Is AP Human Geography easy or hard? Read on to discover why we’ve given AP Geography 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 hard is AP Human Geography?
Here’s an overview of all the data we’ve analysed on AP Geography, from both 2024 pass rates and alumnae reviews:
- AP Geography is considered quite easy, with class alumnae rating it 4.3/10 for overall difficulty
- That makes it the 5th-easiest course out of the 28 large AP classes we surveyed
- The pass rate is lower than other AP classes, with 56% graduating with a 3 or higher
- AP Human Geography is quite widely-taken (approximately 262,000 entries a year)
- And 91% of alumnae would recommend the class
Alumnae recommendations: the tl;dr
AP Human Geography is considered a great introductory AP class by class alumnae. It is a broad class, with some focus on vocab, memorisation and applying models, and requires substantial preparation.
Taking a visual comparison:
Here’s a fun visual on how AP Geography compares to other classes, by difficulty, the amount of study time required, and class size:
We’ve only highlighted AP Geography here. But you can see the full multi-coloured version of this chart in our popular, definitive difficulty ranking of ALL the AP classes!
Behind the scenes: our Data Analyst and methodology
Exam Study Expert founder William Wadsworth is a Cambridge University trained psychologist and data analyst. Since he first started crunching AP data in 2019, over half a million AP students have used his difficulty ratings analysis to choose their AP classes.
Additional research, graphics, and article review by Dr Kerri-Anne Edinburgh
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:
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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 Geography
If you want to know more about how AP Human Geography 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 Geography is considered quite easy, with class alumnae rating it 4.3/10 for overall difficulty, making it the 25th-most-difficult out of the 28 large AP classes surveyed.
2. The AP Geography pass rate in 2024
In 2024 the AP Human Geography pass rate was 56%, much lower than the all-AP-classes average.
The highest percentage of candidates (30%) failed with a 1, more than double the all-AP average. The remaining candidates were fairly evenly distributed between grades 2 and 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 Geography score distribution has only fluctuated slightly over the past 5 years of exams. Although 2020 had a higher pass rate of 58%, this then fell to around 53-54%, before showing a slight increase again to 56% in 2024.
4. How time consuming will AP Human Geography be?
AP Geography 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 AP Human Geography was 4.9/10 (vs the average across all AP classes of 5.4/10).
5. How hard is it to self-study for AP Geography?
AP Human Geography 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 Human Geography was 4.4/10 (vs the average across all AP classes of 5.7/10).
Reviewing the course: 188 alumnae share their experiences
If you’re looking forward to taking AP Geography, 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 a particularly weak teacher and your personal preferences as a learner.
An impressive 91% of AP Human Geography alumnae would recommend the class.
The majority of the reviews focus on course enjoyment as a great introductory AP course, the importance of vocabulary and memorisation, and reminders to prepare thoroughly.
1. Many students really enjoy AP Geography
“I thought the course content was interesting but it really depends who your teacher is and what your class environment’s like.” – Score: 5
“Fun class, and Interesting Material.” – Score: 5
“Even though many say this is one of the easiest AP classes, from my experience, it was probably my favorite of the 6 I’ve taken so far! The material is very interesting and easy to grasp, even for a freshman or sophomore. Studying isn’t even necessary unless you’re pushing for a 5.” – Score: 4
“I love politics and social science in general, so I really enjoyed this class. … I also do not struggle with memorization… so take this advice w/ a grain of salt. This class is very easy if you are dedicated and pay attention. If you have a great teacher like me, studying a lot isn’t required.“ – Score: 5
“Loved taking this class in school! I didn’t read the textbook much at all, but I paid attention, did my school work, and earned a 5!” – Score: 5
“This course is fun. Don’t stress about it! I loved learning about things that are applicable to everyday life, and I left the class with so much information. The exam was easy, and that is coming from someone who never studied or paid attention in class half of the time. If you can take this, take it.” – Score: 5
2. AP Human Geography is considered a great introductory/first AP
“This course is a good introduction to the world of AP testing. Some questions are general and only require basic knowledge, others are more specific. Know your models and vocab and you will know enough to get a 5. The FRQs are just BSing answers.” – Score: 5
“I took this course as a freshman, and I think it was a great first AP course. More challenging than standard SS classes, but nothing too overwhelming.” – Score: 5
“I personally think that HuG is a great AP introductory course. I took it freshman year and it gave me valuable insight into how I should study and more importantly, when I should start studying for the AP exam. It’s not too hard, but you do need to know the importance of people, all the various models (Bid-Rent Curve, CBD, etc.), and the huge amount of terms.” – Score: 4
“I took the class as a freshman but I still found it pretty easy. There are lots of different models and such you have to memorize in the class, so be ready to differencaite between them and who made them, particularly the Human Development Index. Hardest part of the class for me were the tests for naming the countries across the globe, and thats just because I’m trash at geography.” – Score: 5
“Kind of like a trial AP course, so treat it like one. Take time to experiment (especially if this is your first AP course) with note taking, but also BE SURE TO TAKE NOTES, especially for all your courses. The reason this is so easy to self-study is because everything is in the textbook. … Also pay attention to connections and global ideas. Focus on the people, this is HUMAN geography, after all.” – Score: 5
“Make sure to study the different models and know vocab terms and how they relate to the real world. This is a great first AP course to get you used to the format of an AP exam and the rigor required.” – Score: 5
3. Many reviewers rate it as an easy course
“Not difficult for smart people. If you are average intelligence 30 mins a day will get you a 5.” – Score: 5
“’This class is fairly easy compared to other AP classes. If you’re a straight-A student, then this class isn’t all that difficult as long as you’re willing to put in the work.” – Score: 5
“Even though it’s an easy class, you still need to keep up with the work and actually study the content or else the FRQ section will kick your ass.” – Score: 5
“It’s not a hard class, took it freshmen year. My teacher made us do notecards for all of our vocabulary words which did help quite a bit.” – Score: 4
“As a freshman, this was a pretty nice class. The content is hard to understand at first, but the more you pay attention in class the better you’ll do. Also, you’re going to need to self-study some content you don’t understand. I studied a lot because of COVID-19. It’s a nice introductory course to AP classes. It’s not easy, but gets you prepared for more difficult classes.” – Score: 5
4. A few students found it challenging (especially to self-study)
“This is not as easy to self-study as you think! There are a lot of terms and models to know. Be familiar with geography and global current events if you want to pass the exam.” – Score: 4
“Understanding the concepts is easy, but remembering, applying and memorizing the very specific real world examples they apply to is difficult and requires lots of studying. The frqs were simple and general stuff last year that were easy compared to online practice tests and book reviews.” – Score: 4
“Only take this class if you’re willing to put in a lot of your time and effort” – Score: 2
“Know what score you want and put in time accordingly… You can get a 4 in this class with almost no effort, but getting a consistent 5 is a lot harder. I’d say average AP class, definitely harder than other AP Social Studies I’ve taken.” – Score: 5
“It will be hard if you don’t catch up with your work” – Score: 4
5. Having some broad, common knowledge is important
“You don’t need in depth knowledge of anything tbh general unsure knowledge copped me a 5” – Score: 5
“Most of it is common knowledge if you are interested in social sciences, just brush up on the models specific vocabulary for FRQ” – Score: 4
“If you have a decent knowledge of geography and current events this course shouldn’t be hard for you. Just pay attention in class, I barely reviewed seriously for the exam and still got a 5 because most of it is just “common sense” type stuff.” – Score: 5
“Know how all of the concepts in the different units interconnect with each other. If you know this, you are headed for a 4 or 5 with the wind at your back.” – Score: 5
“Try and study some physical geography while taking this course; it will be extremely helpful in some of the units (ex. agriculture).” – Score: 5
What does it take to succeed in the AP Geography 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 Human Geography? Course Outline & Requirements
According to College Board:
“AP Human Geography introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface.”
The course is equivalent to an introductory college-level course. There are no prerequisites for AP Geography, although students are expected to read college-level texts. The course is often taken in freshman year.
You will develop skills in:
- Analyzing concepts, processes and geographical relationships
- Interpreting data, maps, charts and images
- Analyzing qualitative source information, theories and models
The exam consists of one 2 hour 15 minute exam, with 50% (60 minutes) of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and 50% (75 minutes) of free-response questions.
For more details, see: College Board’s AP Human Geography 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 Human Geography exam results:
- “Kudos to AP Human Geography teachers and students, who demonstrated stronger content mastery in the multiple-choice section than any other cohort. Accordingly, this year’s students achieved a higher % of 3+ scores than prior groups. (Remember that this is the only AP subject taken primarily by 9th graders, so AP 1s are also more common in this subject than most others.)”
- “1 AP Human Geography student, out of the ~250,000 whose exams have been scored so far, has earned each of the 120 points possible across all of the free-response and MC questions. We’ll notify this student and school in September.”
- “MC questions: students showed strongest understanding of Cultural Patterns & Processes (Unit 3), followed by Agriculture & Rural Land-Use Patterns (Unit 5); ~20% of students earned 9-10 of the 10 available points for each of these units.”
- “FR questions (commenting on Set 1, the version taken by most students):
- Q1 was the most difficult of the exam, so to earn a 5, students generally needed to obtain 5 of these 7 advanced points; to earn a 3, students generally needed to earn 3 of these points. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap24-frq-human-geography-set-1.pdf
- To ensure students aren’t advantaged or disadvantaged by the specific version of the exam they receive, the analyses psychometricians conduct after the exam determine how many points on each exam question are necessary.
- For example, AP Human Geography’s Set 2, Q3 was not as difficult as Set 1, Q3. So to receive an AP 5 on Set 2, students generally needed to earn all 7 points on Q3; to receive an AP 3, students generally needed to earn 5 of 7 points. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap24-frq-human-geography-set-2.pdf“
How to (self) study for AP Geography, 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. There’s a lot of vocab to memorize: so get yourself some flashcards
“Know your vocabulary very well and also know how the words apply to real situations” – Score: 5
“Great class. Be sure to pay attention to the vocabulary and find ways to apply the information learned outside of class to real life scenarios. It would also be helpful to keep tabs on the news and see how that correlates with the class.” – Score: 5
“’USE FLASHCARDS!! To memorize vocabulary and the models. Make use of the units as they go very well together and give you a mind map that can help you on the AP test.” – Score: 5
“Definitely know vocab. You need general understanding of concepts, not necessarily specifics.” – Score: 5
“LEARN YOUR TERMS!!! Terms are super important on the AP exam. Make flashcards and READ the book!!!” – Score: 5
“Know plenty of examples for every concept and vocab word. Quizlet is a great resource” – Score: 5
2. Make sure to pay attention in class
“Pay attention in class and you’ll be fine; for self-studiers, there are amazing resources out there (Barron’s, AP’s videos, cram packets, etc.) that will help immensely. The class wasn’t particularly hard, but make sure you cross-apply concepts and events from different units to understand more and have a better chance for a high AP score” – Score: 5
“If you pay attention in class you will get a 4/5” – Score: 5
“Pay attention to the class, but the FRQ are easy to BS. Also, don’t stress! I only studied a week before the exam and still got a 5.” – Score: 5
“Know all the vocab and especially the models. Pay attention in class and it shouldn’t a problem.” – Score: 5
3. Preparation is key for success
“Prepare intensively for topics relating to demographics and urbanization. Know general trends for other units. Be creative in your FRQ’s; share and include some lesser-known knowledge or detail that was taught to you specifically by your AP Human Geography teacher.” – Score: 4
“Use your review book as a guide! Make flashcards and memorize them. On the test there were things that we didn’t cover in class but that were covered in the prep book. I had a terrible teacher, but by memorizing all of the key terms in the prep book I was able to get a 5.” – Score: 5
“Study for tests and take good notes. Overall the content isn’t that hard but in my class there was a lot of work so try to stay on top of that and plan ahead. I would also really recommend the Ethel Wood book. It does a great job of condensing the important information and it’s super good for studying.” – Score: 5
“This class can be very easy if you have a good teacher. Make sure to memorize the models and know how to apply them to different situations, along with memorizing the vocabulary. Even though many say that this is an easy AP exam, please study throughout the class and before the exam, or else you might be surprised.” – Score: 5
“Google is your friend. You can search up so many resources, which is how I came across the APHG Crash Course and 5 Steps to a 5 pdf file. The Princeton book is extremely helpful! Just be make sure you know your vocabulary, theories, AND MODELS.” – Score: 4
“Make sure you thoroughly understand each topic and how they form connections to other ideas. There are multiple online resources, and I do recommend the Princeton book.” – Score: 4
“Make sure to go over the previous FRQs given on the College Board. They essentially tell you exactly what they want on the actual test.” – Score: 5
4. Students recommend balancing your studies: don’t cram and don’t over-study
“Overstudying is a thing. It puts more pressure on you to do well, ultimately causing you to choke. My friend hardly studied (a few hours at the most) and got the same score that I did, having studied the content for probably at least 40 – 50 hours” – Score: 4
“Don’t cram. Steadily learn throughout a year and do a full review a couple nights before the test.” – Score: 4
“Just make sure you’re on top of the work, the moment you don’t understand something immediately go to the teacher. Also don’t solely rely on your teacher and the book, branch off and learn through other places because sometimes what the teacher taught is not on the AP test, or the teacher didn’t teach something on the test.” – Score: 4
Best books and test prep resources for AP Geography
If you’re looking for the best books to study to ace AP Human Geography, 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 Human Geography compares to other classes: click here for our popular, definitive overview of all AP Classes ranked by difficulty.
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!
Exam Study Expert founder William Wadsworth is a Cambridge University trained psychologist and data analyst. Since he first started crunching AP data in 2019, over half a million AP students have used his difficulty ratings analysis to choose their AP classes. William’s research on effective study strategies has been presented at top education conferences and reported in The Times, and he also hosts the top-rated Exam Study Expert podcast, with 1 million downloads to date.
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