Worst AP Course Combinations

Choosing your AP classes can feel like putting together a puzzle. Some pieces fit beautifully together, strengthening your academic profile and setting you up for success. Others don’t. In fact, certain combinations of AP courses can make your year unnecessarily stressful, unbalanced, or academically incoherent.

This guide breaks down the worst AP course combinations students commonly attempt, explains why they don’t work well, and offers more strategic alternatives. 

The goal isn’t to scare you away from challenging yourself — it’s to help you avoid the kinds of course mixes that create burnout, harm grades, or offer little benefit for college admissions.

Key Takeaways

• Some AP courses clash because their workloads overlap too much, or they require lots of the same kind of intense mental effort all at once.

• Taking the wrong combination can lead to burnout, weaker grades, and a less compelling academic story for college admissions.

• Knowing what not to take can be just as important as choosing the right APs.

• For every problematic combination, there are smarter, more balanced alternatives that still show rigour without overwhelming you.

Why Choosing the Right Combination Matters

AP classes are demanding by design. They move fast, assume a high level of independence, and often come with hours of homework, reading, labs, or problem sets each week. So, while taking a single difficult AP might be manageable, combining two or three of the heaviest ones can quickly become overwhelming.

The right schedule can help you:

• Build depth in the subject area you care about

• Maintain solid grades across all your courses

• Balance academics with extracurriculars

• Demonstrate strategic thinking to colleges

• Stay mentally healthy and avoid burnout

The wrong schedule can do the opposite. Colleges do not reward suffering; they reward strong performance and thoughtful planning. A poorly designed AP schedule can leave you exhausted, stressed, and with grades that don’t reflect your potential.

This article highlights the combinations that tend to cause the most problems — not because the courses are “bad,” but because they don’t pair well together for most students.

You can explore our AP revision resources to get an idea of what the courses involve. There are plenty to choose from, as our full list of AP classes demonstrates. 

AP Combinations to Avoid — And Why

Below are some of the most commonly overloaded or unbalanced AP schedules students take. For each, you’ll find an explanation of why the combination tends to backfire, plus a better alternative that preserves academic challenge without the unnecessary strain.

AP Chemistry + AP Physics C + AP Calculus BC

This is one of the heaviest, most calculation-intensive combinations available in the AP catalogue. Each of these courses demands deep conceptual understanding, sustained attention, and consistent time for problem sets.

• AP Chemistry requires long labs, multi-step calculations, and complex conceptual reasoning.

• AP Physics C assumes fluency with calculus and involves dense, high-level physics concepts.

• AP Calculus BC moves at a rapid pace, covering both AB content and additional advanced topics.

Taken together, the workload can become overwhelming, especially when lab reports, physics problem sets, and BC assignments all pile up in the same week. Strong STEM students can handle this combination, but many discover too late that they’ve taken on more than they can manage alongside extracurriculars or college apps.

Better alternative

AP Chemistry + AP Calculus BC + AP Computer Science Principles
You still demonstrate strong STEM focus, but the computational load is more balanced. CS Principles builds analytical thinking but is far lighter than Physics C.

AP US History + AP English Literature + AP Government

Students often underestimate how intense this humanities trio can be. All three involve heavy reading, extensive writing, and a demanding pace of deadlines.

• AP US History (APUSH) is one of the content-heaviest APs, requiring constant memorisation, analysis, and essay writing.

• AP English Literature involves dense texts, literary analysis, and frequent essays.

• AP Government adds another layer of reading and writing — often during the same time of year as major APUSH assessments.

The result is a schedule where you may have multiple essays due each week, overlapping reading assignments, and cumulative exams that stack on top of each other. Students who are strong in reading and writing can still feel crushed by this volume.

Better alternative

AP US History + AP English Language + AP Government
AP Language keeps the writing challenge but is generally more manageable alongside APUSH, and its skills complement both history and government beautifully.

AP Calculus AB + AP Statistics + AP Computer Science

This combination may seem STEM-focused, but the real issue is redundancy and academic narrowness. All three courses lean heavily on quantitative reasoning and problem-solving, without offering the breadth that colleges look for.

• AP Calculus AB and AP Statistics both involve mathematical modelling, though in different ways.

• AP Computer Science (especially Computer Science A) also relies on mathematical and logical structures.
  Taking all three at once means you’re developing a narrow skill set while missing opportunities to strengthen reading, writing, or lab-science skills.

For students aiming at STEM majors, this combination also lacks depth — you’re missing the breadth that would come from Physics, Chemistry, more advanced calculus or even an essay subject like English Language.

Better alternative

AP Calculus AB + AP Computer Science A + AP English Language
You demonstrate mathematical and analytical ability. Then add scientific breadth with Physics/Chemistry or build essential communication skills with English Language.

AP Biology + AP Chemistry + AP Physics 1

Although this combination may seem ideal for pre-med students, it’s often far too demanding in practice. All three involve long labs, complex concepts, and cumulative content.

• AP Biology has enormous content breadth.

• AP Chemistry requires both memorisation and difficult quantitative reasoning.

• AP Physics 1 is deceptively challenging, with conceptual puzzles that take time to master.

Students with brilliant science ability can succeed, but for most, this trio becomes overwhelming, especially with extracurriculars, sports, or part-time work.

Better alternative

AP Biology + AP Chemistry + AP Psychology
This retains a strong pre-med foundation but replaces the third lab-heavy science with a complementary course that’s rigorous without being crushing.

AP World History + AP US History + AP English Literature

This seems like a strong humanities schedule — until the reading lists stack up.

• AP World History covers centuries of material and demands constant review.

• AP US History adds another enormous reading load.

• AP Literature piles on complex novels and poetry with multiple essays.

The amount of reading required weekly can exceed 200–300 pages, not including essays. Only very strong readers with exceptional time management should attempt this.

Better alternative

AP World History + AP English Literature + AP Psychology
You keep the humanities emphasis without doubling up on two of the heaviest reading courses in the AP system.

Check out our articles on AP Options to learn more about specific possibilities.

How to Tell If Your AP Schedule Is Too Much

You don’t have to wait until you’re drowning in coursework to know if your AP schedule is unrealistic. Here’s a simple self-assessment guide.

1. You struggle in the prerequisite courses

If you found honours chemistry or algebra stressful, AP Chem and AP Calc BC will likely be too much together.

2. You have major extracurricular commitments

Athletes, musicians, students with jobs, or leaders of big clubs should be cautious about overloading on APs.

3. Your mental health is already stretched

AP stress compounds quickly. A heavy schedule can worsen anxiety or burnout.

4. Your teachers advise against it

They know more than anyone what the workload looks like.

5. You’re taking APs “just because”

Never take an AP just to impress colleges. Admissions officers want to see strength and good judgment.

If several of these resonate with you, it may be worth adjusting your plan now — rather than panicking later. 

We’ve collated the most popular AP classes and the least popular AP classes so you can get an idea of what others are doing as you make your selection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the maximum number of APs I should take at once?

Most students thrive with 2–4 APs in their junior and senior years. Very strong students may take 4–6 with careful planning, because some Ivy league or highly selective schools expect applicants to have 7-12 APs. Our article on how many APs to take will guide you further.

Can bad AP combinations hurt my college chances?

Indirectly, yes. Colleges won’t penalise you for choosing a challenging schedule, but they will notice if your grades drop because you took on too much. A thoughtful, coherent schedule is always better than an overloaded one.

Is it okay to take two science APs in one year?

Yes, if you’re prepared. AP Biology + AP Chemistry is manageable for strong science students. The problem is taking three lab-heavy sciences at once, which tends to be unsustainable.

Final Thoughts

AP classes are impressive — but choosing them wisely is far more important than choosing them aggressively. Universities appreciate students who challenge themselves within reason, maintain strong grades, and build a schedule that reflects both ambition and good judgement.

Avoid combinations that overload you with the same type of work, demand excessive hours every week, or create unnecessary stress. Every “bad” combination has a smarter alternative that still demonstrates academic strength.

Be strategic, be kind to yourself, and build an AP schedule that helps you grow — not burn out.