The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the ways many teachers deliver instruction and many students learn. Since widespread disruptions began in March of 2020, the AP and higher education communities have guided the creation of options for supporting teachers and students.
We’ve made decisions that prioritize the health and safety of educators and students while preserving opportunities for motivated students to earn college credit. Rather than offering a single testing approach that would serve only some students and educators well, we are offering a variety of testing options that reflect the unique characteristics of each exam and the preferences we've heard from AP teachers, coordinators, and school leaders.
Some students may be unsure of their readiness for the AP Exam. AP Daily: Live Review sessions, April 19–29, can help students review course content and skills before exams. In addition, we’re waiving all cancellation fees to give students utmost flexibility.
2021 Exam Schedule
The new 2021 AP Exam schedule provides three testing dates for each subject between early May and mid-June.
Administration 1: May 3–7, 10–12, 14, and 17
In School
Traditional, full-length paper and pencil exams, administered in school, for all subjects.
Administration 2: May 18–21, 24–28
In School and At Home
Half of the subjects are paper and pencil, administered in school, and half are full-length digital exams, administered in school or taken at home due to coronavirus precautions.
Administration 3: June 1–4, 7–11
In School and At Home
Most subjects are full-length digital exams only, administered in school or taken at home due to coronavirus precautions.
Schools don’t need to pick just one of the testing windows or modes. AP coordinators can authorize a mix of at-home and in-person exams and mix testing dates, as needed.
Administration 2 and 3 can be used as makeup dates for students who have conflicts or disruptions during the earlier administration(s). In all subjects that have digital exams, an additional makeup date will be provided after Administration 3.
Planning Your Exam Administration
Schools can choose the exam administration options that work best for them—paper and pencil exams administered at school, digital exams administered at school, digital exams taken at home, or a mix—provided the school meets all requirements for each option.
See Planning Your Exam Administration for guidance on selecting exam options.
See Updating Your Exam Order for information about how and when to assign students to later testing dates, if needed.
2021 AP Exams Timeline
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2021
FEBRUARY
Plan Your Exam Administration
AP teachers, coordinators, and school leaders should discuss the testing options and make tentative decisions about which to use.
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2021
MARCH 2
Digital Testing Update
We’ll provide the AP Digital Testing Guide and additional logistical details for AP coordinators on in-school and at-home digital testing, including: how to assign students to later exam dates, technical requirements, how students will access exams, accommodations, and readiness procedures and practice options.
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MARCH 2
Begin Updating Testing Dates, If Needed
Starting this month, AP coordinators can use AP Registration and Ordering to update the testing date for AP students who will be taking exams in Administration 2 and/or 3. Instructions will be available in early March.
Help Your Students Get Online
Not every student has access to the technology they need to take part in remote learning and digital testing. To remove barriers, we’re partnering with organizations to help your school and district connect students to internet access, devices, and other resources.
Instructional Resources
As the exam approaches, teachers can use free, flexible resources to help students develop their knowledge and skills and practice answering AP questions.
Course Pacing Guides
New course pacing guides, designed for classrooms that have completed around 25% of typical course content by January, illustrate ways to use AP Daily videos in lieu of some assignments teachers would ordinarily give to help students develop their knowledge and skills by May.
AP Classroom and AP Daily
Short, searchable AP Daily videos can be assigned alongside topic questions to help cover all course content and skills. Teachers can use topic questions, progress checks, and the progress dashboard and assign AP practice exams in the AP Classroom question bank.
AP Instructional Resources Built for Any Learning Environment
Whether your school is in-person, hybrid/blended, or online this year, AP teachers can use free, digital resources in AP Classroom to provide students with daily instruction, practice, and feedback on every topic and skill covered on AP Exams.