Every May, millions of high school students charge up their graphing calculators, crank out practice essays, and brush up on topics like participatory democracy and kinematics in preparation for what's likely one of the biggest challenges of their academic lives: AP exams.
However, the challenge is often worth it. Taken at the end of Advanced Placement classes, a passing grade on an AP exam can be a game changer for high schoolers. These college-level courses are appealing to students who want to get ahead, take a deep dive into topics of interest, and explore potential careers.
Passing AP tests before senior year can also mean a more attractive college application and an easier time adjusting to the academic rigors of college. Some colleges even accept passing AP test scores as college credit—a major incentive for students to take the exams when college costs at four-year institutions average $36,436 per year.
It's no wonder then that over the past two decades, the AP program has experienced tremendous growth. In 2023, more than 2.8 million students took AP tests, according to the College Board. That's nearly four times the number of test takers in 2000.
To be clear, these college-level courses—and the exams that go with them—are not easy. For many high school students, an AP course is their first foray into all types of advanced skills such as developing political arguments and quantitative data analysis. All AP courses are designed to be rigorous, but some prove to be more challenging than others.
Numerade used data from the College Board to identify the 10 AP courses with the lowest pass rate in 2023, meaning students scored at least a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5 to pass, with 5 being the highest score. While the subjects are ranked by pass rate (the highest pass rate is at #10 on the list, while the lowest is at #1), exam difficulty is only one factor influencing outcomes. For example, a course with a high share of first-year students may have a lower pass rate since it is many students' first AP course ever.
Though the College Board considers 3 to be a passing score, some colleges will only count an AP course toward college credit with a score of 4 or higher. While AP classes may count as college credit, not all schools will allow AP courses to meet general education requirements.
