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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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.