When Are AP Exams?

Student studying on laptop
Updated:
August 28, 2023
5 min read
Contents

”Mary

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 5/4/22

The AP exam schedule can be tricky to navigate, but we’ve got you covered! Below we’ll give you a breakdown of everything you need to know!

As students across the country prepare for the end of the school year, many are also gearing to take the AP exams. These rigorous tests are designed to examine a student's knowledge and mastery of college-level material in various subjects, from mathematics and statistics to science and psychology

As such, AP exams are considered an important component of a student's college application and can even earn them college credit or advanced placement should they get a sufficiently high score.

Aside from studying for these tests, one crucial step in doing well is becoming very familiar with the exam schedule. After all, you can’t do well if you don’t even know when to take the exam, right? In this article, we’ll go over the 2023 exam schedule so you’ll be able to confidently answer the question: “When are AP exams?”

When Are AP Exams?

AP exams are administered during a two-week period in May each year. CollegeBoard has confirmed that the 2023 AP exams will take place in schools during the first two weeks of May. The first week will span from May 1st to 5th, followed by the second week from May 8th to 12th.

It's worth noting that AP exams exclusively occur on school days, which means there is a possibility of missing some classes. Please bear this in mind as you plan accordingly.

2023 AP Exam Schedule

The AP exam schedule can be found on the CollegeBoard’s official website. But, to save you some time, take a look at these tables to find out exactly when the AP tests are:

Week 1

Week 1 8:00 a.m. Local Time 12:00 p.m. Local Time
Monday,
May 1, 2023
United States Government and Politics Chemistry
Spanish Literature and Culture
Tuesday,
May 2, 2023
Chinese Language and Culture
Environmental Science
Psychology
Wednesday,
May 3, 2023
English Literature and Composition Comparative Government and Politics
Computer Science A
Thursday,
May 4, 2023
Human Geography
Macroeconomics
Seminar
Statistics
Friday,
May 5, 2023
European History
United States History
Art History
Microeconomics

Source: College Board

Week 2

Week 2 8:00 a.m. Local Time 12:00 p.m. Local Time 2:00 p.m. Local Time
Monday,
May 8, 2023
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Computer Science Principles
Italian Language and Culture
-
Tuesday,
May 9, 2023
English Language and Composition
Japanese Language and Culture
Physics C: Mechanics Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
Wednesday,
May 10, 2023
Spanish Language and Culture Biology -
Thursday,
May 11, 2023
French Language and Culture
World History: Modern
Physics 1: Algebra-Based -
Friday,
May 12, 2023
German Language and Culture
Music Theory
Latin
Physics 2: Algebra-Based
-

Source: College Board

There are also some AP courses that require you to submit a digital portfolio instead of a conventional test exam like the other courses. Each portfolio has their own requirements for what to include and how to submit them. Here’s a table of the submission deadlines for all courses that require digital portfolio submission.

AP Subject Submission Deadline
AP Art and Design May 5, 2023 (8:00 p.m. ET)
AP Seminar and AP Research May 1, 2023 (11:59 p.m. ET)
AP Computer Science Principles May 1, 2023 (11:59 p.m. ET)

Source: College Board

To complete your AP Art and Design course, you'll need to finalize your portfolio and submit it through the AP Digital Portfolio. AP Seminar and AP Research students must submit both their performance tasks and presentations, while AP Computer Science Principles students must hand in their Create performance task before the deadline.

2023 AP Exam Late-Testing Schedule

Occasionally, there are circumstances that require students to take the test at a date later than the regularly scheduled testing dates. This situation, called late-testing, utilizes alternative testing forms to preserve the security of AP exams. 

Reasons for needing late-testing can include a conflict in schedule (such as students who take exams that are scheduled for the same time) or missing the AP exam on the originally scheduled date due to personal reasons. Depending on the reason, students are sometimes charged an additional fee when late-testing.

However, students who need to take the late-testing for the following reason are exempt from paying any additional late-testing fees:

  • “Academic contest/event
  • Accommodations for disabilities
  • Athletic contest/event
  • Conflict with IB or Cambridge exam
  • Conflict with nationally, province-, or state-mandated test
  • Conflict with other AP exams (such as two AP Exams on the same date at the same time)
  • Delayed shipment  
  • Emergency: bomb scare or fire alarm
  • High school graduation
  • Language lab scheduling conflict
  • Makeup AP exam due to an incident during the initial exam 
  • Religious/holiday observance
  • School closing: election, national holiday, or natural disaster
  • Serious injury or illness
  • Family tragedy 
  • Strike/labor conflict
  • Student court appearance”

For 2023, the schedule for late-testing are as shown below:

Date Morning 8:00 a.m.
Local Time
Afternoon 12:00 p.m.
Local Time
Wednesday,
May 17, 2023
Chemistry 
Computer Science A 
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism 
Psychology 
Statistics 
United States History
Computer Science Principles 
English Literature and Composition 
Environmental Science 
Japanese Language and Culture 
Macroeconomics 
Spanish Literature and Culture
Thursday,
May 18, 2023
Chinese Language and Culture 
English Language and Composition 
German Language and Culture 
Human Geography 
Physics 1: Algebra-Based
Art History   
Biology 
Comparative Government and Politics 
French Language and Culture 
Italian Language and Culture 
Latin
Friday,
May 19, 2023
Calculus AB 
Calculus BC 
Microeconomics 
Physics 2: Algebra-Based
 Spanish Language and Culture
European History 
Music Theory 
Physics C: Mechanics
Seminar 
United States Government and Politics 
World History: Modern

Source: College Board

While it’s rare, not all AP exams may offer late-testing options. To ensure you have accurate information about late-testing availability and requirements for your chosen AP exam, please check with your school or visit the College Board website.

FAQs: AP Exams Dates

Now that we’ve answered “when are AP exams?”, check out our answers to these frequently asked questions if you need further clarification! 

1. How Many Times Are AP Exams Conducted In a Year?

Each AP exam is conducted once a year in early May. Specific dates can be found on the schedules above. Your school’s AP coordinators are responsible for notifying students when and where to report for the exams. So if you require any further help or clarification, contacting them would be a great option. 

2. When Can You Take AP Exams?

The AP exams can be taken during two weeks in May. 

3. What Times Do AP Exams Come Out?

Morning AP exams start from 8:00 a.m. local time, while afternoon AP exams start from 12:00 p.m. local time.

Additionally, AP scores will start coming out early July, which is around two months after the AP testing date. 

4. What Day Is the AP Stats Exam 2023?

The AP Statistics exam will take place on Thursday, May 4th, 2023, starting from 12:00 p.m. local time.

5. What Does “Start Time” Mean Here?

Start time is the time when the AP exam begins, but there are a few caveats that you should be aware of. For one, start times are local to the place you take your exam. For example, if you plan to take a morning exam in Los Angeles, then the exam begins when it’s 8:00 a.m. in Los Angeles. 

Furthermore, AP exams begin up to 1 hour after the official start time. For example, exams can begin between 8:00–9:00 a.m. local time for morning exams, between 12:00–1:00 p.m. local time for afternoon exams, and between 2:00–3:00 p.m. local time for Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism during the regularly scheduled exam administration. 

However, testing at any time prior to the start time or testing at times other than those published by College Board are prohibited under any circumstances.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we’ve answered the question, “when are AP exams?” by outlining the 2023 exam schedule. It is crucial to be aware of the testing schedule and registration deadlines to ensure that you can take the AP exams at your preferred time and location.

Preparing for AP exams is a long road to walk, and knowing the starting point and finishing point are the most crucial parts of knowing your journey. Just like using a map, we hope this article saved you lots of trouble and made your AP exams all the more bearable. Best wishes!

Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Thanks ! You're now subscribed!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get A Free Consultation

Speak to a college admissions expert about how we can help you get into your dream school
Schedule a Call

You May Also Like

Before you go, here are a few facts about us!
The Quad Factor: Working with us can increase your chances of admission by 7x!

The Best of the Best: Our team comprises of only 99th percentile tutors and admissions counselors from top-ranking universities, meaning you work with only the most experienced, talented experts.

The Free Consultation: Our experts would love to get to know you, your background, goals, and needs. From there, they match you with a best-fit consultant who will create a detailed project plan and application strategy focused on your success.