AP classes can be your ticket to your dream college place, but can also be notoriously tricky papers. So you need to know what you’re letting yourself in for. We’ve ranked all of the 28 main AP classes by difficulty: you’ll learn EXACTLY which are the easiest AP classes, and which are the hardest!
Over 3,100 students who have taken AP exams have provided a review of their course through Reddit’s excellent r/APStudents community. We then combined these reviews with the pass rate data published by College Board.
We’ve gone deep into the data, painstakingly crunching the numbers to pick out some surprising trends.
All told, this provides an unparalleled analysis of how each AP course stacks up, so you can figure out the best classes for you to choose.
Read on for the definitive list of easiest and hardest AP classes ranked by difficulty!
Summary: All AP Classes Ranked By Difficulty
Infographic: easy and hard AP classes by difficulty and pass rate
Here’s an overview of what the reviews said about which AP tests are easier or harder, combined with intake and pass rate data.
Here are the main things to look out for in this infographic:
- The hardest and most time-consuming AP exams are in the top-right corner. Physics C – E&M earns the top difficulty rating based on real student reviews.
- The easiest and least time-consuming are in the bottom-left corner. Computer Science Principles earns the easiest difficulty rating based on real student reviews.
- The colour indicates the pass rate for that AP exam. Red is a low pass rate, green is a high pass rate, brown is about average (College Board, 2023).
We’ve included some additional details too:
- The size of the bubbles shows how many students take exams in that AP class (College Board, 2023). The most-widely-taken AP in 2023 was English Language (568k candidates), followed by US History (“APUSH” – 473k candidates)
- You might also notice some bubbles have a red outline: this indicates an unusually high percentage – 15% or more – of class alumnae said they wouldn’t recommend the class to other students. This applied to Seminar, Physics 1 and 2, English Literature and Music Theory. Remember, these classes were nonetheless recommended by the majority of students who took them – so don’t get discouraged too quickly!
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).
Data table: AP classes ranked by difficulty hardest to easiest
The above chart is handy, but what if you want to get into the details and compare specific classes?
We’ve got you covered: check out this information-packed data table on easy and hard APs.
Tip: You can re-sort from easiest to hardest or hardest to easiest by the different metrics by clicking on the column headers.
| 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 | Pass Rate (3+) | % 5s (Perfect Score) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science Principles | Very Easy | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 13% | 68% | 12% |
| Psychology | Very Easy | 3.5 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 2% | 60% | 17% |
| Chinese | Very Easy with high pass rate | 3.9 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 5% | 85% | 50% |
| Computer Science A | Quite Easy | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 2% | 67% | 27% |
| Human Geography | Quite Easy | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 9% | 54% | 16% |
| Environmental Science | Quite Easy, but unusual to score a 5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 10% | 53% | 8% |
| Government and Politics, Comparative | Quite Easy | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 8% | 71% | 16% |
| Government and Politics, US | Quite Easy | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 3% | 49% | 13% |
| Microeconomics | Quite Easy | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2% | 66% | 18% |
| Macroeconomics | Quite Easy | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 14% | 64% | 16% |
| Statistics | Quite Easy | 4.9 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 5% | 60% | 15% |
| Seminar | Moderate Difficulty with v. high pass-rate, but hard to self-study | 5.0 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 34% | 88% | 11% |
| Spanish Language | Moderate Difficulty, with high pass rate | 5.1 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 10% | 84% | 24% |
| Art History | Moderate Difficulty | 5.2 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 6% | 64% | 13% |
| English Language | Moderate Difficulty, but unusual to score a 5 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 7% | 56% | 10% |
| Calculus AB | Moderate Difficulty | 5.6 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 4% | 58% | 22% |
| Calculus BC | Moderate Difficulty | 5.6 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 4% | 78% | 42% |
| US History | Moderate Difficulty, and time-intensive | 6.0 | 7.3 | 6.2 | 8% | 48% | 11% |
| World History | Quite Hard, and time-intensive | 6.0 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 7% | 65% | 15% |
| Music Theory | Quite Hard, but quick to study | 6.3 | 4.7 | 6.3 | 16% | 61% | 20% |
| Biology | Quite Hard | 6.4 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 2% | 64% | 14% |
| European History | Quite Hard, and time-intensive | 6.5 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 13% | 59% | 13% |
| Physics 2 | Quite Hard | 6.6 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 25% | 68% | 15% |
| Physics 1 | Very Hard | 7.2 | 5.9 | 7.4 | 19% | 45% | 8% |
| Chemistry | Very Hard, especially if you're self-studying | 7.4 | 6.9 | 8.4 | 13% | 75% | 15% |
| English Literature | Very Hard, but scores are often high | 7.4 | 6.2 | 6.9 | 24% | 77% | 15% |
| Physics C - Mechanics | Very Hard, but many pass | 7.4 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 5% | 73% | 23% |
| Physics C - Electricity and Magnetism | Very Hard, but scores are often high | 8.1 | 7.3 | 7.9 | 7% | 68% | 31% |
The Easiest AP Classes In High School – Ranked
What is the easiest AP class?
AP Computer Science Principles is rated as the easiest AP class by real AP class alumnae, with an average difficulty rating of just 2.8 / 10 (1 = easiest), and the 2023 pass rate of 68% is about average.
The easiest AP classes – ranked by student difficulty ratings
Here are the easiest AP tests ranked by difficulty: the top 15 easiest AP classes you can take according to the 2.9k+ real student reviewers who actually took these AP exams.
Numbers in [square brackets] reference a note, given below.
The lower the score out of 10, the easier the class:
- Computer Science Principles: 2.8 – Very Easy
- Psychology: 3.5 – Very Easy
- Chinese: 3.9 – Very Easy with especially high pass rate [1]
- Computer Science A: 4.2 – Quite Easy
- Human Geography: 4.3 – Quite Easy
- Environmental Science: 4.3 – Quite Easy, but unusual to score a 5 [2]
- Comparative Government and Politics: 4.4– Quite Easy
- US Government and Politics: 4.4 – Quite Easy, but a low pass rate
- Microeconomics: 4.5 – Quite Easy
- Macroeconomics: 4.6 – Quite Easy
- Statistics: 4.9 – Quite Easy
- Seminar: 5.0 – Moderate Difficulty with the highest pass-rate, but hard to self-study [3]
- Spanish Language: 5.1 – Moderate Difficulty with high pass rate [4]
- Art History: 5.2 – Moderate Difficulty and time-intensive
- English Language: 5.2 – Moderate Difficulty, but unusual to score a 5 [5]
Some points you need to know about the easiest-ranked AP tests:
[1] AP Chinese is often taken by people already familiar with the Chinese, which perhaps explains why it’s considered so easy (3.9 / 10), so quick to study (3.4 / 10) and why the average score (3.9) is the highest of all AP classes. You’ll likely find AP Chinese much harder work if you’re new to the language!
[2] Environmental Science class alumnae rate it as a relatively easy class (4.3 / 10 average difficulty rating) BUT the pass rate is quite low (53%), especially for such an easy-rated class. Very few students graduate with the top grade of 5 (just 8% in 2023 – the joint-lowest of any AP class we track, alongside Physics 1).
[3] AP Seminar is a funny one: it’s rated as quite easy overall (5.0 / 10), BUT is rated as quite challenging if you are self-studying (7.1 / 10). It has the highest pass rate of all the main AP classes (88%), but a very large number of alumnae (34%) don’t recommend the class.
[4] AP Spanish is considered moderately difficult (5.1 / 10), but has a pass rate (84%) 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.
[5] It’s tough to get to the top: only 10% of AP English Language students scored a 5 in 2023.
A note on our methodology for evaluating the “easiest” and AP tests
We see these difficulty ratings from AP alumni as the best way to assess which AP classes are easiest.
Looking at the passing rate, or the % students scoring a certain grade (e.g. % scoring top grade of 5) is misleading for two main reasons:
- These metrics are skewed by the sort of students who take the class, and can be misleading when weighing up how easy a given AP exam will be for you.
- For example, many AP languages classes are taken by students who already speak some of that language, and will be far harder to pass if you’re a beginner.
- Research has shown that popular, widely taken AP classes tend to have lower passing rates. So a low passing rate could indicate a lower-quality standard of candidate for that class, not simply a harder class per se.
Hence why Exam Study Expert uses difficulty ratings provided by students that have actually taken different AP exams to rank how difficulty each class is.
N.B. The easiest APs also tend to be the least time-consuming AP classes to study.
What are the easiest AP classes to self-study?
The 4 easiest AP exams to self-study are Psychology (3.4 / 10), Computer Science Principles (3.8 / 10), Environmental Science (3.9 / 10), and Microeconomics (4.0 / 10), as rated by over 3,100 real AP class alumnae reviewers who rated self-study difficulty from 1 (easiest to self-study) to 10 (hardest to self-study).
Also rated relatively easy to self-study are:
Comparative Government and Politics (4.0), Computer Science A (4.3), Chinese (4.4), Human Geography (4.4), Macroeconomics (4.6), English Language (4.6) and US Government & Politics (4.6).
But think carefully before self-studying:
Seminar (7.1), Physics 1 (7.4) and Physics C – E&M (7.9). All 4 of these classes are relatively difficult AP exams to self-study for, with high self-study difficulty ratings of 7/10 or above.
The hardest AP class to self-study is Chemistry, which is rated at 8.4/10 by class alumnae. Good luck!
The Hardest AP Classes In High School – Ranked
What is the hardest AP class?
AP Physics C – Electricity & Magnetism (E&M) is rated as the hardest AP test by real AP class alumnae, with an average difficulty rating of 8.1 / 10 (10 = hardest). Those who stay the course often score well, though, with a 2023 pass rate of 68%, and 31% of students earning a 5.
The hardest AP classes – ranked by student difficulty ratings
Here are the hardest AP tests ranked by difficulty: the top 12 hardest AP classes you can take according to the 3.1k+ real student reviewers who actually took these AP exams.
Numbers in [square brackets] reference a note, given below.
The higher the score out of 10, the easier the class:
- Physics C – E/M: 8.1 – Very Hard, but scores are often high [6]
- Physics C – Mechanics: 7.4 – Very Hard, but scores are often high [6]
- English Literature: 7.4 – Very Hard, but the pass rate rose considerably between 2021 and 2022 [7]
- Chemistry: 7.4 – Very Hard, especially if you’re self-studying [8]
- Physics 1: 7.2 – Very Hard
- Physics 2: 6.6 – Quite Hard
- European History: 6.5 – Quite Hard and time-intensive [9]
- Biology: 6.4 – Quite Hard
- Music Theory: 6.3 – Quite Hard, but quick to study [10]
- World History: 6.0 – Quite Hard and time-intensive [9]
- US History: 6.0 – Quite hard and time-intensive [9]
- Calculus AB/BC: 5.6 – Moderate Difficulty
Some points you need to know about the hardest-ranked AP tests:
[6] AP Physics C – Mechanics and AP Physics C – Electricity & Magnetism are the top-2 hardest of all AP classes. But if you can get your head around the material, there’s potential to score really well (73% pass and 23% get a 5 in Mechanics; 68% pass and 31% get a 5 in E&M).
[7] English Literature is rated as the 3rd most challenging AP class, but has a high pass rate (77%) – it was just 44% in 2021.
[8] AP Chemistry is rated as the hardest of all AP classes if you’re self-studying, at 8.4 / 10.
[9] Clear your schedule: History APs all rate among the most time-intensive AP classes to study.
[10] Music Theory is relatively quick to study (4.7 / 10) but many people choosing Music Theory already have a musical background. You’ll likely find it much tougher if not.
A note on our methodology for evaluating the “hardest” AP tests
We see these difficulty ratings from AP alumni as the best way to assess which AP classes are hardest.
Data on the proportion of students who pass a class, or get a certain grade (e.g. % scoring a top grade of 5) will be skewed by the type of students who take the class, and can therefore be misleading when weighing up how hard a given AP exam will be for you.
But you still need to be careful when making your choices. Some students tend to find certain fields easier or harder than others, based on past experience in the field. Language APs, for example, will be significantly harder for students who don’t already speak some of that language.
Which AP Classes Should I Take?
The final section of this article offers some ideas for which AP class you should take, depending on what you’re looking for and what your interests are.
But before we kick off this final section about choosing the right AP classes for you, I thought it worth pausing to recap why it’s worth taking them in the first place.
So what are AP classes?
If you’ve made it this far down such a detailed article about easy or hard APs, you probably know what they are:
In essence, the Advanced Placement (AP) program offers US high school students the opportunity to take college-level classes and exams. They are graded on a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 being the lowest possible score and 5 being a perfect AP exam score.
What are the benefits of taking AP classes in high school?
College Board, who administers the program, highlights several compelling benefits of taking AP courses and exams:
- Impress colleges: AP classes are challenging courses, and help your application stand out to college admissions officers, especially at selective colleges.
- Head start on college credit: AP scores will often count towards your credit for college. That can save you time at college, potentially allowing you the flexibility to pursue more classes at college, and may even save you money if ride the headstart to an early graduation date.
- Boost your GPA: your AP scores can often lift your GPA – check with your school / guidance counselor for details.
- College-level learning: 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: as an AP graduate, you’ll be able to hit the ground running.
- Develop skills: as well as the material you actually learn on each AP class, many AP students find 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 APs!
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 (2.8 / 10), an average pass rate (68% in 2023) 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 (4.6 / 10). Pass rates, however, are a little lower than average (60% in 2023).
- Human Geography: a low difficulty rating (4.3 / 10) and quite low time-required rating (4.9 / 10). Pass rates, however, are a little lower than average (54% in 2023).
N.B. Psychology and Human Geography show pass rates a little lower than average, despite low difficulty scores. These tests are all 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.
See also the section on “Easiest AP Classes Ranked By Student Difficulty Ratings” above.
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 of all AP classes (8.1 / 10), with a the highest time-required rating (7.3 / 10). Pass rates are high for those who stay the course (68% in 2023), with one of the highest perfect-score rates of any AP (31% scored a 5 in 2023).
- Physics C – Mechanics: rated as very hard (7.4 / 10) and quite time-intensive (6.5 / 10). As with E&M, pass rates are high for those who stay the course (73% in 2023), with 23% earning a perfect score of 5.
- English Literature: rated as very hard (7.4 / 10) and quite time-intensive (6.2 / 10). The pass rate rose from 44% in 2021 to 78% in 2022 and settled there (77% in 2023), but 24% of alumnae say they wouldn’t recommend this course to other students.
- Chemistry: rated as very hard (7.4 / 10) and very time-intensive (6.9 / 10). However, the pass rate rose from 53% in 2022 to an above-average 75% in 2023. Chemistry is also rated as the hardest of all APs if you’re self studying.
What is the easiest vs hardest AP History class to take?
US History (APUSH), World History and European History are all similarly ranked as quite hard APs:
- US History (APUSH): the joint easiest history AP at 6.0 / 10 difficulty. The 2022 and 2023 pass rates were just 48%.
- World History: 6.0 / 10 difficulty, 65% pass rate.
- European History: the hardest history AP at 6.5 / 10 difficulty. The 2023 pass rate was 59%.
When looking at the higher pass rate for European History, bear in mind that it’s taken by a fraction of the students who take APUSH. The typical Euro candidate is therefore more likely to be a keen historian, who’s likely to score well on a history paper.
Be prepared to put in the hours with AP History – all classes are also rated as very time-consuming APs!
US Government and Politics offer a more straightforward alternative if you’re looking for an easier AP class.
Is AP Macroeconomics or Microeconomics harder?
Macroeconomics and Microeconomics offer a similar, relatively easy, difficulty level. Both pass rates are notably higher than in 2022:
- Microeconomics: 4.5 / 10 difficulty rating, 66% pass rate (2023)
- Macroeconomics: 4.6 / 10 difficulty rating, 64% pass rate (2023)
Microeconomics (“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!
AP Micro is also notable as the only course to have had 100% of class alumnae reviewers say they would recommend it to other students. So it seems I’m not alone in my enthusiasm 🙂
What is the easiest vs hardest AP math class to take?
Statistics is much easier than Calculus:
- Statistics: 4.9 / 10 difficulty rating, 60% pass rate in 2023
- Calculus AB: 5.6 / 10 difficulty rating*, 58% pass rate in 2023
- Calculus BC: 5.6 / 10 difficulty rating*, 78% pass rate in 2023
* 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.
What is the easiest vs hardest AP science class to take?
Biology, Chemistry and Physics 1 are all very popular courses. Of these, Biology ranks as a little easier than Chemistry and Physics.
Psychology and Environmental Science are far easier than the other science courses, and are among the easiest of all classes.
Some of the Physics APs get very hard, with Physics C – E&M rated as the most difficult of all APs.
- Psychology: 3.5 / 10 difficulty rating (very easy), 60% pass rate
- Environmental Science: 4.3 / 10 difficulty rating (quite easy), 53% pass rate (a little low)
- Biology: 6.4 / 10 difficulty rating (quite hard), 64% pass rate
- Physics 2: 6.6 / 10 difficulty rating (quite hard), 68% pass rate
- Physics 1: 7.2 / 10 difficulty rating (very hard), 45% pass rate (that’s low)
- Chemistry: 7.4 / 10 difficulty rating (very hard), 75% pass rate
- Physics C – Mechanics: 7.4 / 10 difficulty rating (very hard), 73% pass rate
- Physics C – Electricity & Magnetism: 8.1 / 10 difficulty rating (very hard), 68% pass rate
Psychology and Environment are rated very easy to self-study, all others as hard to self-study, especially Chemistry.
And here’s the data for the Physics APs – they’re all considered hard!
Perhaps because Physics and Chemistry are tough, they are not universally recommended. 15% of both Chemistry and and Physics 2 class alumnae said they wouldn’t recommend that other students take these classes.
Don’t let that put you off though: the majority of students are still very glad they took the course. Definitely give take these classes if they appeal, but don’t worry if you find the going tough – you’re not alone!
What is the easiest AP English class to take?
Literature is 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: 5.2 / 10 difficulty rating (moderate), 56% pass rate in 2023
- English Literature: 7.4 / 10 difficulty rating (very hard), 77% pass rate in 2023
What’s changed since our last update?
Been here before? Here’s a summary of the data we originally published in the 2019 edition of this article:
Explore all the data and reviews for individual classes right here:
We want to give you the best picture of each AP class possible, so we’ve created in-depth guides for the 28 largest AP classes where you can explore the data in more detail. We’ve also included lots of alumnae reviews and advice, and all the College Board details you’ll need to pick your AP classes -good luck!
Maths
Science
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics 1 and 2
- Physics C – E/M and Mechanics
- Psychology
- Environmental Science
- Human Geography
Computer Science
Economics
Politics
Humanities
- US History (APUSH)
- World History
- European History
- English Literature
- English Language
- Art History
- Seminar
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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?