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.
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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.