What Is a 'Bad' AP Grade?

Key Takeaways

• AP exams are scored on a scale of 1–5, with 3 considered ‘qualified’ by College Board

• Whether a score is ‘bad’ depends on your goal: college credit, competitive admissions, or personal benchmarking

• A low AP exam score does not automatically appear on college applications and does not affect your GPA

• You choose which AP scores to send to colleges, and you can withhold any score you're not happy with

• You can retake any AP exam the following year if you want to improve your score

How Does the AP Scoring Scale Work?

AP exams use a 1–5 scoring scale, which is outlined in the table below:

See our explanation of AP grades for more information.

What Counts as a 'Bad' AP Score?

What counts as a ‘bad’ AP score depends entirely on what you're trying to achieve.

For university, most colleges only award credit for a 3 or higher. A 1 or 2 would therefore be ‘bad’ in this case.

For competitive admissions, highly selective colleges (like Ivy League schools) tend to look for 4s and 5s. Though 3 is technically a pass, it could be considered ‘bad’ compared to other applicants with higher scores.

For personal benchmarking, what counts as a ‘bad’ score for you depends entirely on the expectations you put upon yourself. That being said, taking an AP course shows academic rigour regardless of the score, so try not to be too hard on yourself if you didn’t quite achieve what you wanted to!

A 3 in AP Physics C is a very different achievement from a 3 in AP Human Geography. The difficulty and pass rates vary dramatically between subjects, so context matters.

Does a Bad AP Score Hurt Your College Application?

This is the question most students worry about, but the short answer is no, providing you handle it correctly.

Colleges don’t automatically receive your AP score report. Instead, you need to submit a request to the College Board to send your AP scores to colleges (opens in a new tab). However, you can choose to withhold AP scores through College Board. There's a small fee, but it gives you control over what admissions committees see.

You also have the option of cancelling your AP score (opens in a new tab), which means the College Board will permanently delete your score from its records. Once a score is cancelled, it can’t be reinstated, so think very carefully before you choose this.

Does a Low AP Score Affect Your GPA?

No. Your AP exam score and your course grade are two completely separate things.

The 1–5 score you receive on the AP exam has no effect on your GPA. Your GPA is determined by the grade your teacher gives you in the AP class throughout the year.

AP courses typically carry a weighted GPA boost (an extra 1.0 point on a 5.0 scale at many schools). That weighting comes from enrolling in the course, not from the exam result. So even if you score a 2 on the AP exam, an A in the class still gives you the full GPA benefit.

The only scenario where the AP exam score could matter for your GPA is if your school has an unusual policy that factors exam results into final grades. This is rare, but worth checking with your teacher.

What to Do If You Get a Low AP Score

A low AP score isn’t the end of the world, and you have a number of options for what to do next:

• Don't send it. You control which scores colleges see, so leave low scores off your applications

• Withhold it. If you've already sent scores through the College Board, you can request a score withhold before they reach your target schools

• Retake the exam. Both scores will be on your College Board record, but you choose which to send. Our tips on how to improve your AP scores can help you target the areas where you lost marks

• Appeal if you think something went wrong. If you believe there was a scoring error, the College Board offers a score review process

• Consider your course grade. Colleges take a holistic approach to admissions; they don’t just focus on exam scores. A strong grade in the AP class will still be well-regarded

What AP Score Do You Need for College Credit?

Most colleges set the credit threshold at 3, but plenty of selective institutions require a 4 or even a 5.

The table below outlines how credit threshold varies by college type:

Always check your target college's AP credit policy. Our guide on whether universities accept AP will give you more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a 3 on an AP exam bad?

Not necessarily. While it might be considered ‘bad’ if you’re aiming for competitive colleges, a 3 is the College Board's ‘qualified’ threshold and earns credit at most colleges. In addition, taking an AP course still strengthens your transcript, regardless of the result.

Is a 4 on an AP exam bad?

No. A 4 is a strong, ‘well qualified’ score, and it sits above the credit threshold at almost every college. 

Some students feel disappointed with a 4 if they were aiming for a 5, but from an admissions and credit perspective, a 4 is excellent.

Can you retake an AP exam?

Yes, and you don't need to retake the AP course to sit the exam again. The College Board keeps both scores on file, but you choose which one to send to colleges. Read our full guide on retaking AP exams for the process and deadlines.

Should you withhold a bad AP score?

If you've already sent scores to a college and one of them is lower than you'd like, you can pay to have it withheld. This makes sense if the score is a 1 or 2 and the college hasn't made an admissions decision yet. If you haven't sent scores yet, the simplest option is to just not include the low score on your application.