[2024-25] How Hard Is AP English Language? Answer: ‘Moderate Difficulty’ (Real Student Reviews + Pass Data)

Is AP English Language easy or hard? Read on to discover why we’ve given AP Lang a difficulty rating of “Moderate Difficulty”, based on our unparalleled, deep-dive analysis of 2024 (and historic) pass rate data and over 3200 course reviews from alumnae.

An overview of the data: how hard is AP English Language?

Here’s an overview of all the data we’ve analysed on AP Lang, from both 2024 pass rates and alumnae reviews:

• AP English Language and Composition is considered moderate difficulty, with class alumnae rating it 5.2/10 for overall difficulty
  • That makes it the 14th-most-difficult out of the 28 large AP classes we surveyed
• The pass rate is much lower than other AP classes, with 54% graduating with a 3 or higher
• AP English is extremely widely-taken (approximately 597,000 entries a year)
• And 94% of alumnae would recommend the class

Alumnae recommendations: the tl;dr

Alumnae reviewers found the course enjoyable, and reviews focus on course difficulty, the time and work required, and the importance of a good base of knowledge and regular exam practice.

Taking a visual comparison:

Here’s a fun visual on how AP Lang compares to other classes, by difficulty, the amount of study time required, and class size:

We’ve only highlighted the two English classes, AP English Language AP Literature. But you can see the full multi-coloured version of this chart in our popular, definitive difficulty ranking of ALL the AP classes!

Psst: we’ve also got a deep-dive into AP English Literature if you want a full comparison of English tracks!

Behind the scenes: our Data Analyst and methodology

Analysing AP class data: the methodology

We want to be transparent about how we research, collect and analyse the AP data we use to provide you with our assessments and recommendations. This methodology gives a brief outline of our source material and analytical processes:

Please click here to learn more about our rigorous editorial policies here at Exam Study Expert.

Source material for AP data:

We use two primary sources of data:

1. Pass rate data from College Board itself, including the proportion of students who pass overall (3+ score) and the proportion of students who score a 5. This data is taken from the College Board website plus tweets from Head of AP Trevor Packer, which include the score breakdown and numbers of students taking each class.
2. Student reviews posted by users from r/APStudents who actually took the AP courses (as of 2024 the dataset includes 3,295 reviews). These reviews include a rating for:
   • Overall difficulty rating
   • Difficulty if self-studying
   • How much time is required

The data we post is based on College Board’s June data release and may shift slightly as late-arriving exams are scored. This shift has historically been negligible.

How we evaluate and use the data on AP classes:

We consider class alumnae’s difficulty ratings to be the most reliable indicator of difficulty, more so than pass rate.

Pass rate, or percentage of students scoring a certain grade, is a misleading metric for two main reasons:

1. Some classes attract highly able students, so may have a high pass rate, but this is more a reflection of the calibre of students taking the class. This particularly applies to language classes.
2. Research has shown that popular, widely taken AP classes tend to have lower passing rates. So, a low passing rate could indicate a larger variety of student skill, not necessarily class difficulty.

Our assessments of course difficulty

We have given each every AP class a graded ranking of difficulty, primarily based on class alumnae difficulty ratings. Many other important factors are taken into consideration when making our recommendations for how easy or hard you may find the AP course.

The rankings are determined as followed:

• Very Easy – scores less than 4.0
• Quite Easy – scores between 4.0 and 4.9
• Moderate Difficulty – scores between 5.0 and 5.9
• Quite Hard – scores between 6.0 and 6.9
• Very Hard – scores more than 7.0

You should take every available metric into account when making your choice of AP classes. Remember that some students tend to find certain fields easier or harder than others, based on pre-existing experience.

And remember, as College Board’s Trevor Packer reminds us, an AP score is only one indicator of student learning and achievement.

A deep dive into the 2024 exam data on AP Lang

If you want to know more about how AP English Language stacks up against the average AP class, and against previous years’ results: read on for five charts that set out all the data you could want.

1. Difficulty: a look at the ratings

AP English Language is considered moderate difficulty, with class alumnae rating it 5.2/10 for overall difficulty, making it the 14th-most-difficult course out of the 28 large AP classes we surveyed.

2. The AP Lang pass rate in 2024

The AP English Language 2024 pass rate was 54%, much lower than the all-AP-classes average.

The largest percentage of candidates (29%) received a 2, and only 9% of students attained 5.

3. So, how does this compare to the last five years?

Over the many years we’ve been doing this analysis, we’ve learnt that AP pass rates can fluctuate wildly – although some subjects remain steady. So to get a better picture, let’s examine the score distribution for the past five years of exams – all the way back to 2020.

The AP Lang score distribution hasn’t varied much over the past 5 years of exams. 2020 saw the highest pass rate of 62%, and 2024 had the lowest pass rate at just 54%.

4. How time consuming will AP English Language be?

AP Lang is rated as moderately time-intensive relative to other AP classes.

N.B. A survey of AP alumnae asked for a rating out of 10 for time needed to study each class, with 1 = least time needed, 10 = most time. The average rating for AP English Language was 5.1/10 (vs the average across all AP classes of 5.4/10).

5. How hard is it to self-study for AP Lang?

AP English is rated as quite easy to self-study relative to other AP classes.

N.B. A survey of AP alumnae asked for a rating out of 10 for how easy each class is to self study, with 1 = easiest to self study, 10 = hardest to self study. The average rating for AP English Language was 4.6/10 (vs the average across all AP classes of 5.7/10).

Reviewing the course: 145 alumnae share their experiences

If you’re looking forward to taking AP Lang, it’s important to take both the positive and negative feedback in context. There are multiple factors that could contribute to a great or poor experience of the class, such as your teacher and your personal preferences as a learner.

An impressive 94% of AP English Language alumnae would recommend the class.

The majority of reviews focus on the difficulty of the class, the importance of background knowledge and understanding the exam, and recommend regular exam practice.

1.      Many students found AP English tough …

“The course is very tough, but you can manage if you put in the time and effort necessary. Also, read your class books, do your homework, and review the literary terms.” – Score: 3

“Don’t give up, it won’t be fun but it will come easier in the long run” – Score: 4

“The exam was surprisingly hard time wise. Read fast and effectively. Get really good at writing essays.” – Score: 5

“I struggled with Ap lang mostly because i was coming straight out of an english 10 class and thrown into an ap english class for the first time, its really hard to review your own work when you dont know what to do in the first place, if youre gonna do what i did, find someone who can help you on the side, preferably someone who has already passed the exam.” – Score: 3

2.      … however other students found the course easy and enjoyable

“Best class I’ve ever taken. Take it if you’re on the fence.” – Score: 5

“It’s ridiculously easy and would be really easy to self study. I highly recommend this course to anyone with at least a B average in English.” – Score: 5

“If you’re a decent writer, you’ll do fine in here. The class was an easy A, but the exam is pretty challenging, especially the multiple choice part.” – Score: 3

“One of the easiest classes I’ve ever taken. I love reading, but I didn’t even have to read most of the books in class. I didn’t read As I Lay Dying but made a 94 on the test. Absolutely no work outside of class required. All you have to do is not suck at writing. Take it!!” – Score: 5

“Probably the easiest class I have ever taken, if you know how to properly justify claims and arguments, you’ll be fine. The multiple choice is the easiest thing ever. Don’t sweat this class.” – Score: 5

“It’s easy if you try, but it’s not as difficult as it sounds. Look at the resources on YouTube. Take notes. Practice on former exam tests. Have an adult or professional look at your practice essays. Then, review your answers and essays to improve yourself. You can do this.” – Score: 4

3.      Students found there to be a lot of work, skill and time needed (but it’s worthwhile!)

“Be ready to write and read a lot, but it’s a very enjoyable class.” – Score: 5

“Contingent on good writing skill from years of good teachers… if your school prepares you for it, and you are capable of introspective thought and abstract thinking — you will get a 5.” – Score: 5

“My class did 30 in-class essays (one esssy per week, alternating between the 3 types). This was crucial to improving my writing and I was able to score consistent 8s on my essays second semester. My teacher gave out prompts that she was very experienced with, so she could accurately grade our essays. If you do enough practice then this class is a breeze. Only had to read a few books and do other minor assignments.” – Score: 4

“Expect to be pretty bad at essay writing in the beginning. This class improves your writing skills by a lot and gets you used to writing at a college level and actually answering prompts. Even though it’s one of the hardest AP classes I’ve taken, I’d still recommend it to any prospective student because the skills it teaches are incredibly valuable for writing college essays and/or scholarship essays.” – Score: 5

“It was so much work annotating and writing a million essays, but this class gives you important life skills to analyze the world around you from a different perspective. Even if you don’t plan on doing English or humanities in college, this class is really worth taking if you have a good teacher who is passionate about rhetoric.” – Score: 4

4.      Having a good base of knowledge is very helpful

“Be familiar with history, current events, and popular speeches, essays, novels, etc. for your essays. Also be good with analyzing for figurative language.” – Score: 4

“Write as if you are an expert in rhetoric, as if you know the author’s purpose for every letter and period.” – Score: 4

“Time management, study rhetorical devices, work on diction and syntax for the essays, be able to truly develop examples for the essays, and use lots of “purpose words”.” – Score: 4

“I spent most of my studying time trying to memorize rhetorical devices for the analysis essay, everything else feels pretty straightforward.” – Score: 5

“Make sure you understand how to analyze rather than simple comprehension, also the rhetoric was easily the most difficult so brush up on literary devices” – Score: 4

“Try to have a lot of background information, on modern history, current events, and varying opinions, as well as in literature.” – Score: 5

5.      Students found that understanding the exam requirements was important for success

“I think the best way to pass the exam is by learning the optimal format for writing the three essays. This format can depend on the person but will probably come from your teacher. At that point it really relies on whether or not you can write at a college level on test day. For multiple choice I found that practicing on older tests is a good way to dictate what types of questions you’ll see on the test.” – Score: 3

“Our teacher was very good. We wrote essays once or twice a week, which sounds daunting but it gets a lot easier as time goes on. The test is skills-based, so what you know you know, and what you don’t you don’t. Think outside of yourself.” – Score: 4

“Make sure to know what they are looking for in each of the essays. Thoroughly review the literary terms/devices that will be asked of you in the analysis essay. Make sure to improve and perfect your writing skills according to the requirements. I honestly thought I would’ve gotten a 2, if I hadn’t practiced so much in the class.” – Score: 3

“Don’t spend more time on a multiple-choice question than you should be spending. The time gets eaten up fast. If you are on the brink of time and still have some questions left, try to answer the easy ones about word meanings or whatever and fill in an answer bubble for the rest before time runs out.” – Score: 3

“Write passionate/emotion driven essays for the free response, not something clinical. Graders prefer if you have a personality behind your essay.” – Score: 5

What does it take to succeed in the AP Lang exam?

Well, a good starting place is knowing what’s required of you – and what the experts say went well (or not!) this year:

What is AP English Language? Course Outline & Requirements

According to College Board:

“The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing, the rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts, and the decisions writers make as they compose and revise.”

There are no prerequisites for AP Lang. Students are expected to comprehend college-level texts. The course focuses on non-fiction texts.

You will develop skills in:

• Explaining writers’ choices for rhetorical situations
• Addressing rhetorical situations
• Identifying the claims and evidence of arguments
• Analyzing evidence to develop and refine claims
• Describing the reasoning, organization and development of arguments
• Explaining how stylistic choices contribute to arguments
• Using composition, organization and reasoning in your own arguments

The exam consists of one 3 hour 15 minute exam, with 45% (60 minutes) of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and 56% (2 hours 15 minutes) for three free-response questions (synthesis, rhetorical analysis and argument).

For more details, see: College Board’s AP English Language course page.

Takeaways for success from the Head of AP

Every year as the exam results come out, College Board’s Head of AP, Trevor Packer, offers an update on what’s gone on in each subject this year, including what people found easy and hard.

In 2024, Trevor made the following comments about the AP English Language exam results:

• “24 students, out of 380,000 worldwide whose exams have been scored so far, earned all 100/100 points possible across their three essays and & the multiple-choice section. We’ll notify them and their schools in September.”

• “Free-response questions: I’ll comment in the next few posts on student performance on the Set 1 essay prompts, since most students received that set. Here’s a link to them: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap24-frq-english-language-set-1.pdf“

• “Many students crafted strong synthesis essays on historic preservation laws (Set 1, Q1): thesis point: 96% earned; evidence/commentary: 19% earned all 4 pts; 38% earned 3 pts, 31% earned 2 pts, 8% earned 1 pt, 4% earned 0 pts; sophistication pt: 8% earned.”

• “The AP Eng Lang exam most challenging Set 1 part: essay 2, analysis of Reshma Saujani’s rhetorical choices; thesis point: 90% earned; evidence/commentary: 12% earned all 4 pts, 33% earned 3 pts, 37% earned 2 pts, 13% earned 1 pt, 5% earned 0 pts; sophistication pt: 8% earned.”

• “AP English Language essay 3 – the Set 1 argument re: selfies. Thesis pt: 97% earned; evidence/commentary: 12% earned all 4 pts, 36% earned 3 pts, 36% earned 2 pts, 11% earned 1 pt, 5% earned 0 pts; sophistication pt: 8% earned. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap24-frq-english-language-set-1.pdf“

How to (self) study for AP Lang, with advice from alumnae

Let’s turn back to those alumnae reviews. Many students who’ve taken the course also have great advice on how to study – and self-study – for the exam, including what to practice and the best resources. We’ve collated a selection for you:

1. Practicing for the exam is vital for success ..

“Practice multiple choice. The essays are pretty easy as long as you’re a decent writer. Practice multiple choice.” – Score: 4

“If you want to do well, I would still sparknote everything, but make sure you read the book to begin with. On the actual test, I would practice by using Khan Academy SAT prep and make sure you are making it through each section with only missing maximum 1-2 questions consistently, **with plenty of time to spare**. The open ended I would just try to learn the general format for each of the three types, and just do the ones you are best at first on the actual test.” – Score: 4

“If you are good at ACT Reading and English, you will be set for the multiple choice. If you practice the 3 essay types and know how to adequately answer the prompt and give the scorers what they want, you’ll do well on the essays. – Score: 5

“Practicing truly does help immensely in this case. Writing general arguments and reading through dozens upon dozens of nonfiction prose pieces certainly gets nauseating after a while, but the payoff is astounding.” – Score: 5

“I think this course just takes practice – there aren’t new aspects or content to learn like in chemistry or physics. For me it was more learning how to write three essays in 2 hours 15 mins, which took many essays to crunch down my time lol.” – Score: 5

“Practice practice practice. Take a couple of practice exams before hand so you know how to pace yourself. Begin paying attention to current events so you have some evidence to choose from for the argumentative essay.” – Score: 4

2. … especially when it comes to the FRQ essays

“Practice essays, they’re easily the most important skill you build in the course. Also learning to read fast and still getting the jist can help.” – Score: 2

“Practice the essays like crazy. Know the format by heart. Have a template or framework for each of the essays so you just have to slot in ideas, and don’t have to worry about the structure as much.” – Score: 5

“PRACTICE THE ESSAYS! Seriously, the multiple choice is insanely difficult! Practice, practice, practice the essays so you don’t have to worry much about the multiple choice.” – Score: 4

“Be sure to write a ton of practice essays so you can focus on developing good arguments on the exam.’ – Score: 5

“Make sure you practice the essays and stay calm. I rushed through them and it hurt my score. The multiple choice is pretty straightforward” – Score: 4

“I think writing practice essays from collegeboards website with help from teachers is way more valuable than barrons. It is nice for practice multiple choice though.” – Score: 4

“Practice FRQs LIKE CRAZY. Read the New Yorker and the Atlantic often, and pick up on recurring vocab. Handwrite everything, you need to build that hand muscle in order to survive the exam length. Get a copy of 50 Essays edited by Samuel Cohen if you can.” – Score: 4

3. Overall, success in AP Lang requires dedication and preparation

“You can’t really study for this test aside from learning how to identify the uses and effects of various rhetorical strategies and how to write the three types of essays. Make sure you do as many past FRQs as you can and get them scored as accurately as possible. Pro tip: always try to go for qualifying (it’s like a mid-way stance where you explain the appropriate caveats and concessions to your position) rather than simply defending or challenging in the synthesis and argumentative essays to increase your chances of a higher score.” – Score: 5

“Ask people to read your essays. Read the rubric. Read a lot ( doesn’t matter, read at your level and develop faster reading speed and comprehension)” – Score: 4

“Most of the exam itself is analyzing passages; buy a review book and practice with it. If you want to go one step further, do the same thing with whatever you read in this class.’ – Score: 4

“This isn’t a test you can easily study for. The best way to study is to read a LOT and have a list of good quality sources (whether it be the news, influential works of lit, local politics…) to pull from. Have a stock list of issues/”worlds” that are very versatile … Basically, find a versatile niche. … The best practice you can get is just by writing a TON of essays. The reason I rated the coursework as being high is because in class, we basically wrote a bunch of essays in short periods of time. Another way to practice is by “world generating” where you pick a “world” (a broad category, like literature, history, or current events) and you try to think of as many individual topics within that to fit a prompt.” – Score: 5

Best books and test prep resources for AP English Language

If you’re looking for the best books to study to help you ace AP Language, we’ve crunched the numbers on the available textbooks. Check out the winners, according to reviews from successful AP students, in our overview of the best AP study guides for every subject.

Where next?

Find out how AP English Language compares to other classes: click here for our popular, definitive overview of all AP Classes ranked by difficulty.

Or compare how AP Lang compares to the other English courses with our deep-dive into AP English Literature.

If you’ve found our analysis helpful, have a question for our Data Analyst and AP expert, William – or just have some thoughts to share: please leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Good luck!