How to Check Your AP Scores: Quick Step-By-Step Guide

Reviewed by: Liam Taft

Published

30 June 2025

Contents

If you’ve finished taking an Advanced Placement (AP) exam, checking your scores is a huge moment. No matter why you took the exam, you want to know how you did on the test.

We created this step-by-step guide to walk you through how to check your AP scores quickly and easily. We’ll also discuss what to do after you receive your exam results, and what you can do if it didn’t go as well as you had planned.

How to Check Your AP Scores

The College Board releases AP exam scores online early each July. Checking your AP scores is a pretty easy process, but it’s good to know what you should expect. Here are the steps to access your scores.

Step 1: Gather Your Information

You may already know your username and password for your College Board account. This is the same information you used to register for your AP exams.

Make sure you know which email address you used to create your College Board account, so you can verify your account, if needed.

Step 2: Visit the AP Scores Website

Go to the official College Board AP Students website. Find “Scores” in the navigation menu at the top of the page. Select “View Your Scores” from the dropdown menu.

If you already logged into your My AP account, you should see your scores for all the AP exams you’ve taken. They will be listed by the exam name subject and the year they were taken.

Step 3: Download or Print AP Scores

You can download or print your AP exam scores to keep for your records. You will not be sent your scores via mail, they are only available online.

Interpreting Your Results

AP exam scores will range from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score you can achieve. Each score represents a different level of achievement.

5: Extremely well-qualified (the same as an A in the corresponding college course).
4: Well-qualified (equivalent to a B or C in a college course).
3: Qualified (equivalent to a low B or C).
2: Possibly Qualified.
1: No recommendation.

Some colleges will give you credit or advanced placement in a subject if you scored 3 or higher on the corresponding AP exam. More selective colleges require a 4 or a 5 on AP exams to offer credit.

However, schools have very different policies. Make sure to check with your prospective colleges to see their policies about AP scores.

What Happens Next?

You’ve got your scores, now what? Here’s what happens after you’ve completed your AP exams.

Step 1: Scores Sent to Colleges

When you took the exam, you were asked to designate a college that would get your scores once they were released. The College Board will automatically send official scores to that school.

You also have the option of sending your scores to other colleges through your College Board account, but you may need to pay some fees to do so.

Step 2: Colleges Review Your Scores

Colleges will use your AP exam scores to determine if you qualify for course credit, advanced placement, or both. Some schools may need an official score report to give you credit.

Step 3: Plan Your College Courses

Take a look at your colleges’ AP credit policies. If you have any questions about how your scores may affect your course schedule, talk to your academic advisor.

What If I Didn’t Get The Results I Wanted?

Sometimes, we don’t get the scores we hoped for. It’s disappointing, but you still have plenty of options, including:

Request a Score Recheck. You have the option of requesting a re-score of the free-response section. You’ll need to pay a fee, but it can be worth it if you feel there was a scoring error.
Retake the Exam(s). You can retake the AP exam next year if you feel like you can get a higher score. Contact the College Board AP Services for Students for more information.
Talk to Your College. Depending on the school, some colleges are flexible. They may still offer placement or credit for lower scores, especially if you did well in other areas.

There are lots of ways to reframe disappointing scores, too:

Learn from the Experience. Use your scores to identify areas you can improve in, and then apply those learned lessons to your future exams or even college courses.
Focus on Your Strengths. Remember that your AP scores are just one part of your academic record. Admissions officers will consider much more than just your AP scores. They will look at your overall coursework, grades, as well as your extracurricular activities.

Final Thoughts

Checking your AP scores is a simple process, but it can be intimidating since it can have such a big impact on your academic future. Whether you are strategizing after scoring a 2, or celebrating that 5 you wanted, remember that a single test doesn’t define your entire education. No matter what, use your scores as stepping stones to claim college credit or to learn what you can improve next time.

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