How Long is Each AP Exam?
Are you wondering how long your AP exams are?
Knowing how long your AP exams might be can help you mentally prepare for the big day! Each AP exam's length varies based on the subject, but you can expect them to fall within the 2-3 hour range. There’s one break in the middle of the exam that splits the exam into two sections: multiple-choice & free-response.
How Long is Each Exam?
Below is a table showing the total duration of AP exams:
| Exam | Total Length |
|---|---|
| ✊🏿African American Studies (2025) | 2 hours 20 minutes |
| 🖼 Art History | 3 hours |
| 🧬 Biology | 3 hours |
| ∞ Calculus AB | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| ∞ Calculus BC | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| 🧪 Chemistry | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| 🇨🇳 Chinese Language and Culture | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| 🗳 Comparative Government and Politics | 2 hours 25 minutes |
| 💻 Computer Science A | 3 hours |
| ⌨️ Computer Science Principles | 2 hours |
| ✍🏽 English Language and Composition | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| 📚 English Literature and Composition | 3 hours |
| ♻️ Environmental Science | 3 hours |
| 🇪🇺 European History | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| 🇫🇷 French Language and Culture | 3 hours |
| 🇩🇪 German Language and Culture | 3 hours |
| 🚜 Human Geography | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| 🇮🇹 Italian Language and Culture | 3 hours |
| 🇯🇵 Japanese Language and Culture | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| 🏛️ Latin | 3 hours |
| 💴 Macroeconomics | 2 hours 10 minutes |
| 🤑 Microeconomics | 2 hours 10 minutes |
| 🎼 Music Theory | 2 hours 40 minutes |
| 💡 Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| ⚙️ Physics C: Mechanics | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 🎡 Physics 1: Algebra-Based | 3 hours |
| 🧲 Physics 2: Algebra-Based | 3 hours |
| 📈 Pre-Calculus | 3 hours |
| 🧠 Psychology | 2 hours |
| 🇪🇸 Spanish Language and Culture | 3 hours |
| 💃🏼 Spanish Literature and Culture | 3 hours |
| 📊 Statistics | 3 hours |
| 👩🏾⚖️US Government and Politics | 2 hours 25 minutes |
| 🇺🇸 US History | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| 🌍 World History | 3 hours 15 minutes |
Time Management Strategy for AP Exams
Practicing is important for AP exams, but it’s equally vital to master time management during your study sessions before the exam day.
- When you have some time, simulate a testing environment by taking a practice exam with a watch nearby. Make sure to check on the time to pace yourself, so that you finish both sections in time.
Especially on the free response question section, you’ll need to determine how much time you should allot for each essay or question—during the exam, you won’t be prompted to move onto the next essay or question.
- For example, during the AP Language exam, you have to craft three essays (synthesis, rhetorical analysis, argumentative) in a 2 hour-and-15-minute window. This can be a challenge if time isn’t managed well.
Now, let’s talk through the multiple choice section.
- In this section, you have to answer questions in a fast-paced manner in order to get through all the questions in time.
- A general rule of thumb is that if you’re stuck on a question for more than 1 minute, move on and come back to the question after you’ve gone through the other questions first.
Remember, practicing while pacing your time is important. Here are some FRQs you can practice at Fiveable!
- AP Biology - FRQ
- AP Calculus - FRQ
- AP Chemistry - FRQ
- AP Comparative Government - FRQ
- AP English Language - FRQ
- AP English Literature - FRQ
- AP Environmental Science - FRQ
- AP European History - FRQ
- AP Human Geography - FRQ
- AP Physics 1 - FRQ
- AP Psychology - FRQ
- AP Stats - FRQ
- AP US Government- FRQ
- AP US History - FRQ
- AP World History: Modern - FRQ