The AP® Environmental Science exam focuses on your understanding of environmental concepts and your ability to solve environmental problems and design research studies, all with the use of a calculator. If you score high enough, your AP score could earn you college credit!
Check out our AP Environmental Science Guide for what you need to know about the exam:
The College Board is very detailed in what they require your AP teacher to cover in his or her AP Environmental Science course. You should be familiar with environmental concepts from the following 9 units:
The AP Environmental Science exam takes 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete and is composed of two sections: a multiple-choice and a free response section.
Section |
Timing |
Number of Questions |
% of Exam Score |
Section 1, Multiple-Choice |
1 hour 30 minutes |
80 multiple choice questions |
60% |
Section 2, Free Response |
1 hour 10 minutes |
3 free response questions |
40% |
The AP Environmental Science multiple choice questions are made up of two types: individual, single questions and sets of questions based on diagrams or data representations (i.e. charts, tables, graphs, etc.). For this section, the College Board will expect you to do these seven skills:
The free response section for the exam includes three types of questions. Question 1 will have you design an investigation. Questions 2 and 3 will require you to analyze and propose a solution for an environmental problem, but only one will require you to do calculations. Similar to the multiple choice section, this section will also test those seven skills.
For a comprehensive content review, check out our book,
AP scores are reported from 1 to 5. Here’s how students scored on AP Environmental Science exam in May 2020:
AP Environmental Science Score |
Meaning |
Percentage of Test Takers |
5 |
Extremely qualified |
11.9% |
4 |
Well qualified |
28.5% |
3 |
Qualified |
13% |
2 |
Possibly qualified |
25.5% |
1 |
No recommendation |
21% |
Source:
AP classes are great, but for many students they’re not enough! For a thorough review of AP Environmental Science content and strategy, pick the AP prep option that works best for your goals and learning style.
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