate in 2024
- And 87% of alumnae recommend taking the course
- Psychology: Very Easy
- Scored 3.5 / 10 for difficulty and 3.4 / 10 for self-studying difficulty
- Had a 61% pass rate in 2024
- And 98% of alumnae recommend taking the course
- Chinese: Very Easy, though much harder for non-speakers
- Scored 3.9 / 10 for difficulty and 4.3 / 10 for self-studying difficulty
- Had an 87% pass rate in 2024
- And 95% of alumnae recommend taking the course
Here’s a chart comparing the scores of the top 10 easiest AP classes, ranked by difficulty according to class alumnae. N.B. a low score and lightest green colour denotes easiest and/or high pass rates.
Zooming in: the hardest AP classes to take this year
Now let’s consider the opposite end of the spectrum. Which classes have been rated by alumnae as the hardest AP courses to take, according to the data from over 3,800 alumnae difficulty ratings?
To recap, the three classes that ranked as the hardest out of all available AP courses are:
- Physics C – E/M: Very Hard
- Scored 8.0 / 10 for difficulty and 7.8 / 10 for self-studying difficulty
- Had a 67% pass rate in 2024
- And 96% of alumnae recommend taking the course
- Physics C – Mechanics: Very Hard
- Scored 7.5 / 10 for difficulty and 6.9 / 10 for self-studying difficulty
- Had a 75% pass rate in 2024
- And 95% of alumnae recommend taking the course
- Chemistry: Very Hard, especially if you’re self-studying
- Scored 7.4 / 10 for difficulty and 8.4 / 10 for self-studying difficulty
- Had an 75% pass rate in 2024
- And 87% of alumnae recommend taking the course
As you can see from these statistics, the hardest-rated courses have equally high pass rates as the three easiest classes, and are highly recommended by course alumnae.
Here’s a chart comparing the scores of the top 10 hardest AP classes, ranked by difficulty according to class alumnae. N.B. a high score and red colour denotes hardest and/or low pass rates, where as green indicates a high pass rate.
Self-studying for APs: difficulty rankings
Let’s examine the easiest and hardest AP classes to self-study. As with overall course difficulty rankings, the scores we give each AP class are determined according to data from the 3,800+ course alumnae reviews.
If you want to take a deep dive into where the AP courses you’re interested in fall in the self-study difficulty rankings, I recommend browsing the interactive table above.
The top five easiest AP classes to self-study are (1 = easiest, 10 = hardest):
- Psychology (3.4 / 10)
- Computer Science Principles (3.7 / 10)
- Environmental Science (4.0 / 10)
- Microeconomics (4.1 / 10)
- Computer Science A (4.3 / 10)
In contrast, the AP classes ranked as the hardest to self-study are:
- Chemistry (8.4 / 10 )
- Physics C – E&M (7.8 / 10)
- Physics 1 (7.4 / 10)
- Seminar (7.1 / 10)
- Physics C – Mechanics (6.9 / 10)
The big question: which AP classes should you take?
The final section of this article offers our recommendations for which AP classes you should take, depending on what you’re looking for and what your interests are.
What are the benefits of taking AP classes in high school?
Before we kick off examining some different scenarios, I thought it worth pausing to recap why it’s worth taking AP classes in the first place.
College Board, who administers the AP program, highlights five compelling benefits of taking AP exams:
- AP classes are challenging courses, and help your application impress and stand out to college admissions officers, especially at selective colleges.
- AP scores will often count towards your college credit. That can save you time at college, potentially allowing you the flexibility to pursue more college classes, and may even save you money if you ride the head-start to an early graduation date.
- Your AP scores can often boost your GPA – check with your school / guidance counsellor for details.
- APs are college-level courses, so you’ll get a feel for what it’s like to work at college level. The jump between high school and college can be a difficulty one, but as an AP graduate, you’ll be able to hit the ground running.
- As well as the material you actually learn on each AP class, many AP students find they develop important transferable skills: they improve their ability to manage their workload, cultivate critical thinking, and write great academic pieces. All invaluable skills for success in college – and in life!
So it’s a great idea to take some AP courses!
But which to choose? Let’s take a look at some common scenarios:
Looking for any AP to pick up some easy credit?
If you’re just looking for an easy AP, the following should all be good options:
- Computer Science Principles: the lowest difficulty-rating (2.9 / 10), an average pass rate (65% in 2024) and the lowest time-required rating (3.3 / 10) of any AP.
- Psychology: a very low difficulty rating (3.5 / 10) and low time-required rating (4.7 / 10). Pass rates, however, are a little lower than average (61% in 2024).
- Human Geography: a low difficulty rating (4.3 / 10) and quite low time-required rating (4.9 / 10). Pass rates, however, are a notably lower than average (56% in 2024).
N.B. Psychology and Human Geography show pass rates a little lower than average, despite low difficulty scores. These tests are entered by very many candidates each year, which is likely to contribute to a lower pass rate than more niche APs that attract specialists in particular fields. (This is one of the reasons we use alumni difficulty ratings to determine which classes are hard or easy, rather than pass rate!)
All three courses are widely recommended by course alumni, with the slight exception of Computer Science Principles which is not recommended by 13% of alumni – that’s a little higher than normal.
Looking for a challenging AP class to really test yourself?
Love a challenge? Really want to impress potential college admissions committees? Then consider the following four AP classes, which rate as the hardest tests you can take:
- Physics C – E&M (Electricity & Magnetism): rated the most difficult (8.0 / 10), with the second-highest time-required rating (7.1 / 10). Pass rates are average (67% in 2024), with a high perfect-score rate (27% scored a 5 in 2024).
- Physics C – Mechanics: rated as very hard (7.5/ 10) and time-intensive (6.5 / 10). As with E&M, pass rates are high for those who stay the course (75% in 2024), with 23% earning a perfect score of 5.
- Chemistry: rated as very hard (7.4 / 10), time-intensive (7.0 / 10) and the hardest to self-study (8.4 / 10). However, a previously below-average pass rate (53% in 2022) is now high, at 75% (2023-24).
- English Literature: rated as very hard (7.3 / 10) and quite time-intensive (6.0 / 10). A previously very low pass rate (44% in 2021) has improved in recent years to 72% in 2024, but 23% of alumnae do not recommend this course.
Tips on choosing the right APs for you
The Head of AP, Trevor Packer, has some great advice on how to choose the right APs to suit your own needs and skills, and you can find his full tweet threat here.
But I want to focus on two of the points he mentions, which are really important for every future AP student to remember:
1. Don’t overdo your AP class-load:
One big reminder is that “students should resist pressure to take large numbers of AP classes“.
Why? Well, as Trevor points out, College Board offer 40 AP courses in a wide variety of subjects – because they want to give options to lots of students. NOT because you should be taking them all!
In fact, he notes that: “Our research finds that taking just 1-2 APs per year optimizes a student’s readiness for college. Take more only if the subject matter truly interests.”
You can access College Board’s research on the topic of AP class-load and performance right here.
2. Your AP scores are only ONE indicator of your learning and achievements:
Trevor reminds us that “AP scores’ only valid use is for placing a student out of a corresponding college course” and “have not been designed nor validated for evaluating student growth, student potential, or teacher quality“.
And never forget that your exam scores do not reflect your academic potential, capacity for growth or “what matters most: curiosity and eagerness to continue learning“.
Choosing APs by subject area: which class should you pick?
Not sure which AP class offers you the best chance of success within your chosen field of study? Got limited time and can’t take them all? This final section offers a comparison of the similar courses within each subject area:
History: what is the easiest vs hardest AP to take?
There are three history APs, and US History (APUSH), World History and European History are all similarly ranked as quite hard and time-consuming classes:
- US History: a hugely popular AP class, and the joint easiest history AP at 6.0 / 10 difficulty. The 2024 pass rate was 72%, however in 2022 and 2023 pass rates were just 48%.
- World History: also a popular course, similarly rated as 6.0 / 10 difficulty, and had a 64% pass rate in 2024.
- European History: the hardest history AP at 6.4 / 10 difficulty. The 2024 pass rate was 72%, up from 59% in 2023. Please note this is a much smaller course, likely taken by students who are keen historians.
If you’re considering taking an AP History course, be sure to check out our full AP course difficulty analyses for US History, World History and European History.
English: Literature or Language?
Literature is rated by alumnae as much harder than Language, and requires more study time. But if you can handle the Literature course, you’ll likely stand out from the crowd!
- English Language: a popular AP course with a 5.2 / 10 difficulty rating (Moderate Difficulty) but just 54% pass rate in 2024 (below average)
- English Literature: a slightly smaller course with a 7.3 / 10 difficulty rating (Very Hard) but higher 72% pass rate in 2024
If you’re considering taking an AP English course, be sure to check out our full AP course difficulty analyses for English Language and English Literature.
Macroeconomics or Microeconomics: which is harder?
Macroeconomics and Microeconomics offer a similar, relatively easy, difficulty level. However, Micro is more highly recommended (98%) than Macro (87%):
- Microeconomics: 4.6 / 10 difficulty rating, 65% pass rate (2024)
- Macroeconomics: 4.9 / 10 difficulty rating, 62% pass rate (2024)
N.B. Micro is rated ever so slightly more time consuming than Macro. Though Micro is also more interesting, in my personal opinion – I love microeconomics, such a cool field!
If you’re considering taking an AP Economics course, be sure to check out our full AP course difficulty analyses for Microeconomics and Macroeconomics.
Math: is Statistics or Calculus the better choice?
Simply put, according to alumnae reviews, Statistics is much easier than Calculus:
- Statistics: 4.9 / 10 difficulty rating, 62% pass rate in 2024
- Calculus AB: 5.6 / 10 difficulty rating*, 64% pass rate in 2024
- Calculus BC: 5.6 / 10 difficulty rating*, 80% pass rate in 2024
* Calculus AB and BC were asked as one subject in the alumnae review.
So if you’re just looking for an easy math class, take AP Stats. In fact, many reviewers say Stats almost doesn’t feel like a math class at all, and is very accessible to people who don’t normally feel “good at math”. (Though check out YouCubed’s article on growth mindset for math!)
However, you’ll likely want to take Calculus if you want to be well-prepared for more advanced study in Math and other quantitative subjects, like Engineering and Physics.
If you’re considering taking an AP Math course, be sure to check out our full AP course difficulty analyses for Statistics and Calculus AB/BC.
The Sciences: which is the easiest vs hardest class to take?
There are a lot of science AP classes, some (Psychology and Environmental Science) ranked as very easy, but most (Physics and Chemistry) as very hard:
- Psychology: 3.5 / 10 difficulty rating (Very Easy), 61% pass rate
- Environmental Science: 4.3 / 10 difficulty rating (Quite Easy), 54% pass rate (below average)
- Biology: 6.4 / 10 difficulty rating (Quite Hard), 68% pass rate
- Physics 2: 6.7 / 10 difficulty rating (Quite Hard), 68% pass rate
- Physics 1: 7.2 / 10 difficulty rating (Very Hard), 46% pass rate (that’s very low!)
- Chemistry: 7.4 / 10 difficulty rating (Very Hard), 75% pass rate
- Physics C – Mechanics: 7.5 / 10 difficulty rating (Very Hard), 75% pass rate
- Physics C – Electricity & Magnetism: 8.0 / 10 difficulty rating (Very Hard), 67% pass rate
And here’s the data for the Physics APs – they’re all considered hard!
So how to choose the Science AP for you? Consider that:
- Psychology, Biology, Chemistry and Physics 1 are all popular courses.
- Psychology and Environment are rated very easy to self-study. However, the others are rated hard to self-study, especially Chemistry.
- Chemistry and Physics 1/2 are tough courses and 13-22% of alumnae do not recommend these courses.
- In contrast, Physics C is both harder and highly recommended by it’s alunmae (95-96%).
If you’re considering taking an AP Science course, be sure to check out our individual full AP course difficulty analyses for Psychology, Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics 1 & 2, and Physics C – Mechanics and E&M.
Good luck!
Wishing you the best of luck in choosing the right AP classes for you!
If you’ve found our AP class difficulty ranking helpful, have a question for our Data Analyst and AP expert, William – or just have some thoughts to share: please leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!
Exam Study Expert founder William Wadsworth is a Cambridge University trained psychologist and data analyst. Since he first started crunching AP data in 2019, over half a million AP students have used his difficulty ratings analysis to choose their AP classes. William’s research on effective study strategies has been presented at top education conferences and reported in The Times, and he also hosts the top-rated Exam Study Expert podcast, with 1 million downloads to date.
Author Profile | About Us | Editorial Policy | Contact Us
Hi, I am currently a sophomore and I plan on taking 3 APs next year: AP Physics 1, Ap government(U.S + comparative), and AP CSP. I was wondering if this would be advisable since I’ve never taken an ap before because my school doesn’t allow me to. I plan on majoring in CS in college and I can’t take APCSA since I have prereqs I have to have complete so I am only left with AP CSP. What are your thoughts on this matter? Thanks in advance
Good idea to take Computer Science Principles and then Computer Science A (Java) senior year.
FYI, if you are going to major in CS, you probably won’t get any credit for CP CSP, and if you already know how to code, you won’t learn much about coding. You will learn good things about empathetic design, networking, and the impact of computing.
Hi! I can’t speak much about AP Chem. I was a special case where I took a college chemistry course for high school credit which also acted like AP Chem. But at least in my school, many students I know have said AP Chem was insanely difficult. These students were also taking AP Calc AB – some are taking BC – for the year and later they decided to drop out of AP Chem because their workload was too much. Not to mention, if you don’t like the trigonometry and unit circle I can’t imagine BC Calc being very enjoyable. Even with the math you learn in AB Calc those fundamentals are incredibly important. Honestly, with the amount of other AP classes you’ll be taking, despite you not worrying about them, the workload will add up 10-fold should you choose to do Chem and BC Calc. At the absolute most I would choose to do Chem and AB. However, not stressing about tests is a big plus for you, so of course that final decision is yours.
I am currently taking Calc BC and AP Chem and I don’t think it’s that bad if you REALLY like mathematics and science. I’m taking them with AP Lang and APES
If you guys are looking to self-study, use Khan Academy! Because of COVID-19, I wasn’t really able to retain a lot from my AP Chemistry and AP Macroeconomics class especially when learning remotely, so I resorted to self studying both curriculums. AP Chemistry’s 9 units took me about a month and a week to study, thanks to Khan Academy and my Barron’s book, and I am currently banging out unit 4 of macro! Even though every AP class may not be on Khan Academy, it was a great help for me especially because of the fact that they have tons of AP-aligned practice questions, and even explanations why my answer was right/wrong! No matter how hard an AP course might be, everyone has the potential to excel!
Well I took AP Lit as a junior and it was one of my favorite classes. We learn all about the classic novels and it’s obviously different for every school, but we didn’t do much essay writing. We focused more on the AP exam, so my teacher gave us lots of exam practices. If your AP Lit class is small you’re gonna have a blast. I had like 8 students in my class so it was definitely more comfortable and easier to participate, which helps the teacher to get to know you better (in case you want to use them for recommendation letters). Overall don’t stress at all about the class. I also took AP chem as a sophomore, I hated it but I still did really well. Of course it’s different for everyone, but it was sort of stressful for me. Tons of homework and tests, but I’m sure based off your previous AP classes you’ll do very well.
Hello, I am currently a junior. Next year I am considering taking AP Chem along with AP Calc AB BC (many of my friends will be doing calculus, too). Other classes I will take are AP Psych, AP Comp Sci, and government, which I am not worried about.
Apparently the AP Chem teacher at my school is really good, and when I first took Chemistry I enjoyed it. However, I haven’t taken chemistry since last year and idk if I will still remember how to do it. How hard will the class be if I enjoyed and did well in chem Honors?
The AP Calc teacher at my school is supposedly a good teacher, but she doesn’t show up for class often. I took pre-calc sophomore year, but I had a bad teacher and didn’t like the class. This year I’m taking AP Stat and the math in this class is nothing like calculus. I considered myself to be pretty good at math, but I don’t like math with trigonometry and the unit circle stuff. So, should I take AP Calc AB BC or just do AB?
Will doing AP Chem and Calc be too much? I am somewhat a procrastinator but I always get my work done and never stress about tests.
Don’t worry things will be alright. I’ll also be taking ab/bc next year and was concerned as you were. Thankfully based on my friends who are already taking the class this year, I learned that the amount of effort is what’s important. However the teacher is also an important factor to this, so don’t stress out as much and just go for it if you know the ab/bc teacher is good at your school😊
I am currently a junior, and I am taking AP Psych, AP Calc BC, and AP Lang right now. AP Psych is a lot of work for me but once I go through my notecards for the terms I’m pretty much fine, AP Calc BC is quite easy for me (mostly because I have a great teacher), and AP Lang is okay– I think I’ll do fine on the exams, I just really don’t like writing. Last semester and this semester so far I have had high As in all 3 of those classes.
Next year I plan on taking AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Spanish, and Honors Calc 3 (mulitvariable calc), not including my PE and band class. I am not too worried about Honors Calc 3 because I have done well in AP Calc BC and I consider myself much more of a math person, but I am a bit scared because I have heard that AP Chem and AP Lit are especially hard, and although I have a decent work ethic and can get things done well, I sometimes procrastinate and that can cause issues with my sleep schedule– but, like I said, I am still able to get my homework done & do well on the tests, essays, etc.
In addition, I am going to be doing marching band this coming season again, so my schedule will be packed, even with COVID interfering with the season.
For those of you who have taken the AP Lit or AP Chem courses in particular (especially if you took AP Chem and AP Bio at the same time), do you think I will be okay based on how I’ve done in my AP classes this year? What are you guys’ thoughts on taking that combination of classes, and also trying to not burn myself out in my last year of high school? As well, what would be your recommendations for succeeding in AP Lit and AP Chem?
I definitely agree with the notecards part. I am in AP Psych right now and I make a notecard with definitions, examples, people related to it, etc. for the large majority of the terms, and it has helped an enormous amount.
I found Alg 2 to be a challenge but it was relatively fun. If Alg 2 is easy, Pre Calc will be a breeze. I would recommend Pre Calc in that case because if Calculus isn’t your thing, you can always take AP Stats senior year. If you’re interested in a career in STEM, pick Calc. If you’re interested in humanities, it’s best to do AP stats at some point during your high school math career.
Hello there, I am not an expert in the field , but I would definitely recommend AP human Geo, It is relatively easy and is good for Law. I would definitely also recommend you manage your time to be able to take activities that may be of interest to you that help in Law like MUNs, debate team or club, conferences on a specific matter , and stuff like that. I have an interest in engineering so I don’t know too much about what you might be interested in . my best tip would be : DONT FORGET TO HAVE FUN. if you are fine with taking 3-4-5 Aps per year in grades 11 and 12 , that’s fine but don’t sell your soul just to take a bunch of courses. Balance your courses with some more rigorous courses here and some there. I say take Lang before Lit, and put psych when you want to lower the Load. Discuss with a school counselor if possible or if your school has some . If not, talk with a family member or friend who took similar courses.
Hey I’m a freshman going into sophomore year for 2021-22 and I was planning on taking 3 AP Classes and 3 Honors. I want to pursue Law so I am planning on taking AP World History, AP Psych, and another AP sophomore year but I haven’t decided on what that should be yet. Focusing on Critical thinking classes is my goal because it has been recommended to me if I want to go to Law School. The AP classes I want to take throughout the next three years are AP English Lit, AP English Comp, AP French, AP U.S. Gov, AP Psych, AP U.S. History, AP Calc BC, AP Economics, AP World History. I am open to taking others but I those are just the ones that I definitely want to take. If anyone has any recommendations for the third AP I should take sophomore year, or how I should map out my classes for sophomore to senior year please let me know.
you should take comp sci a. if you like coding.
Hi there! I’m a current sophomore with a very similar schedule, and I also want to be a lawyer. As strange as it sounds, AP Bio has helped me incredibly with my critical thinking, as well as AP CSP. AP Bio pushes you to think critically about every aspect of a concept you know, while AP CSP, even though it’s regarded as the easiest AP class, pushes you to think about problems creatively. Even if you’re not interested in these topics (I hate science, personally), I’ve found it really helps you develop the right mindset for this type of career. It also helps me deal with lots of work and studying (needed for law school). For reference, I’m taking AP Psych, AP World, and AP Bio, and have already taken AP CSP.
Hello, I will be a Junior next year and was wondering if i should take either Pre-Cal Honors or AP Statistics. I found Algebra II Honors, in my sophomore, fairly easy at times, but others not so much. If it helps any, I plan on taking AP Research and AP Psychology for my APs, US History Honors as my only other advanced class, and prepping for, and taking, the SAT and/or ACT; this being listed for the consideration of workload. Also if you’re willing to, can you drop info about all said courses. Thanks in advance!!
Hi! For your math choice, it really depends what you want to take next year. If you want to take calculus, I would recommend taking pre-calc, as it explains some of the topics you need to know for calculus. Also, you need to take AP Seminar before you take AP Research, this is part of the AP Capstone diploma program. Info on that here: https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-ap-capstone-should-you-do-it#:~:text=AP%20Research%20Overview,a%20topic%20that%20interests%20you.
Hope this helped!
I’m a Junior currently deciding what AP courses I should take for my senior year. I’m set on AP Literature, AP Government and Politics and AP Environmental Science. I’m taking Algebra 2 Hon this year and have done really good in it. The math I’m set to take next year is pre-calc, but my friend asked me if I wanted to do pre-calc with her over the summer and go into either AP Calc AB or AP Stat with her next year. I considered this option earlier in the year and now this has me thinking about it again. I definitely think I can handle an AP math course and I know a good tutor who could help me, but do you guys think it’ll be too hard on top of those other AP classes? And should I take either AP Calc AB or AP Stat? Or should I just stick with pre-calc next year?
Hey! I definitely think that you can do Precalc over the summer. In fact, that was the only class I did in the summer because I didn’t have space for it. I’m currently taking both AP Stat and AP Calc AB. The only thing I would recommend you do while and after you take PreCalc is to memorize the Unit Circle entirely because the Unit Circle will definitely appear a lot of times in Calc. Both, AP Calc AB and AP Stat, are really easy and I recommend that you take them.
Take precalc honors if you are thinking about going into anything business-related whether it’s your major or your job. Or just take it if you like math. If you don’t like math, take Stats. This was the advice my precalc teacher gave me.
This is directed to orrtam. For some reason, when I try to reply, it submits as a comment instead. :/
It’s funny you mentioned AP Capstone, I read about it the other day and added it to my plan, along with a few other changes. I’m planning to take AP Seminar in sophomore year and AP Research in junior year. I also have the four other APs needed for the Capstone diploma, so I’m pretty much set. If you want, we can start an email chain in which I tell you my ideas for classes and you give me advice? Lmk if you want to do this and I can give you my email.
Thanks William! This website has been a very helpful guide for me trying to decide my high school APs. Even though I’m a seventh grader, this really helped me get an idea of which APs I should/shouldn’t take or self-study. =D
I’m so glad! Good luck with your choices 🙂
Hey all, it’s William (author of the site) – I just wanted to take a moment to honour each and every one of you reading this.
To those choosing your APs, I wish you every success in your chosen classes. There’s some hard work to come, but you’ve got this, and we’ll be rooting for you!
And to those so generously offering their experience and advice to others in the comments, thank you so much for taking the time to help out – you’re really kind people.
While I’m here, just a very gentle reminder to keep the thread clean, and supportive – 99.999% of the time it is, I know. So thank you so much to you all for making this comments section such a welcoming little corner of the Internet.
If there’s ever anything else I can do to support you or improve things round here for you all, just let me know by reply to this comment, or by getting in touch directly at https://examstudyexpert.com/about/contact/.
Study smart and have fun 🙂
If I am planning to pursue a Medical career do I need to take AP Bio, AP Chem, and AP Physics 1. in addition, would it be advisable to take AP Physics 1 along with advanced Chem and Bio in my junior year, and then take AP chem and AP Bio in my senior year, and btw I am taking other APs like: Calc, Stats, Lang, Psych, French. Therefore, do you think this will be a burden and what would be your advice for me?
Moderator / article author here! It’s not often I step in, but Ahmed, I just removed a slightly un-supportive reply to your question. The strong language and tone of that reply weren’t quite in the spirit of what’s normally a very supportive and constructive comments thread. I hope you get some other helpful replies from your peers, and wishing you EVERY success with your APs and med school application 🙂
Hey Ahmed! I wouldn’t recommend taking all 3 sciences in one year, especially with one of them being AP Physics and the rest being accelerated. Also, looking at all the other APs you’re taking, it seems like a lot of work, but if you are determined and have good study habits, you might be able to pull it off. Good luck!
I would definitely recommend taking bio and chem. Physics is not as important as the other classes, so unless you really want to take it, I wouldn’t take the ap course, a normal accelerated class will be enough. Also if possible, I would recommend not taking ap chem and ap bio in the same year. The work load will be extremely tough, and it will be hard to remember which is which. No matter what you choose, remember to not stress your self out, especially in these difficult times.
Good luck!!
is APCSP hard to self study? I am planning to take intro to java next year and I’d like to self study for the CSP test. I’m an incoming junior.
I’m self-studying for the AP exam for that course this year as well, and honestly as long as you get the right textbook and just study a few hours a week(say 30 min or 1 hour a day), you’ll be fine. It’s not that hard to grasp the concepts, so you’ll be okay. I recommend getting 5 steps to a 5: APCSP, second edition for exam prep and the Computer Science Principles textbook by Kevin Hare for the content. Good luck!
Hi there! I’m a freshman debating whether or not I should be self-studying AP Psych next year. I’m also currently taking AP HuG and self-studying APES. Anyone have any suggestions?
Hi! I’m currently selfstudying AP psych
Hello! I’m a sophomore currently self studying AP psych. If you are already self studying APs this year, I definitely think you can do it next year as well depending on the rest of your course load. Psych is interesting, you just need to make sure you have time. Hope this helps!
Hello! I’m currently a sophomore but next year I am planning to take intro to java, as I currently don’t have any CS experience. If I selfstudy java in the summer to prepare better for AP computer science principles, would it be hard? Does anyone have any experience w/ APCSP?
APCSP doesn’t have a set language so it changes from school to school. At my school, we used python but the AP test is given in a certain style that would be similar to pseudo code or a language that doesn’t actually exist. That is the best help I can give because the test got scrapped due to COVID when I took it last year so I don’t fully know they layout. I do know the language changes from school to school. Java is used I believe for APCSA for which you don’t necessarily need to have taken APCSP.
Hello! I’m a freshman currently taking honors bio and I want to take AP bio next year. However, I’m not sure if I should be taking chemistry as well, I want to take honors physics as a junior and AP physics as a senior. Should I be taking AP bio and honors chemistry in sophomore year?
Yes you definitely should! It would be well worth it in the long run
Not at all! I really liked getting advice from people with more experience, I lowered the amount of self-study APs, got rid of summer classes, and lightened it up a little. Your feedback really helped me! Thanks so much! =)
Just updated: Is this better?
8th Grade:
Honors Geometry
9th Grade:
Fall Semester:
Honors Freshman English 1
Honors Algebra 2
Honors Biology
AP Human Geography
DC Spanish 1
Physical Education
Computer Programming
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
Honors Freshman English 2
Honors Algebra 2
Honors Biology
AP Human Geography
DC Spanish 1
Honors Statistics
Computer Programming
Study Hall/Free Period
10th Grade:
Fall Semester:
Honors Sophomore English 1
Honors Pre-Calculus
AP Biology
AP US History
DC Spanish 2
Computer Programming
Physical Education
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
Honors Sophomore English 2
Honors Pre-Calculus
AP Biology
AP US History
DC Spanish 2
Computer Programming
Honors Statistics
Study Hall/Free Period
11th Grade:
Fall Semester:
AP English Language
Honors Calculus
Honors Physics
AP World History
DC Spanish 3
AP Macroeconomics
Physical Education
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
AP English Language
Honors Calculus
Honors Physics
AP World History
DC Spanish 3
AP Macroeconomics
AP Statistics
Study Hall/Free Period
12th Grade:
Fall Semester:
AP English Literature
AP Calculus BC
DC Physics 2
AP European History
DC Spanish 4
AP Microeconomics
Physical Education
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
AP English Literature
AP Calculus BC
DC Physics 2
AP European History
DC Spanish 4
AP Microeconomics
AP Statistics
Study Hall/Free Period
Self-Study AP Classes (Possibly)
AP Environmental Studies (9th Grade)
AP Psychology (10th Grade)
AP Computer Science A (11th Grade)
AP Computer Science Principles (12th Grade)
Nahaar, it’s good to see you’re planning early and wanting to get ahead. Your schedule looks quite good. I don’t know if you want to self-study 4 APs, though, because that will take some time to self-study and you could be working on other things; grades and courses are important, but you also need to have good extracurriculars. I think everything else looks good, though. If you’re planning these courses this early, I think you’ll do just fine in these courses.
Thanks for the feedback. I’m planning to self study one AP each year, not 4 in one, that would just be crazy. =)
I would recommend switching a couple of your self study aps. I would do ap psych in 9th, ap csp in 10th, ap csa in 11th, and ap es in 12th.
8th Grade:
Honors Geometry
9th Grade:
Fall Semester:
Honors Freshman English 1
Honors Algebra 2
Honors Biology
AP Human Geography
DC Spanish 1
Physical Education
Computer Programming
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
Honors Freshman English 2
Honors Algebra 2
Honors Biology
AP Human Geography
DC Spanish 1
Honors Statistics
Computer Programming
Study Hall/Free Period
10th Grade:
Fall Semester:
Honors Sophomore English 1
Honors Pre-Calculus
AP Biology
AP US History
DC Spanish 2
Computer Programming
Physical Education
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
Honors Sophomore English 2
Honors Pre-Calculus
AP Biology
AP US History
DC Spanish 2
Computer Programming
Honors Statistics
Study Hall/Free Period
11th Grade:
Fall Semester:
AP English Language
Honors Calculus
Honors Physics
AP World History
DC Spanish 3
AP Macroeconomics
Physical Education
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
AP English Language
Honors Calculus
Honors Physics
AP World History
DC Spanish 3
AP Macroeconomics
AP Statistics
Study Hall/Free Period
12th Grade:
Fall Semester:
AP English Literature
AP Calculus BC
DC Physics 2
AP European History
DC Spanish 4
AP Microeconomics
Physical Education
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
AP English Literature
AP Calculus BC
DC Physics 2
AP European History
DC Spanish 4
AP Microeconomics
AP Statistics
Study Hall/Free Period
Self-Study AP Classes (Possibly)
AP Environmental Studies (9th Grade)
AP Psychology (10th Grade)
AP Computer Science A (11th Grade)
AP Computer Science Principles (12th Grade)
Do you think this is better orrtam?
Sorry for the late reply. I didn’t see this. Yes, that looks a lot better. There is a lot more balance. If I were to suggest something, try looking into AP Capstone which entails AP Seminar and Research. Apparently colleges really like AP Capstone and you could even get a diploma from it.
Also, just wanted to mention for anyone conflicted about how many APs they should take, my brother and sister took dual credit classes instead and said that they are much better, you can get credit just by taking the class, they preferred them over AP.
Hey! I’m actually a 7th grader but I’m super nervous about high school and the classes I should be taking. Anyone with experience in the classes mentioned, I would like some advice as to if I should take them and how challenging they are. DC stands for Dual Credit by the way.
8th Grade/Summer:
Honors Geometry
Honors Biology
Honors Spanish
9th Grade:
Fall Semester:
Honors Freshman English 1
Honors Algebra 2
DC Biology
Honors Geography
DC Spanish 1
Physical Education
Computer Programming
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
Honors Freshman English 2
Honors Algebra 2
DC Biology
Honors Geography
DC Spanish 1
Honors Statistics
Computer Programming
Study Hall/Free Period
Summer:
Honors Pre-Calculus
Honors Chemistry
Honors US History
10th Grade:
Fall Semester:
Honors Sophomore English 1
DC Pre-Calculus
DC Chemistry
AP US History
DC Spanish 2
Computer Programming
Physical Education
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
Honors Sophomore English 2
DC Pre-Calculus
DC Chemistry
AP US History
DC Spanish 2
Computer Programming
Honors Statistics
Study Hall/Free Period
Summer:
Honors Calculus
Honors Physics
Honors World History
Honors Economics
11th Grade:
Fall Semester:
AP English Language
DC Calculus
DC Physics
AP World History
DC Spanish 3
AP Macroeconomics
Physical Education
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
AP English Language
DC Calculus
DC Physics
AP World History
DC Spanish 3
AP Macroeconomics
DC Statistics
Study Hall/Free Period
Summer:
Honors European History
12th Grade:
Fall Semester:
AP English Literature
DC Calculus
DC Physics 2
AP European History
DC Spanish 4
AP Microeconomics
Physical Education
Study Hall/Free Period
Spring Semester:
AP English Literature
DC Calculus
DC Physics 2
AP European History
DC Spanish 4
AP Microeconomics
DC Statistics
Study Hall/Free Period
Maybe Self-Study AP Classes
AP Human Geography (9th Grade)
AP Environmental Studies (9th Grade)
AP Psychology (10th Grade)
AP US Government and Politics (10th Grade)
AP Computer Science A (11th Grade)
AP Computer Science Principles (12th Grade)
Hey! You have nothing to worry about high school. My rule of thumb is taking a class if you have a interest in it. If you do not like a subject and you want to take it, be prepared to put the extra effort. You definitely will have a lot on your plate, looking at the courses you want to take. However, I do think it is a little ambitious because you need to be able to balance your school life with your personal life, otherwise you will crash. I don’t want to be pessimistic. You should consider lighting up the load for 9th grade. This is your first year and you need to have a general understanding of high school life before you start taking a lot of hard classes which I think you did for your freshman year. I would never recommend taking a class over the summer especially ones that you will definitely need later on like Chemistry, PreCalc, and US History. All these classes need a strong foundation. Classes over the summer tend to skip a few things. If you have a weak foundation, later on when you take more of these classes, I can guarantee you will struggle. You can definitely take all these classes, you just need to commit. You also need to have a break here and there. Good Luck!
Thanks for the feedback! =)
No problem! I feel was a little pessimistic- sorry about that. I think you can definitely take these classes. Just make sure that you have amazing time management skills, and you have to be really organized. Good luck!
I am only in my sophomore year right now, so I can only speak for some of your classes in the first two years.
Honors bio was easy enough for me, but many of my peers thought it was quite difficult. If science is a strong subject for you, I suspect you’ll be fine.
Honors Spanish: I took spanish in 7th and 8th grade, and I picked it up pretty quickly. If you already have some spanish experience than the class should be easy. If not, I have no clue because some people think foreign language classes are super hard and some people think they are easy. Just so you know, Spanish II is basically just the same thing as Spanish I with some new vocab and slightly different units. Very few pieces of extra curriculum in the second level for some reason.
Honors geometry was relatively easy for me during the first semester but intermediate to difficult during the second. I had a really amazing teacher, though, so maybe it was only easy for me because of that.
***Note, summer school is very short, so expect your courses to be more difficult just because of the pace.
I have no experience with dual credit classes
Honors Algebra II provides a lot of new content, but I’ve found it all quite digestible so far this year.
Honors Chem. This one is definitely one of my more difficult classes, but it has not felt too strenuous at all.
Honors English classes: Both years I have taken an honors English class. Both were boring and annoying, but both were quite easy
Geography: I took AP Human Geography, and it was intermediate to difficult. An honors class is supposed to be slightly easier than an AP class so I would say expect something on the better side of intermediate.
Computer programming: I don’t know how this compares to AP Computer Science Principles, but that is what I took and programming feels pretty easy for me. Most people would probably say that APCSP is easy-intermediate
AP European History: Definitely my most difficult class. Lots of work, somewhat complex. My teacher offers a lot of extra credit so from a grade standpoint it has been smooth sailing. I have done well on all of our tests but we have not done very little written response work for tests and the remote format of our education might have influenced the teachers to make the tests easier. The AP test for this class is one of the more difficult ones, or so I’ve heard
TLDR: I am putting in a lot of work but I definitely have a good grade. I don’t know if the amount of work I am doing would be enough during a normal school year, but I think it probably would.
My advice: my Freshman year was actually quite easy, my sophomore year has been intermediate overall. You are taking a few classes that are higher level than what I took, but you are also probably smarter (or at least more hard-working) than I am. I suspect you’ll do just fine in the classes I said are easy and have a similar experience to me in the ones that I said are intermediate or difficult. You strike me as a math/science buff, so my best guess is that you will be able to cruise along nice and easy until calculus, which I hear is very difficult.
Thanks so much, David, this really helped! =)
Hello, I am going into junior year and I am planning to take AP chemistry, AP language and composition, and AP calculus BC. Is this going to be manageable, and should I consider taking on AP US history as well?
I plan on taking AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Seminar, and AP Physics C Mechanics next year in my junior year. Is that too much?
I am planning to take these 3 AP Classes on my Junior year:
AP English Language and Composition
AP Biology
AP United States History
What was the experience in these 3 classes I listed above? How hard are each of them?
Currently taking AP Lang and APUSH. My teacher in Lang is SO easy I literally have a 98 but I know I am probably not going to do well on the AP test. The content of the class itself, personally, is not too hard. For APUSH, I really enjoy the class and I find it super interesting. It is also way less work than I expected (probably because of virtual school). The DBQs, LEQs, etc. can definitely be hard but once you grasp the format and practice them, they become bearable. The class definitely requires a lot of memorization of events, people, etc. though but I do recommend it if you have any interest in history.
Hi! I am currently a high school sophomore taking AP World History. I’m having trouble deciding what APs I should take next year. I am thinking of taking AP Comp Sci A, AP Bio or Chem or Environmental Science, and AP Psych. What was the experience with these classes? How time consuming and difficult are each of these classes in your opinion?
Hey! I am currently taking APCS and it is not to challenging. I haven’t had much work in the class and overall it’s not hard to study for. I reccomend watching videos online if you struggle with anything becuase there are tons of good ones out there.
Hi! I am also a current junior, but I am taking AP Physics, so I will talk on that:
Overall, its not as hard as people make it to sound. if you study for 30 mins to an hour a day and use AP Classroom videos (along with any other resources), you should be golden
I have been told from friends in AP Bio that AP Bio is hard AND a ton of work.
At the end of the day, its really up to you. If you are good at using formulas and at math, Physics is the way to go
If you are better at memorizing things, then do bio
Hope this helped!
I am planning to take these 3 AP Classes on my Junior year:
AP English Language and Composition
AP Biology
AP United States History
What was the experience in these 3 classes I listed above? How hard are each of them?
my bad i thought it would be a comment post
Hi Jamal! Here is what I felt about the classes:
AP Lang is not too challenging and is quite enjoyable. You will need to do some vocabulary learning on your own and you will have to develop a joy in reading. Overall, I would def recommend the class.
AP Bio is a class I have not taken, but my friends have said that it is a lot of work, a lot of things to memorize, quite difficult but overall intriguing and interesting.
APUSH was amazing! It was a good amount of work, but it was really fun and I learned a lot. This class was not hard in content, just a lot to know
If you have any other questions, feel free to DM me on insta at you_got_the_wrong_rana
my bad i thought i was putting a comment instead it was a reply. my apologies
I’m about to be a sophomore in high school and am planning on taking ap euro. Is ap seminar hard/time consuming? I want to get a job and up community sevice hours. I also do sports maybe 2 hours for most days of the week. Would I have enough time for ap seminar?
nope
if you plan on taking seminar, make sure to have A LOT of free time. It’s not a hard class, but the work that you have to do for it is a lot.
I’m not sure if you would have enough time, but the class goes from having barely any work at all to a ton all of the sudden. It truly depends on the day/week.
I am currently a high school junior trying to decide classes for next year. I plan on doing something math/science based in college (possibly chemical engineering). Should I take Calc AB or BC next year? And should I take AP physics or AP bio? I plan on taking a couple other APs along side these so I don’t want the course load to be too overwhelming which is why I am having trouble with my decision since I have heard AP Calc BC and AP Physics are very hard.
BTW I am currently taking AP chem
Question- I am going to take ap chemistry next school year. Any thoughts on it? Is it easy or difficult? Thank you
It is not as bad as I was expecting, but also the class is much different since it’s mostly virtual. I have always enjoyed chemistry so I usually find the work bearable and not too difficult. The FRQs on the tests I rarely have trouble with but sometimes the multiple choice is a little hard (we don’t do much practice with that in class though). I definitely recommend taking it if you have any interest in chem.
Is Chemistry I Honors hard class? How much is the homework load? I will be taking in my sophomore year.
BTW I am currently taking AP chem
I am currently a high school sophmore and was planning out what ap’s I wanted to take junior and senior year. Anyone want to tell me how AP Human Geography, AP Psycology, and AP Environmental Science is like (is there a lot of workload, is it hard, etc.)?
I’m currently in AP Environmental Science, it’s pretty easy I think, in fact one of the easier AP classes out there! I haven’t taken AP Psychology but from what I heard it’s fairly easy as well!
AP Human is really easy and has a small workload. You will do amazing if you have a interest in it. I personally found it so interesting and I think that was the reason I did so well in the class. I took Psychology online and I hated it. I didn’t learn anything. But it’s up to you. If you have a interest in psychology definitely take it. I’m taking APES right now. It’s a lot of fun and has a small workload. Have fun next year!
I am a current freshman taking AP Human Geography and I am worried about what I should take in sophmore year. I am considering taking AP European History or AP World History, but keep getting mixed signals on which one of them is easier. I would be taking one of these alongside LA 10 Honors. Is this too little to look good on college applications? I want to slowly ease myself into taking more AP classes, but I keep seeing people taking at least 3 or 4 at a time. Should I be taking more? If so, which classes?
Hi! I would personally say that AP world is the easier of the two. If you want to be able to learn the history without having to stress about specific dates, then World is def the way to go.
About the amount of classes other people are taking: DO NOT WORRY ABOUT IT! Learning is about your pace. Many students I know are taking APs just to pass. They get As, but dont remember anything and are ultimately failing themselves. I am a junior taking 4 APs and I am able to balance school with life. However, I do take lots of time studying, so if you dont have spare time, I would definitally consider only taking 2-3.
If you want to take more APs, I would recommend AP US History (lots of work but very fun), AP Computer Science Principles (extremely easy, not much work), or AP Psychology (Good amount of work and fun)
Let me know if you need any more help!
Hi i’m currently a sophomore !
I’m taking two APs this year. At my school ppl in my grade usually take just one to start with. I’m taking APUSH and AP Biology. APUSH is easy for me and my grades are fine. Bio, though, is an issue. My average first quarter was 73 and my current average is a 75, which I expect to go up into at least mid 80s with test retakes. I’m also taking this class online, which has made it significantly easier to fall behind, which has led to me having to rush through assignments and studying. I also never took a regular bio or chemistry course, so am I really doing that bad, all things considered ?
This has really been stressing me out so any advice would be super helpful.
Overall considered, I think you are doing fine. I’m not gonna lie, it could be better, but first try to turn in all the missing assignments and anything you have left to do. Maybe then it’ll be easier focusing in class?
An 80 in AP is not that bad, and 85 is very good too though. Not trying to pressure you.
It honestly depends why you are taking the AP. Is it to get in a highly selective college or just because it interests you?
As long as you do excellent in AP courses that interest you and show colleges that you are really something in that particular field and you maintain a 80 in AP Bio, you should be fine.
What is the best ap classeroom ?
Hey! I’m a sophmore and I’m taking three APs: AP Chinese, AP World History, and AP Compsci A. I’m not sure if it’s just my school, but AP Compsci A is really really hard for me. I haven’t gotten higher than an F on any of my tests. As for the other classes, I’m doing ok in Chinese and I need more practice in AP World History. What are some resources that I should consider using for any of the APs that I’m taking. Also, what are some APs I should take next year (junior year). I’m more into STEM compared to literature arts. And I really really want to become a surgeon or pursue something in the medical field. I would love any feedback.
Sincerely,
Someone whos dreams are getting crushed cuz of their sucky grades 🙁
Hey! It’s William here – I write this blog 🙂 I’ll leave it for others to comment on some of the other bits of your question if that’s OK, but I wanted to give you a thumbs up for your clear vision to go into surgery / medicine! You’re right of course, you’ll need reasonably decent grades for that… the most common reason for low grades is something wrong with your study system – either not studying enough, or not studying smart. I’ve got a free cheat sheet with some top tips on this. You can get hold of it here: https://examstudyexpert.com/books-and-guides/free-study-guides/.
I think it should really help you. And if you have any other questions, you can always get in touch 🙂
I am currently a Junior with 2 AP classes AP Bio and AP Psych. I wanted to know what classes to take for my senior year. I want to know if AP Lit is hard. And if I should take AP Calculus or AP Stats. And If I should take AP Chem. I want some tips on how to study and or if the class is worth it.
AP Literature is fairly difficult but nothing that cant be done. As for AP Calculus or AP Stats, it really depends on what your going for in terms of class difficulty. AP Calculus is a difficult class if you’re not the best at math, whereas AP Statistics involves actual real world problems that also have math incorporated into the course. AP Calculus looks better on a college application than AP Statistics but Statistics is a considerably easier.
Hi Zuleika! I am currently a junior and am planning on taking AP Bio and AP Psych as you are right now, next year. Is the class hard for you or in general from your view? And how do you manage the work load?
Also, AP Chem is a bit harder than AP Bio due to memorization and calculation of elements and atoms. But it will be easier if you have good memory.
Should I take AP Government & Politics and AP Macroeconomics senior year? What AP government/economics classes are best to take that’s not too hard but beneficial at the same time?
ive heard both of them are super easy
Hey, Im a sophomore in high school and in my school they don’t let us take AP classes as freshman so this will be my first time taking them. I want to study civil engineering just as my dad but right now I don’t want to take calculus since I don’t know anything about that and besides the system where I live is different as US so I want to take easy AP classes so I can get comfortable and then next year I will take harder ones. I want to take 2 in total this year Right now I think about AP Statistics but I don’t know if I should take AP Psychology AP Human Geography or AP Environmental Science. Just to clarify I don’t know anything about his courses, pls Help me!
Hi! I’m a freshman right now and I’m taking AP Human Geography. I can’t really compare it to other classes, since it’s my first AP class, but in my opinion it’s relatively pretty easy and I totally recommend it. For the most part I don’t spend a lot of time studying for the class, except for test, but I still have a 99 average. In my class the course load is nothing you can’t handle and it’s even kind of fun. This is the first social studies class, where I feel like I’m actually learning useful information. It honestly really depends on the teacher though, when it comes to coarse load, because one of my friends is also taking APGH at a different school, but she finds it pretty hard and time consuming. I feel like for the most part it’s a great and easy class and I honestly feel like I’m learning so much from it, you should consider taking it!
Thanks!!!
What do you think “Brainly” ?
I would definitely recommend taking AP Psychology! It’s a class that everyone should take no matter what and It’s a class that’s interesting, fun, and enjoyable! It teaches you so many important things that I feel everyone should know. The overall class is easy and I have an A+ in the class. The only downside, it’s a lot of reading and memorization. Basically hard work but easy grades. It’s all worth it in the end though!
Hey guys, aspiring doctor here.
I am currently a sophomore, and I have a long list of AP classes that I would like to take. As of right now, I am taking AP World (year-long), and next semester, I will take APES (semester long). I have not made a B in a class since middle school, and I am willing to spend long nights studying. Also, at my school, nearly every AP is year-long. That being said, Junior year I am planning on trying to do: APUSH, AP Bio, AP Calc AB, and AP Language as my schedule for the whole year. I am considering doing AP Psychology online (also yearlong). What do you guys think of the schedule? I’m finding it hard to connect with teachers and other students, as most students at my school do not take classes like this, so please shoot me with some info on the schedule! Thanks y’all 🙂
If your looking for A’s just always ask for help If you don’t understand something and do all the assignments as best as you can. There are also many helpful resources for studying some of the classes your interested in like the crash course app which I highly reccomend, khan academy, and the college board even provides their own AP videos for each class.
Hi! I am currently a Junior taking 4 APs, and I have to tell you that I personally do not think AP Lang is too hard. As long as you study, you will be fine. However, I took APUSH my Sophomore year, and it was A LOT of work. I have never received a grade lower than an A, and APUSH was no exception, but I would spend up to 15 hours a week only on APUSH homework. Do not let this deter you, though: it was such a fun class and I really enjoyed it! I also thought that the AP test was relatively easy, but remember that everyone’s experience is different. I am not in AP Bio (I take AP Physics) but I have heard that it is a challenging class, It seems like a lot of work, but if you are good with keeping up with things, you should be fine. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Im thinking about taking AP Physics, but was wandering how hard it is.
AP Physics is not as hard as people make it seem to be. As long as you can memorize formulas and be able to manipulate them, you should be okay. HOWEVER, you will need to study and do a good amount of homework. Out of my 4 APS, I spend about an hour and a half a day studying compared to the 15/20 minutes I spend with AP Lang and APCSP. Overall, you should definitely give it a shot!
I’ve taken AP Lang for the quarter this year and it wasn’t too hard. It was a light workload. I am currently taking AP Psychology online and I would highly recommend it! It’s hard work but easy grades. The only other class I can offer input on is APUSH and to be honest, all my friends taking it say they’re drowning in schoolwork. Seriously, it’s a lot of work! Don’t be discouraged though and do what’s best for you!
I agree with APUSH… I took it sophomore year and it was a lot of work. It was not difficult, it just required a lot of time. If you like US History and am fine devoting lots of time to it, then it is a wonderful AP.
I am a sophmore who started school around three weeks ago. My school doesn’t let freshmen take AP classes, otherwise I would have, so this year I am taking AP Bio, AP World, and AP Econ. The first week of school was rough in terms of workload but I think I’m managing things pretty well now. My school only offers AP World and AP Euro to sophmores and you’re not allowed to take them both. I really want to take AP Euro so I found an online course that would help me self study for it. I know that during midterms and the AP exams things will be insane. I’m just looking for any thoughs on AP Euro. I will probably self study a fourth class either way, so I’m really just going between AP Euro (which I’m more intrested in) or AP Psych (which I’ve heard is much easier). For context, all my other classes are honors and I’m on a varsity sports team with a pretty big time commitment (but because of COVID the season ends at the begining of November). I know a lot of people find the AP History classes to be some of the hardest, but I’m pretty good at history, and struggle a ton more in science.
I am going into my junior year and I am taking Calc AB and BC, AP Chem, AP Lang, and AP Comp Sci Principles.
I am planning on self studying and taking the exam for either: Psych or Macroeconomics. Which one would be easier?
Psychology is much easier, I guarantee you that. But its also useful to know economics just for the real world.
I self study for both psych and macro. In my opinion psych is easier. 5 for psych and 3 for both micro and macro. All you have to do for psych is to define vocabs. So if you can remember things easily psych will probably be easier for you. Macro involves some thinking and analysis which I’m not good at so I ended up with a lower score. All based on personal preference. I study with the 5 steps to 5 series of prep books for all three of these exams. Hope this helped!
Hi! I’m wondering what you used to self study AP psych? I’m considering it rn but I only have the barrons book.
I use the Myers textbook, you can find good summaries of it on wikinotes and on a Youtube channel called “Social Sciences Simplified”. I would recommend using both of those resources and taking notes, and then making flash cards for vocab. If you go over the flashcards every few days just to make sure you know all the vocab then you’ll be fine
Should I take AP Statistics if I’m bad at math? The teacher is strict but gets annoyed when you don’t understand the concept. I feel like it will look good but I’m also already taking 4 other AP’s for senior year.
I found it easy at times and difficult at others. Definitely worth it though, and you can always ask past students for help so you don’t annoy teachers. It’s a lot of memorization.
I am going to be a Sophomore this year and I plan on taking: AP Lang, APUSH, and AP Environmental Science. I am experienced to AP classes, as I took WHAP freshman year; but my teacher wasn’t the greatest (solely based the class on self study). I also plan on getting a job this year; but I don’t know how rigorous these courses are. (These 3 classes along with Algebra II are my only core classes this year) Are there anythings I should consider with my future plans?
it honestly depends on your school’s ap program and how busy you are outside of school and your job. you might be okay just because you aren’t in an advanced math class, but it will definitely be a lot of work and you’ll have virtually no free time if you want to do well.
AP English Language was not too bad. I took it this year as a junior and passed the AP exam. Honestly, the hardest aspect of it are the multiple choice questions, far more than the essays. Just follow along with your teacher’s lessons and examples and you should be fine. Also, the class mostly involves analysis on arguments.
Hello. I am taking AP European History as a Sophomore. Is that class very hard?
Yes it is extremely hard, additionally it is slightly more difficult than APUSH and AP World History. AP Gov is by far the easiest AP history class.
it’s not hard don’t listen
i suck at history and i passed so
I loved my AP Euro class so much! I passed the exam with a five and the class itself was a lot of fun. Pro tip if you aren’t understanding a topic watch Tom Richey’s YouTube videos.
I plan on taking a few ap classes online, are these classes hard to self study in one semester?
The first semester I plan on taking:
Ap Statistics AB
Ap Government- U.S
The second semester I plan on taking:
Ap Human Geography
Ap Microeconomics
AP HUMAN was pretty easy and you just had to listen in class and do your hw
Yeah APHuG was really easy. Just listen in class and do the readings. I didn’t do any studying besides what we did in class and I ended up with a 5 on the exam. Though the teacher for HuG at my school is really well renowned so I may have had it a bit easier.
You used the wrong kind of graph for the distribution of difficulty ratings of Physics, it should be a bar graph.
Star student – was just testing you 😉
Seriously though, thanks for pointing that out – you’re quite right of course and I’m annoyed at myself for not catching it sooner. I just checked the stats, this page has had 115,000 hits to date, and you’re the first person to mention it!!
So well done, and thanks! On my to-do list to fix next week.
someone did their bit of AP Stats.
Hey I’m going to be a junior next year and I need help choosing my courses 🙁
I have to take:
AP Language
AP Calculus BC
AP Euro History
AP Computer Science
AP Statistics
but I’m not sure if I should take AP Bio or Chem
I took Honors Bio in 9th and Honors Chem in 10th so I’m debating
i think AP Bio and Chem are equally difficult. Just think about what career you want to go into, and which one you liked better. I took both in high school and I am majoring in Biochemistry.
I am going into senior year and was wondering whether I should take AP Statistics or AP Spanish Language. Which class is easier and will benefit me in college?
AP statistics, if you had 2 or more years in Spanish then for sure for for ap statistics because it can help you in college and life
I am going into sophmore year. I plan to take AP Biology, AP Chinese, APUSH, and possibly one more. My school doesn’t allow freshmen to take AP classes and doesn’t recomend sohpmores attempt more than two or three. I already speak fairly good Chinese so I might self-study that one. All of my other classes are honors. I don’t know much about the workload from these classes, and although I want to be challenged I don’t want to have an insane amount of time studying (to the point where I can’t keep up). I am also on a competitive sports team which takes up time, but I don’t mind staying up late to study, and I’m pretty used to being sleep-deprived 😉 Just wondering if taking on a fourth AP would be insane. Thx!
Honestly i think it would be. Im going to be a sophomore also. Freshman year i took APUSH and ap prep English. English wasnt that difficult but apush was. I was just able to get a b+ each marking period. We also had about have the class drop out half way through the year. I wouldn’t advise you taking 4, especially if this is something youve never done before. Unless your insanely smart and have good time management skills, id stick to just a couple. You can always take more next year if you think youre up for it. Either way good luck?
Your gonna need it
Depends. I took 3 (CSP, Gov, self studied for Bio during COVID) and it was just possible. 10th grade I’m taking Phys C, Java, Calc BC, and APUSH. I’m probably going to quit my JV sport because of the class load, but if you know some Chinese, and you study a bit over the summer (just going on Khan Academy and finishing some units) it definitely helps. Just remember that you have to have a reason to take all of your APs. For me, 2 (APUSH and Java) were essentially required, but I’m only taking the other two because I want to get an internship that I’ve seen some of the upperclassmen get. If you just want to take an extra AP for the hell of it, think it through. Also don’t let your parents influence you. AP classes aren’t meant to be your one achievement you show if you want to get into good colleges. A competitive sport is great, but unless you’re a world class athlete, you need good GPAs and test scores, and really just something that makes you interesting (read How To Become a High School Superstar, it’s a cheesy title but is really great to understand what really matters and what doesn’t). Also it sucks you couldn’t take APs freshmen year, but ya know you just have to take it as you get it.
My school only offered 1 AP class sophomore year so what you’re doing looks great! Both AP Bio and APUSH are quite time consuming so I wouldn’t recommend taking 4 AP classes sophomore year. But do whatever is best for you. Good luck!!
I will be taking AP Bio in junior year and I want to also do either AP physics or Ap chem also. I am going to do both before I graduate but I’m not sure which I should do first. I took chem honors this year (I’m a sophomore) so then maybe I should take ap chem junior year because chem honors will help with ap chem?
I just finished junior year and took AP chemistry. I also took chemistry as a sophomore and I found AP chemistry pretty easy to understand. I would suggest taking it now before forgetting everything you learned in honors chemistry. Just make sure you read the textbook as you are taking the course and you should be fine.
Don’t take AP Chemistry or AP Physics in the same year as AP Biology. That would be extremely overwhelming. If you took chem honors, AP Chem should be OK for you. However, if I were you, I would take AP Chemistry, AP US History (or whatever AP History there is for Junior year), an AP in whatever math you’d like, and AP Lang. Don’t take two really hard AP sciences in one year. Space it out a little.
Two sciences are gonna be hard. If it really comes to it take AP Biology and AP Chem junior year and then Phys C senior year. But most place won’t even really care if you didn’t take all 3, just take two with good scores and with good SAT 2 scores and you’ll be fine. Unless ofc you choose to major in biology then only take chem and phys c
I am going to be a senior next year and was thinking of taking AP Calculus AB, AP Biology, AP Statistics. Does this seem too much? At first, I thought of taking AP Spanish language instead of statistics, but I don’t know which class is easier and will benefit me in the future if I want to pursue a career in science.
I’m going to be a senior next year as well. I took AP Stat this year and found it was pretty alright. Not a lot of math involved but you do have to understand the major concepts. There a few basic things you have to learn such as how normal models work and calculator functions. After you learn that it’s pretty simple. In the second semester, we went over different confidence levels and confidence tests. For the most part they are basically the same formula with a couple changes. Almost all the questions are long word problems and you need to write a lot. I would recommend taking the class if you want to take AP and you aren’t that great at math like I am. Just make sure you learn learn the fundamental stuff and you will be fine. I also took AP Bio and it was pretty easy. The start of the year you’ll be doing basic chemistry stuff. I did super poorly in chem and hated it but what you do in AP Bio isn’t bad. In Bio you have to learn various concepts that aren’t too difficult. I would also recommend taking it.
AP Stats is relatively easy and looks better than AP Spanish if you want to pursue a career in STEM (science). I don’t think you will be overwhelmed, though Calc AB is HARD (in my opinion even more difficult than BC). You should be good!
Hello I am a rising senior and I am really worried. I don’t know what to do. I have been accepted to 4 AP courses and I am not sure if I should take them. My AP courses are:
AP Literature
AP Government
AP Calculus
AP Psychology
What do I do? Should I take these courses? I don’t mind the rest AP’s but should I take AP Calculus? Not to mention that during my senior year I need complete college applications. Won’t that be more stressful? What should I do? Is handling 4 AP classes too hard for senior year?
ap psychology definitely. i am self studying this. if you think you can, it would be a good challenge to take at least 3 of them
I’m currently a rising sophomore and I’m thinking of taking APUSH, AP Environmental Science, and AP Microeconomics. I’m not really sure how rigorous these classes will be, and how time consuming each one is. If anyone has taken these classes, will you please give me some tips and advice on any of these AP exams? Which one do you think is the hardest to understand and perform well on?
I have not taken AP Environmental Science nor AP Microeconomics, but I have just finished APUSH. I’ll first note that my APUSH experience was different from the traditional experience because the last two units were cut off from the curriculum and the test was only a 45 minute DBQ due to the pandemic. Impressions about APUSH differ greatly from person to person and from school to school. It’s not like AP Psychology, which is almost universally thought to be easy. Some people find it to be very easy to remember the content of APUSH. I found APUSH to be manageable with studying one or two days before each exam and understanding how to effectively write LEQs, DBQs, SAQs, and HIPP analyses. Ideally you would learn this in your APUSH class, but, if your teacher does not teach all of these, make sure you learn how to write these as they are on the exam.
I am taking Ap chem, Ap capstone, and Ap computer science in my senior year. Can anyone speak from experience on how hard these classes are?
AP computer science principles is fairly easy, but I’m not sure about AP computer science A. AP chem is manageable if you have a good teacher, but it is quite difficult to self study. The Barron’s AP chemistry test prep book is very helpful for preparing for the AP chem test. AP capstone isn’t really hard, but if you procrastinate too much you will get left behind and cramming is not good in this course. That’s all I know, I hope this helps!
I’m taking AP Lang, US History, Seminar, and Physics 1 as a junior in the fall. How are the classes and do you guys have any tips/advice.
I have taken all of these courses other than AP Seminar. During my sophomore year, I took AP Physics 1. During my junior year, I took AP Lang, APUSH, and AP Physics 2.
APUSH: I have just finished APUSH. I’ll first note that my APUSH experience was different from the traditional experience because the last two units were cut off from the curriculum and the test was only a 45 minute DBQ due to the pandemic. Impressions about APUSH differ greatly from person to person and from school to school. It’s not like AP Psychology, which is almost universally thought to be easy. Some people find it to be very easy to remember the content of APUSH. I found APUSH to be manageable with studying one or two days before each exam and understanding how to effectively write LEQs, DBQs, SAQs, and HIPP analyses. Ideally you would learn this in your APUSH class, but, if your teacher does not teach all of these, make sure you learn how to write these as they are on the exam.
AP Lang: This class teaches you structures and techniques for making effective arguments and analyzing the arguments of others. During this class, you should learn how to analyze a passage and respond to difficult multiple choice questions. You should also learn how to write three types of essays: rhetorical analysis essays, argumentative essays, and synthesis essays. This class allows teachers to be flexible in what passages and books they assign to students, so students from different schools often have less similar experiences with AP Lang.
AP Physics: I’ll assume you are taking AP Physics 1. With AP Physics 1, many people struggle understanding the concepts. This makes the entire year difficult for them because, in AP Physics 1 especially, all the concepts build off of each other. For example, you cannot effectively understand friction if you don’t understand kinematics or dynamics. You need to make sure you understand the concepts. You will also learn many equations during this course. When I took the course, I memorized every equation during the year and could remember them all during the exam. This was helpful, but it was not necessary as they provide you with a sheet of constants, equations, and assumptions during the exam. However, there are some helpful equations that are not provided, so it may be good to memorize these equations.
I am going into junior year and I am taking AP US history, AP physics,and AP language… does that seem like a heavy load? Or is there anything I should know before going into some of those classes?
I just finished my junior year and I took APUSH, AP Lang, and AP government and politics. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to use your time wisely, always stay on top of your work and try your hardest to get ahead. Never wait to do an assignment and try your hardest not to procrastinate. Also make sure to check on your mental health because it will effect your work ethic if it is not taken care of properly. I made As in all my AP classes this year and it took tons of late and stressful nights but in the end it was all worth it. I hope the best for you and pray for good outcomes.
I’m going to be a freshman this year and I’m not sure whether or not I should take AP world history.
You should! Take it to get a feel of what AP classes are like.(and Heimler’s History on YouTube really helps)
I took AP world this past year and it wasn’t hard at all for me. There is a lot of reading that comes with the class but its not bad.
Hey, does anyone have any tips on how to self-study AP world history: modern? (Like which things to take notes on)
Thanks!
crash course and sample tests
Check out the AP world history CED(course and exam description) it is a lengthy pdf but has everything needed to study and heimler’s history on YouTube is also a great resource!
Also, I recommend watching Heimler’s History throughout the school year on YT.
hi everyone!
I’m about to be a senior and I’m thinking of taking biology AP and computer science A AP. my grades in biology are very average , so I’m a little worried about how I’m going to do on the AP.
how hard are the exams and how do you guys recommend I study efficiently for them .
thank you!!
Hi! This year I took ap bio and didjt exactly find it extremely challenging. The course is designed to be an intro to college bio and nearly every chapter you learn Is someone’s college major, so you don’t learn much depth, making it kind of easy. Additionally, your foundation in bio from your current class will give you an edge on the exam.
I’ll be a junior next year and plan on doing APUSH, AP Chemistry, AP Lang, and AP Human Geography. I did AP World History this year and thought it was really easy and got an A. I was also in regular chemistry and found it easy and got an A but I know Ap chem is a lot harder. Will I be okay?
You’ll be fine dawg human geo is a joke lang is pretty easy and ap chem I’ve heard is easier than honors chem at least at my school wish I took it not sure about APUSH tho
I’ll be a junior next year too and I am also taking AP Lang and AP US. I took AP Human Geography freshman year, and I strongly recommend it. It is a very useful course because you get to focus more on current events that are going on in the word as well as memorizing locations, ethnicities, languages, religions, and countries around the world. But as for the analysis part, you get to learn about how people modify their surrounding environments and how some actions are sustainable and not sustainable. The course is mostly about analyzing human development, while also briefly getting into learning about migration, demography, and cultural tradition. For me personally it was a really fun and not too stressful course, yet it’s also somewhat challenging, especially if you have to answer 75 multiple choice questions in an hour on the exam. But other than that, it is a really useful and analytical course and I’m glad you decided to take it next year. Have fun!
apush is probably the hardest ap I’ve taken, but it was because my teacher had a health complication in the middle of the year, and a new teacher had to take over, which made things a bit messy. but regardless, I got a 5 on the exam and really enjoyed the course. if you’re a big history buff, you’ll love it. lots of memorization though, but you can do it. before you take chem, make sure you’re good at math word problems. it’s a lot of stoichiometry, aka “mole math,” and is definitely worthwhile if you want to go into the field, but know what you’re getting into. lang is probably the weirdest english class you will EVER take; at times, you’ll feel like you’re learning nothing, and then it’s TIMED ESSAY WOW FUN! not my favorite but I still really liked it. definitely worthwhile because the essay on the sat is a dumbed down version of rhetorical analysis. never taken human geography, but 4 aps seems like a lot! if you’re genuinely interested in doing it, do it! I took psych, chem, and lang my junior year and apush in sophomore year, and I enjoyed each of those classes even when the workload got heavy. make sure you put your interests first. hope that helped! <3
I took Lang my junior year and APUSH my sophomore year. In my experience, Lang isn’t bad at all and the test was pretty easy for me. I think that if you did really good in AP World you should be alright for APUSH. I don’t know about Chemistry but I’ve heard that Human Geography is easy.
AP chemistry is okay if you have a good teacher but unfortunately I didn’t have that good of a teacher and ended having to self-study much of the material…it was not fun. By the way, do you have any tips on how to do well in AP world history? Because I’m trying to self-study that right now. Thanks!
Excuse me, you shouldn’t disrespect me like that especially when I worked hard to teach you all year Mr.Zhang. I worked very hard to teach you and for what? SO that you could make a 67 in my Chem class?
how hard is ap physics 1? i took ap chem this year and struggled quite a bit with it, so how does physics compare?
I have not taken AP chem, but I have taken AP physics 1. I’d say physics is on the medium/hard difficulty.
My physics teacher wasn’t the best at teaching, so if yours is any better it could make it easier.
But I would only take this class if you are able to be on the analytical side of physics. The math side is easy, you just need to be able to understand the content.
Hope this helps!
I am going to take AP English Language next year and AP US History. But I have been debating whether or not to take AP US History. I took AP European History this year and I liked it but when we did the exam I felt super nervous and overwhelmed, should I take AP US History?
Honestly, it will be more stress because next year the exams will (hopefully) be the entire format instead of just a writing portion. I am taking the exam for APUSH tomorrow and honestly it is so stressful but if history is what you are interested in and is along the lines of what you want to do in college and as a career then I say go for it!!:)
From what I’ve seen, APUSH is easier because it is only covering basically one country, the US, and a lot of the material is at least somewhat previously known. The AP exam is probably the same difficulty as the AP Euro one, but probably will be easier since the content covered is somewhat more familiar. AP Euro you were basically learning all new things about tens of different countries. I think APUSH is definitely easier.
i am a freshmen next year how many APs do u recommended me taking .should i take AP comparative government .Spanish or French which is easy.Thanx
Since you’re a freshmen, I do not recommend taking AP classes as they are vastly different in difficulty compared to middle school classes, take what ever honors course to get used to the pacing then consider a higher level. If you really want to take an AP, language could be a good choice if you are already proficient or experienced in it.
If you are a freshman, many people would advise you against taking APs just yet, but if you are more of an advanced student, here are recommendations for freshman year AP courses/tests. Depending on your interests, AP Psychology, Human Geography, Computer Science A, Computer Science Principles, and Environmental Science are among the “easiest”, better for ambitious freshman like you. Another thing you could do is substitute whatever core classes you’ll be taking with AP, like I was going to be taking World History, but I chose AP World History instead. World history is a harder AP, but that was the only AP I took freshman year. Generally, the recommendation is 0 – 2 APs freshman year, gradually increasing until you graduate. If you do choose to take multiple, remember to balance out harder APs with easier APs. For Spanish or French, take it only if you are a fluent speaker or you have already taken the classes leading up to AP (ex. Spanish 1, Spanish 2, etc.).
I’m currently in grade 12 and planning to take AP Psych, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Human Geography. Is it okay to take this for this year.
I took AP Human and AP Psychology my freshman/sophomore year and I can tell you that those two are relatively okay. Human Geography is really focused on memorizing vocabulary. Different kinds of agriculture, societies, that sort of thing. Psychology though is by far the easiest AP class I’ve taken. The concepts are very easy to grasp, just do the work and you’ll be good 🙂
i’m planning to take AP Bio and AP Stats senior year for both semesters. in my 2nd semester i’m taking AP Microeconomics. i don’t know if that’s too much for me? i want to become a nurse and i like numbers and science but i dont know if taking 3 AP’s right before i graduate is good.. i’m also taking AP Psycology next year as junior and i’ve heard that the class is relatively easy since you supposedly just take notes? as a junior i’m only taking one ap so that would be my second ap class.
I am in gr 10 and I am currently taking 3 APs. It’s not that hard. Also, currently planning to take 5 or 6 APs each year for gr 11 and 12. You are not doing too much, I assure you. If you are pretty confident that you can get an A in that course and get at least a 4 on the AP exam, it should be good.
apparently World history and ap -physics are hard. Should I take them as a senior for next year.
I took APWH as my first AP class. I would say it’s a great starter AP, it really introduces you to the “rigor” of AP classes. It is quite a bit of content, but if you study and learn to apply you’ll do well. Also, Steve Heimler videos are a must for this class!
Is AP world history and AP capstone seminar actually hard? I’m taking both sophomore year.
I have taken AP World this year as a Sophmore. If you like history and have a good memory you should be okay. But, essays are hard. Like SUPER hard…
i’ve taken both in sophomore year and ap world was so easy for me, the multiple choice was easy and the essays were simple. you just need to have a good memory. ap seminar isnt hard its just a lot of time management so yeah you can do that
I’m taking AP Human Geography next year as a sophomore. I’ve heard that it’s a fairly easy class, is it true?
yes it is, it’s one of the easiest so don’t worry ab it 🙂
I took AP Human freshman year and it’s a great class. It’s interesting and fairly easy. Of course all AP classes have some level of difficulty to them, but don’t let that stop you. If you want to succeed in this class, I reccomend knowing your vocab really well and studying for every test (don’t underestimate the power of studying lol). One of the biggest tips I can give you is to not get discouraged if you’re having trouble, you got this!
Everyone thinks AP human geo is really easy, but I found it pretty mediocre. It wasn’t too hard, but I have failed a couple tests this year….. (I’m a freshman) I mean it’s kinda cool I’d suggest taking it
It really depends on your teacher, it should be easy though
Should I take AP psych if I wanna major accounting? (I’m a sophomore, already taken micro and macro, planning to take calculus and stats next year)
no you should see if you c an volunteer at a bank or smth
AP psych is a great class for any one really. It gives you insight on why people act the way they do and how you can better yourself. The exam is easy; if you know your vocab you’re definetely passing. Even if you’re not planning to get a career in the psychology field, I still recommend it (many people in the class don’t plan on studying psych in the future anyways).
It also works for any medicine faculty career so it is really worth it, since the class is interesting.
Should I take AP Gov or American history 1 honors??!!
Definitely AP Gov
How difficult is DE Physics? Is it smart to take DE Physics and AP Chem in the same year
idk but im taking both physic Cs, bc calc, chem, lang and bio next year so Im prolly gonna die
that sounds aids
Is it smart to take De Physics and AP Chem at the same time. Would it require a lot of time. And how hard is DE Physics
I think you mean Dual-Enrollment. If that’s the case, Physics is a pretty difficult college course to take… especially if it’s Calculus-Based Physics
Truth, I took AP Physics C and it is a really time consuming class.
Next year, I’ll be a junior. I have my class requests, and I’ve been recommended for 5 AP classes for 8 periods, which are:
AP English Lang
AP Environmental Sci
AP U.S. History
AP Spanish Lang
AP Computer Science Principles
The classes I am most scared of are AP English Lang and AP US History. The thing is that Spanish is my first language, so when it is a little difficult for me when I don’t take my time, but they recommended me because of my potential and grammar, it will be easy for me AP Spanish Lang.
The comments I’ve heard about AP Environmental Sci and AP Computer Science Principles is that they are easy classes, but AP U.S. History is very difficult.
Is AP U.S. History hard? Should I take it at Honors level instead of AP? Does anyone have any advice to prepare for this class?
AP US history isn’t that bad. As long as you don’t procrastinate too much, you will be ok. But, make sure you pay attention in English Lang. Sometimes you can fall behind.
I find it pretty easy in terms of content, but annoyingly much in terms of workload. Hope this helps!
i am a sophomore too and my school does apush sophomore year and ap world junior year. the kids at my school consider ap world to be much harder than apush but it might be bc of the diff teachers. i think that apush isnt that bad as long as you stay on top of reading, and find how you study best. i would recommend making your own study guide for each chapter that way it doesnt pile on during midterms, finals, or the AP itself. its not that bad as long as you do the work, and you actually enjoy or at least dont mind history
I mean since of covid it’s not too bad now but study your ass off and ask questions
AP English Lang is relatively easy, but only if you’re a good writer and reader.
AP Environmental Sci is an ok class but I found there to be difficult labs.
AP U.S. History is a really hard class IMO… probably you should not take it.
AP Spanish Lang is also a hard class, but it was pretty fun.
AP Computer Science Principles was a really easy class! Easiest AP ever!
Same!!! I’m so scared ?
APUSH is not bad at all (especially for 2020). My biggest recommendation is continuous studying and building off what you’ve learned in the previous units as it’s ultimately one story. It’s a lot of cause and effect primarily and you just want to keep everything straight. Remembering dates and treaties will help you so quizlet will be your friend. When I took APUSH, I had a teacher who lectured and taught the entire class through powerpoints and gave us packets to take notes which was not the best way to necessarily learn it or study as there was very little interactive things to do but ultimately, she got the job done. It was very helpful when prepping for the AP test to have her note packets and her unit overviews and it certainly helps especially for bringing in an outside source on the DBQ. APUSH is seen as tied for the hardest class in my school tied with Sophomore Honors English (that particular teacher just assigns a ridiculous amount of time consuming, busy work that doesn’t do much to prep for Junior year’s AP Lit) primarily because it’s a bit dull, the lecture style is very easy to have things go in one ear and come out the other, there’s very little freedom with notes (we’re graded on the note packets) making it harder to study and it’s not overly interactive or spicy. Best of luck on your APUSH journey though. Remember, good study habits are your friend!
I got a 95 in Research Chem, would you recommend taking AP Chem.
ap chem is a whole different ball game. grades don’t tell you much; if you’re *good* at science, then this is definitely a class for you. if you’re not willing to put in the hard work, though, then this might not be the class for you. however, speaking from personal experience, i enjoyed the class immensely, and i got out with really good grades as well, so you might want to go for it. make sure to find out which teacher will be teaching you, bc if it’s a bad teacher then you’ll have to put in a LOT of outside work to be on par with the other students taking the ap test
I found AP chem SUPER DIFFICULT!!! In my experience I haven’t been the best with science and always found it boring, so maybe that’s just me LOL. If you’re interested in it and really apply yourself, study, work hard, DON’T PROCRASTINATE because it can be a lot, if you feel you’re ready to take on a challenge, then do it!
Hello everyone Im a bit confused regard AP CS Principles cause I say in the college board website that there are some activities that take 12 hours or something cant remember exactly. Im home schooled and I only registered for the exam in May. will I get full credit by just taking the actual exam?
I don’t think so. There are different assignments called “explore” and “create” which require submitting projects before the actual AP test is administrated. These account for 40% of your AP test score and are also relatively easy so I would recommend doing them.
So can I do them at home on my own?
you can go to the college board website and find your AP class thing, i would recommend calling them if you cant find it and just do the project.
is ap woed histroy easy?
Well it really depends. It was my first AP class as a sophomore, and from that perspective I found it pretty challenging, but I think it’s a really good place to start and worth taking.
As a freshmen taking it now, it’s challenging in the beginning, but you get used to it. It is definitely hard, but if you think you can do it, go ahead, just remember that they intend to teach 6,000 years of history in 9 months.
I’m taking AP World as a freshman. Yes. the assesments are super hard, but as long as you finish all your homework on time(which you will get everyday, yes, even on the first day of school), you’ll do fine. Take it as a freshman, challenge yourself.
I am a Freshman taking AP World History and it’s by far the easiest class for some reason. I agree, it was challenging in the beginning but somehow I still got no less than an A in my teachers class.
it’s a bit challenging in the beginning, but you’ll be fine bc it’s fun
I am a sophomore taking it this year, and I got a A on the mid term. The absolute biggest thing for me is to read all the notes and actually doing the book readings. Its a lot of information in a relatively short time period. Good luck!!! 🙂
AP world is definitely a challenging class considering you have to learn everything that happened in the world the last thousands of years. If you’re willing to put in the hard work go for it, but if you’re just looking for an easy AP credit then AP world isn’t for you. The test consists of multiple choice questions, short answer questions, a long answer question, and a document based question. In order to pass you have to work your butt off, but you can do it!
When I took it last year as a freshman, it was my first AP class, so I found it to be very hard. But if you study hard and keep up with your teacher, you’ll do well. Make time for the class!! The writing tasks can get a lil tricky tho.
is ap statistics hard?
It’s not too hard! I am taking it right now as a sophomore (self studying) and the topics are so far pretty easy. There are also great resources to help learn the material better. I would totally recommend the course, especially if you are good at math/science
Is Ap Psychology hard?
Not at all! I’m taking it at the moment and it’s mostly just memorizing definitions, and the topics are very intriguing.
what did u use to study for the different units
The easiest AP class in my opinion. It is a little hard at start but if you are willing to put in time, then you will ace it. Would recommend as first AP class for sure.
Seminar is the hardest class I have ever taken. World History is a joke.
woahh i didn’t expect that lol. I’m taking wold right now and there’s a lot of info to take it, so it’s hard for me. I want to take seminar next year and the people at my school claim that it’s an “easy ap class”. can you let me know why is it so hard??
AP Sem is the easiest pass exam in the world. It takes some time to do but class time is basically dedicated to your presentations and essays. It takes some time and research but it is not difficult course work by any means
AP Seminar is definitely not hard if you have basic writing skills, but it is hard to get a 5. (The tests are kind of like an easier version of lang & comp, but that is only worth a portion of your score.)
AP Seminar is a really difficult class! However, the exam is extremely easy. Lots of writing… like AP Lang
Thanj yeu
AP Calculus AB is significantly easier than BC and should not be ranked together. BC goes twice the pace and contains much more material added the second semester that is more difficult. I know a guy that took BC and had a B the first semester, so he dropped to AB the second semester and got an easy A in it. I could see calculus AB getting scored at 5.3 in terms of difficulty, but BC definitely needs to be at least around a 7.
Eh, BC is ranked that way because it is assumed that you have already taken AB.
At my school most people just skip to BC and the class is pretty hard since the teacher has a quota for As.
hola senor i am from mexico and i take the english class of AP calc BC and AB and it was very easy fro me i cannot speak enlgish but math come very naturla to be so i think it is like ranked 2/10 with ap ush being th ehardest because of my cultureal eritahge ok thank you bye
Hello,
Actually since Calculus AB is less material, the Calculus AB exam goes into much more depth and contains much more challenging questions. Yes BC goes faster, but since there is less material, the exam contains much more easier questions.
Calc AB is only like a few units less than Calc BC, so Calc AB is still pretty hard. And, it’s actually harder to get a five on the Calc AB’s ap exam.