[2024-25] How Hard Is AP Environmental Science? Answer: ‘Quite Easy’ (Real Student Reviews + Pass Data)

Is AP Environmental Science (APES) easy or hard? Read on to discover why we’ve given AP Environment a difficulty rating of “Quite Easy”, 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 difficult is AP Environmental Science?

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

• AP Environmental Science is considered quite easy, with class alumnae rating it 4.3/10 for overall difficulty
  • That makes it the 6th-easiest course 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
• APES is quite widely-taken (approximately 237,000 entries a year)
• And 91% of alumnae would recommend the class

Alumnae recommendations: the tl;dr

AP Environment is a very broad course, encompassing elements of several earth, life and physical sciences. Alumnae reviews focus on the importance of common sense, basic math, and overall ease of studying for the class.

Taking a visual comparison:

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

We’ve only highlighted AP Environmental Science and related scientific classes (Psychology, Biology and Chemistry) here. 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 deep-dives into AP Psychology, AP Biology and AP Chemistry if you want a full comparison of science 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 Environment

If you want to know more about how AP Environmental Science 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

APES is considered quite easy, with class alumnae rating it 4.3/10 for overall difficulty, making it the 6th-easiest course out of the 28 large AP classes we surveyed.

2. The AP Environment pass rate in 2024

In 2024, the AP Environment pass rate was much lower than the all-AP-classes average, at 54%. Only 9% of candidates were awarded a 5, with the highest percentages receiving a 4 (27%) or a 2 (26%).

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.

In the case of AP Environmental Science, the score distribution has not varied significantly over the past five years, with the exception of 2021 which had a low pass rate of just 48%.

4. How time consuming will AP Environmental Science be?

AP Environment is rated as quite low study time required 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 APES was 4.3/10 (vs the average across all AP classes of 5.4/10).

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

APES 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 Environmental Science was 4.0/10 (vs the average across all AP classes of 5.7/10).

Reviewing the course: 43 alumnae share their experiences

If you’re looking forward to taking AP Environment, 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, struggling with science, and your personal preferences as a learner.

91% of AP Environment alumnae would recommend the class.

The majority of the reviews focus on course enjoyment, the importance of vocabulary and common sense, the need for basic math, and helpful study methods.

1.      AP Environmental Science is full of common sense applications

“The essays are common sense application of basic environmental science concepts and the multiple choice require only surface level knowledge of a few ES principles.” – Score: 5

“The test is a lot more of common sense than you think. … Also know your math equations as your bound to get at least one on an FRQ.” – Score: 4

“As long as you have common sense about nature and the world, you’re in good hands.” – Score: 5

2.      You’ll need to know a basic math too

“You don’t have to know any math past long division. Super easy math wise.” – Score: 5

“Know how to do basic math without your calculator. It’ll save your ass in the frq’s…” – Score: 3

“To be honest, the only reason why I got a 5 on this test was because I did this test in 2020 and I did not get asked a single math question. But if you’re not very math/science oriented [but] want to take an AP science course, definitely take this one because half of what you need to know is memorizing vocabulary!” – Score: 5

3.      Lots of students enjoyed AP Environment and found it easy …

“No class that I have ever taken, has taught me as much about how the world works than this course.” – Score: 4

“It’s a good and easy class to take if you’re a sophomore, and it’s way easier if you have previous AP Human Geography knowledge. Just make sure to practice FRQs and review your textbook if you get confused on things.” – Score: 5

“Ez pz lemon squeezy, also study up on your cycles and know how eutrophication works” – Score: 5

“Took this as a freshman, and did not know what to expect (hence the 4.) However, it was a super easy class (this comes from someone who has a natural aptitude for math and memorizes especially well.. so take my advice with a grain of salt) and it was mostly common sense. Wish I had just studied a bit more so I could have gotten that 5. Rip” – Score: 4

“’MC tests very specific, random things, but FRQs are generally easy and only cover big topics.” – Score: 5

4.      … and found it easy to self-study

“I self-studied this exam over a weekend using the Smartypants guide and made an easy 5.” – Score: 5

“Had to read the entire textbook on my own and learn this course basically as if it was a self-study due to the teacher. Regardless, I still got my five, so that goes to show how interesting and easy the information is to pick up.” – Score: 5

“Just study a lot and you’ll be fine” – Score: 4

“APES is pretty easy to self-study as it is mostly memorization, but if your school offers APES as a course it may still be worthwhile to take, should your school’s class include fieldwork, which is not only fun but great experiences in preparation for college.” – Score: 5

5.      On the downside, a small minority of students found AP Environment challenging

“it’s not a very easy class, since there’s so much content, so only take if you have a good teacher or a fantastic study plan. practice your frqs.” – Score: 3

What does it take to succeed in the AP Environment 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 Environmental Science? Course Outline & Requirements

According to College Board:

The AP Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary course, “embracing topics from geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry, and geography”. The course requires students to “identify and analyze natural and human-made environmental problems, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them”.

AP Environment is designed as the equivalent of a one-semester introductory college course. The course requires that “students have the opportunity to spend a minimum of 25% of instructional time engaged in hands-on, inquiry-based laboratory and/or fieldwork investigations”.

Prerequisites for AP Environment are two years of high school laboratory science (“one year of life science and one year of physical science”), and at least one year of algebra. An earth science course is also desirable.

You will develop skills in:

• Engaging with scientific principles, methodologies, and concepts
• Explaining and analyzing (visual) concepts
• Analyzing scientific experiments and data
• Applying quantitative mathematical methods
• Proposing and justifying environmental solutions

The exam consists of one 2 hour 40 minute exam, with 60% (90 minutes) of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and 30% (70 minutes) of free-response questions.

For more details, see: College Board’s AP Environmental Science 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 Environmental Science exam results:

• “1 AP Environmental Science student, out of 222,000 worldwide whose exams have been scored so far, earned all 130/130 points possible across the 3 free-response questions & the multiple-choice section. We’ll notify the student and school in September.”

• “AP Environmental Science MC questions: like last year, students performed best on questions about Unit 4 (Earth Systems & Resources); ~44% of students answered 100% of these questions correctly; incredibly, this is a major increase from last year when ~24% earned all points.”

• “Unit 1 (Ecosystems) continues to be the multiple-choice section with the lowest average scores, but ~16% got every point possible; a 7% increase over last year.”

• “AP Environmental Science FR question (commenting on the version taken by most students): students performed well on Q3 (analyzing nuclear power); 11% of students earned at least 9 of the 10 possible points.”

• “Q2 (global warming / land use) was the most challenging; 1% earned at least 9/10 points. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap24-frq-environmental-science-set-1.pdf“

How to (self) study for AP Environment, 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. Be prepared and start studying early

“Start studying a month or two before the exam — it’s a super easy exam if you know basic science. just don’t start studying the weekend before (with most of the studying the morning before the exam) like I did” – Score: 4

“Practice writing frqs a lot. know big ideas and concepts. needs some memorization of things. exam is NOT difficult IF you’re decently prepared” – Score: 5

2. Know the basics of each unit because it’s a broad course!

“Be sure to know the basics of every unit. They’ll also want you to apply one unit to another, so know how the different units affect each other. Make flashcards from all of the key terms in your review book and you should be fine.” – Score: 4

“At this point the test covers general science, biology, chemistry etc. you’ll be better off with a broad, general understanding of basic scientific concepts than a narrow, specialized view of a set amount of topics (which is probably why I got a 4 instead of a 5)” – Score: 4

“Know big ideas. Use Quizlets online. Practicing FRQs especially math calculations (yes u heard that, there’s a little bit of math and it’s pretty basic but most people shouldn’t blow it off).” – Score: 4

3. Knowing the vocab can be crucial for success

“Remember definitions, examples and concepts.” – Score: 5

“Just know all your terms and practice a few free responses. You’ll be ready.” – Score: 5

“The main thing you need to study is vocabulary as the test may try to throw you off with big terms for simple topics, and it never hurts to put those in your essays.” – Score: 4

Best books and test prep resources for AP Environmental Science

If you’re looking for the best books to study to help you ace APES, 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 Environmental Science compares to other classes: click here for our popular, definitive overview of all AP Classes ranked by difficulty.

Or compare how APES compares to the other science courses with our deep-dives into AP Psychology, AP Biology and AP Chemistry.

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!