How the AP Chem exam is scored
The 2027 AP Chemistry exam is on Thursday, May 6, 2027 (Session 2, usually afternoon), and AP scores come out in July.[6][7] AP Chemistry is a hybrid exam, with multiple choice in Bluebook and handwritten free-response answers. The free-response section takes longer than the multiple choice, 1 hour 45 minutes, and has seven questions worth 46 points.[1] In hybrid exams you read everything in Bluebook but handwrite free-response answers in a paper booklet.[4]
| Part | Questions / points | Time | Share of score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice | 60 questions | 1 h 30 min | 50% |
| Long free response | 3 questions, 10 points each | 1 h 45 min for all seven | 50% for all seven |
| Short free response | 4 questions, 4 points each |
College Board describes Section II as “three long, multipart questions (worth 10 points each) and four short-answer questions (worth 4 points each).” In 2025, students averaged 4.78, 4.29 and 3.61 on the long questions and between 1.34 and 2.32 on the short ones.[5]
AP Chem score distribution
In 2026, 76% of AP Chem students scored 3 or higher and 15% earned a 5.[2] In 2025 the figures were 77.9% and 17.9%, from 168,833 students with a mean score of 3.36.[3]
| AP score | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 15% | 17.9% |
| 4 | 31% | 28.6% |
| 3 | 30% | 31.4% |
| 2 | 18% | 15.9% |
| 1 | 6% | 6.2% |
How this AP Chem score estimate works
The 1–5 uses the share of the composite each score needed on College Board’s 2008 AP Chem chart, the last one released.[8] See where the cut points come from.
| AP score | At least |
|---|---|
| 5 | 66.7% |
| 4 | 54% |
| 3 | 41.3% |
| 2 | 32.7% |
Example
65% of the multiple choice plus the 2025 average free-response scores gives 54.2%: an estimated 4.
The last published AP Chemistry chart (2008) put a 3 at about 41% of the composite, one of the lowest shares among the subjects with charts. Partial credit on long questions adds up: a 6 instead of a 4 on all three long questions lifts the composite by about 6.5%.
Other AP score calculators
Taking more than one exam? Try the AP Bio score calculator, AP Physics 1 score calculator or AP Calc AB score calculator. Every calculator uses that exam’s own section weights.
Frequently asked questions
How is AP Chemistry scored?
60 multiple-choice questions are 50% of the score; seven free-response questions worth 46 points are the other 50%.
How many free-response questions are on AP Chem?
Seven: three long questions worth 10 points each and four short ones worth 4 points each.
What percent of students get a 5 on AP Chem?
15% in 2026; 75% scored 3 or higher.
Sources
- AP Chemistry: Assessment
- 2026 AP Score Distributions
- Student Score Distributions, AP Exams, May 2025
- How Are AP Exams Administered? (2027 exam modes)
- AP Scoring Statistics, 2025 Free-Response Questions (one file per exam)
- 2027 AP Exam Dates
- AP Calendar (score release and deadlines)
- AP Chem scoring worksheet for the 2008 Released Exam (composite → AP score chart)