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
And one more thing…
Download your copy of my AP Exam Success Cheat Sheet? These ingenious, battle-tested, science-backed study hacks will boost your grades and save you hours this year.
It’s completely free.
It will save you masses of time studying for your APs.
Get your copy now:
Hi, I am currently a sophomore and I plan on taking 3 APs next year: AP Physics 1, Ap government(U.S + comparative), and AP CSP. I was wondering if this would be advisable since I’ve never taken an ap before because my school doesn’t allow me to. I plan on majoring in CS in college and I can’t take APCSA since I have prereqs I have to have complete so I am only left with AP CSP. What are your thoughts on this matter? Thanks in advance
Good idea to take Computer Science Principles and then Computer Science A (Java) senior year.
FYI, if you are going to major in CS, you probably won’t get any credit for CP CSP, and if you already know how to code, you won’t learn much about coding. You will learn good things about empathetic design, networking, and the impact of computing.
Hi! I can’t speak much about AP Chem. I was a special case where I took a college chemistry course for high school credit which also acted like AP Chem. But at least in my school, many students I know have said AP Chem was insanely difficult. These students were also taking AP Calc AB – some are taking BC – for the year and later they decided to drop out of AP Chem because their workload was too much. Not to mention, if you don’t like the trigonometry and unit circle I can’t imagine BC Calc being very enjoyable. Even with the math you learn in AB Calc those fundamentals are incredibly important. Honestly, with the amount of other AP classes you’ll be taking, despite you not worrying about them, the workload will add up 10-fold should you choose to do Chem and BC Calc. At the absolute most I would choose to do Chem and AB. However, not stressing about tests is a big plus for you, so of course that final decision is yours.
I am currently taking Calc BC and AP Chem and I don’t think it’s that bad if you REALLY like mathematics and science. I’m taking them with AP Lang and APES
If you guys are looking to self-study, use Khan Academy! Because of COVID-19, I wasn’t really able to retain a lot from my AP Chemistry and AP Macroeconomics class especially when learning remotely, so I resorted to self studying both curriculums. AP Chemistry’s 9 units took me about a month and a week to study, thanks to Khan Academy and my Barron’s book, and I am currently banging out unit 4 of macro! Even though every AP class may not be on Khan Academy, it was a great help for me especially because of the fact that they have tons of AP-aligned practice questions, and even explanations why my answer was right/wrong! No matter how hard an AP course might be, everyone has the potential to excel!
Well I took AP Lit as a junior and it was one of my favorite classes. We learn all about the classic novels and it’s obviously different for every school, but we didn’t do much essay writing. We focused more on the AP exam, so my teacher gave us lots of exam practices. If your AP Lit class is small you’re gonna have a blast. I had like 8 students in my class so it was definitely more comfortable and easier to participate, which helps the teacher to get to know you better (in case you want to use them for recommendation letters). Overall don’t stress at all about the class. I also took AP chem as a sophomore, I hated it but I still did really well. Of course it’s different for everyone, but it was sort of stressful for me. Tons of homework and tests, but I’m sure based off your previous AP classes you’ll do very well.
Hello, I am currently a junior. Next year I am considering taking AP Chem along with AP Calc AB BC (many of my friends will be doing calculus, too). Other classes I will take are AP Psych, AP Comp Sci, and government, which I am not worried about.
Apparently the AP Chem teacher at my school is really good, and when I first took Chemistry I enjoyed it. However, I haven’t taken chemistry since last year and idk if I will still remember how to do it. How hard will the class be if I enjoyed and did well in chem Honors?
The AP Calc teacher at my school is supposedly a good teacher, but she doesn’t show up for class often. I took pre-calc sophomore year, but I had a bad teacher and didn’t like the class. This year I’m taking AP Stat and the math in this class is nothing like calculus. I considered myself to be pretty good at math, but I don’t like math with trigonometry and the unit circle stuff. So, should I take AP Calc AB BC or just do AB?
Will doing AP Chem and Calc be too much? I am somewhat a procrastinator but I always get my work done and never stress about tests.
Don’t worry things will be alright. I’ll also be taking ab/bc next year and was concerned as you were. Thankfully based on my friends who are already taking the class this year, I learned that the amount of effort is what’s important. However the teacher is also an important factor to this, so don’t stress out as much and just go for it if you know the ab/bc teacher is good at your school😊
I am currently a junior, and I am taking AP Psych, AP Calc BC, and AP Lang right now. AP Psych is a lot of work for me but once I go through my notecards for the terms I’m pretty much fine, AP Calc BC is quite easy for me (mostly because I have a great teacher), and AP Lang is okay– I think I’ll do fine on the exams, I just really don’t like writing. Last semester and this semester so far I have had high As in all 3 of those classes.
Next year I plan on taking AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Spanish, and Honors Calc 3 (mulitvariable calc), not including my PE and band class. I am not too worried about Honors Calc 3 because I have done well in AP Calc BC and I consider myself much more of a math person, but I am a bit scared because I have heard that AP Chem and AP Lit are especially hard, and although I have a decent work ethic and can get things done well, I sometimes procrastinate and that can cause issues with my sleep schedule– but, like I said, I am still able to get my homework done & do well on the tests, essays, etc.
In addition, I am going to be doing marching band this coming season again, so my schedule will be packed, even with COVID interfering with the season.
For those of you who have taken the AP Lit or AP Chem courses in particular (especially if you took AP Chem and AP Bio at the same time), do you think I will be okay based on how I’ve done in my AP classes this year? What are you guys’ thoughts on taking that combination of classes, and also trying to not burn myself out in my last year of high school? As well, what would be your recommendations for succeeding in AP Lit and AP Chem?
I definitely agree with the notecards part. I am in AP Psych right now and I make a notecard with definitions, examples, people related to it, etc. for the large majority of the terms, and it has helped an enormous amount.
I found Alg 2 to be a challenge but it was relatively fun. If Alg 2 is easy, Pre Calc will be a breeze. I would recommend Pre Calc in that case because if Calculus isn’t your thing, you can always take AP Stats senior year. If you’re interested in a career in STEM, pick Calc. If you’re interested in humanities, it’s best to do AP stats at some point during your high school math career.
Hello there, I am not an expert in the field , but I would definitely recommend AP human Geo, It is relatively easy and is good for Law. I would definitely also recommend you manage your time to be able to take activities that may be of interest to you that help in Law like MUNs, debate team or club, conferences on a specific matter , and stuff like that. I have an interest in engineering so I don’t know too much about what you might be interested in . my best tip would be : DONT FORGET TO HAVE FUN. if you are fine with taking 3-4-5 Aps per year in grades 11 and 12 , that’s fine but don’t sell your soul just to take a bunch of courses. Balance your courses with some more rigorous courses here and some there. I say take Lang before Lit, and put psych when you want to lower the Load. Discuss with a school counselor if possible or if your school has some . If not, talk with a family member or friend who took similar courses.
Hey I’m a freshman going into sophomore year for 2021-22 and I was planning on taking 3 AP Classes and 3 Honors. I want to pursue Law so I am planning on taking AP World History, AP Psych, and another AP sophomore year but I haven’t decided on what that should be yet. Focusing on Critical thinking classes is my goal because it has been recommended to me if I want to go to Law School. The AP classes I want to take throughout the next three years are AP English Lit, AP English Comp, AP French, AP U.S. Gov, AP Psych, AP U.S. History, AP Calc BC, AP Economics, AP World History. I am open to taking others but I those are just the ones that I definitely want to take. If anyone has any recommendations for the third AP I should take sophomore year, or how I should map out my classes for sophomore to senior year please let me know.
you should take comp sci a. if you like coding.
Hi there! I’m a current sophomore with a very similar schedule, and I also want to be a lawyer. As strange as it sounds, AP Bio has helped me incredibly with my critical thinking, as well as AP CSP. AP Bio pushes you to think critically about every aspect of a concept you know, while AP CSP, even though it’s regarded as the easiest AP class, pushes you to think about problems creatively. Even if you’re not interested in these topics (I hate science, personally), I’ve found it really helps you develop the right mindset for this type of career. It also helps me deal with lots of work and studying (needed for law school). For reference, I’m taking AP Psych, AP World, and AP Bio, and have already taken AP CSP.
Hello, I will be a Junior next year and was wondering if i should take either Pre-Cal Honors or AP Statistics. I found Algebra II Honors, in my sophomore, fairly easy at times, but others not so much. If it helps any, I plan on taking AP Research and AP Psychology for my APs, US History Honors as my only other advanced class, and prepping for, and taking, the SAT and/or ACT; this being listed for the consideration of workload. Also if you’re willing to, can you drop info about all said courses. Thanks in advance!!
Hi! For your math choice, it really depends what you want to take next year. If you want to take calculus, I would recommend taking pre-calc, as it explains some of the topics you need to know for calculus. Also, you need to take AP Seminar before you take AP Research, this is part of the AP Capstone diploma program. Info on that here: https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-ap-capstone-should-you-do-it#:~:text=AP%20Research%20Overview,a%20topic%20that%20interests%20you.
Hope this helped!
I’m a Junior currently deciding what AP courses I should take for my senior year. I’m set on AP Literature, AP Government and Politics and AP Environmental Science. I’m taking Algebra 2 Hon this year and have done really good in it. The math I’m set to take next year is pre-calc, but my friend asked me if I wanted to do pre-calc with her over the summer and go into either AP Calc AB or AP Stat with her next year. I considered this option earlier in the year and now this has me thinking about it again. I definitely think I can handle an AP math course and I know a good tutor who could help me, but do you guys think it’ll be too hard on top of those other AP classes? And should I take either AP Calc AB or AP Stat? Or should I just stick with pre-calc next year?
Hey! I definitely think that you can do Precalc over the summer. In fact, that was the only class I did in the summer because I didn’t have space for it. I’m currently taking both AP Stat and AP Calc AB. The only thing I would recommend you do while and after you take PreCalc is to memorize the Unit Circle entirely because the Unit Circle will definitely appear a lot of times in Calc. Both, AP Calc AB and AP Stat, are really easy and I recommend that you take them.
Take precalc honors if you are thinking about going into anything business-related whether it’s your major or your job. Or just take it if you like math. If you don’t like math, take Stats. This was the advice my precalc teacher gave me.
This is directed to orrtam. For some reason, when I try to reply, it submits as a comment instead. :/
It’s funny you mentioned AP Capstone, I read about it the other day and added it to my plan, along with a few other changes. I’m planning to take AP Seminar in sophomore year and AP Research in junior year. I also have the four other APs needed for the Capstone diploma, so I’m pretty much set. If you want, we can start an email chain in which I tell you my ideas for classes and you give me advice? Lmk if you want to do this and I can give you my email.
Thanks William! This website has been a very helpful guide for me trying to decide my high school APs. Even though I’m a seventh grader, this really helped me get an idea of which APs I should/shouldn’t take or self-study. =D
I’m so glad! Good luck with your choices 🙂
Hey all, it’s William (author of the site) – I just wanted to take a moment to honour each and every one of you reading this.
To those choosing your APs, I wish you every success in your chosen classes. There’s some hard work to come, but you’ve got this, and we’ll be rooting for you!
And to those so generously offering their experience and advice to others in the comments, thank you so much for taking the time to help out – you’re really kind people.
While I’m here, just a very gentle reminder to keep the thread clean, and supportive – 99.999% of the time it is, I know. So thank you so much to you all for making this comments section such a welcoming little corner of the Internet.
If there’s ever anything else I can do to support you or improve things round here for you all, just let me know by reply to this comment, or by getting in touch directly at https://examstudyexpert.com/about/contact/.
Study smart and have fun 🙂
If I am planning to pursue a Medical career do I need to take AP Bio, AP Chem, and AP Physics 1. in addition, would it be advisable to take AP Physics 1 along with advanced Chem and Bio in my junior year, and then take AP chem and AP Bio in my senior year, and btw I am taking other APs like: Calc, Stats, Lang, Psych, French. Therefore, do you think this will be a burden and what would be your advice for me?
Moderator / article author here! It’s not often I step in, but Ahmed, I just removed a slightly un-supportive reply to your question. The strong language and tone of that reply weren’t quite in the spirit of what’s normally a very supportive and constructive comments thread. I hope you get some other helpful replies from your peers, and wishing you EVERY success with your APs and med school application 🙂
Hey Ahmed! I wouldn’t recommend taking all 3 sciences in one year, especially with one of them being AP Physics and the rest being accelerated. Also, looking at all the other APs you’re taking, it seems like a lot of work, but if you are determined and have good study habits, you might be able to pull it off. Good luck!
I would definitely recommend taking bio and chem. Physics is not as important as the other classes, so unless you really want to take it, I wouldn’t take the ap course, a normal accelerated class will be enough. Also if possible, I would recommend not taking ap chem and ap bio in the same year. The work load will be extremely tough, and it will be hard to remember which is which. No matter what you choose, remember to not stress your self out, especially in these difficult times.
Good luck!!
is APCSP hard to self study? I am planning to take intro to java next year and I’d like to self study for the CSP test. I’m an incoming junior.
I’m self-studying for the AP exam for that course this year as well, and honestly as long as you get the right textbook and just study a few hours a week(say 30 min or 1 hour a day), you’ll be fine. It’s not that hard to grasp the concepts, so you’ll be okay. I recommend getting 5 steps to a 5: APCSP, second edition for exam prep and the Computer Science Principles textbook by Kevin Hare for the content. Good luck!
Hi there! I’m a freshman debating whether or not I should be self-studying AP Psych next year. I’m also currently taking AP HuG and self-studying APES. Anyone have any suggestions?
Hi! I’m currently selfstudying AP psych
Hello! I’m a sophomore currently self studying AP psych. If you are already self studying APs this year, I definitely think you can do it next year as well depending on the rest of your course load. Psych is interesting, you just need to make sure you have time. Hope this helps!
Hello! I’m currently a sophomore but next year I am planning to take intro to java, as I currently don’t have any CS experience. If I selfstudy java in the summer to prepare better for AP computer science principles, would it be hard? Does anyone have any experience w/ APCSP?
APCSP doesn’t have a set language so it changes from school to school. At my school, we used python but the AP test is given in a certain style that would be similar to pseudo code or a language that doesn’t actually exist. That is the best help I can give because the test got scrapped due to COVID when I took it last year so I don’t fully know they layout. I do know the language changes from school to school. Java is used I believe for APCSA for which you don’t necessarily need to have taken APCSP.