The AP Seminar assessment has three parts: two performance tasks—which you'll complete over the course of the year and submit online for scoring through the AP Digital Portfolio—and the end-of-course AP Exam. All measure your proficiency in the course skills, and all contribute to your final AP score on a scale of 1–5.
In 2019, just over 43,000 students took the AP Seminar assessment. Scores from the 2019 exam reveal an assessment with a high passing rate (score of 3 or higher) but a difficult rate of mastery.
Assessment FormatPerformance Task 1: Team Project and Presentation—20% of AP Seminar ScoreComponentScoring MethodEnd-of-Course Exam (2 Hours)—45% of AP Seminar ScoreComponentScoring MethodUnderstanding and analyzing an argument (3 short-answer questions); suggested time: 30 minutesCollege Board scored8 more rows
11.1% 19.5AP Score DistributionsExam54AP Research13.7%25.4%AP Seminar11.1%19.5%
Top 10 Hardest AP Classes by Exam Pass RateChemistry. 56.1% 10.6%U.S. Government and Politics. 57.5% 15.5%U.S. History. 58.7% 13.0%Human Geography. 59.0% 11.8%European History. 59.3% 13.7%Statistics. 60.0% 16.2%English Literature. 60.1% 9.3%World History.More items...
Top 10 Easiest AP Classes by Exam Pass RateSpanish Literature. 75.1% 17.6%Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. 74.4% 40.4%Physics 2. 73.3% 14.0%Computer Science Principles. 71.6% 10.9%Psychology. 71.3% 22.4%Computer Science A. 70.4% 25.6%Comparative Government and Politics. 70.2% 24.4%Music Theory.More items...
AP Seminar is considered quite easy, with class alumnae rating it 4.8/10 for overall difficulty (the 18th-most-difficult out of the 28 large AP classes surveyed). The pass rate is much higher than other AP classes, with 85% graduating with a 3 or higher.
How Long Are AP Exams?ExamDurationAP Statistics3 hoursAP United States Government and Politics3 hoursAP United States History3 hours, 15 minutesAP World History: Modern3 hours, 15 minutes29 more rows•Jan 26, 2020
According to the latest 2020 AP® Physics 1 score distribution report, only 51.6% of students received a passing score of 3 or higher. AP® Physics 1 is one of the most difficult AP® exams.
Despite a reputation as one of the most difficult AP classes, Physics 1 is also one of the most popular—137,229 students took it in 2021. Physics 1 has the lowest pass rate of any AP exam (42.1%) along with one of the lowest percentages of students scoring a 5 (just 6.9%).
AP Score Scale TableAP Exam ScoreRecommendationCollege Course Grade Equivalent5Extremely well qualifiedA+ or A4Very well qualifiedA-, B+, or B3QualifiedB-, C+, or C2Possibly qualified----1 more row
If you receive scores of 3 or higher in AP Research and AP Seminar, but don't take four other AP classes or don't get high enough AP scores in them, you'll get the AP Seminar and Research Certificate, which shows you gained college-level academic and research skills.
A Possibly More Reliable Indicator: 5 RateExam Name5 RateSeminar11%European History11%Chemistry11%Latin10%40 more rows•Dec 18, 2021
The AP Capstone Diploma is granted to students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on 4 additional AP Exams of their choosing. The AP Seminar and Research Certificate is granted to students who earn scores of 3 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research.
The answer: absolutely! One of the best benefits of AP Capstone is gaining either the AP Seminar and Research Certificate 📜 (passing both classes) or AP Capstone Diploma 🎓 (passing both classes and 4 other AP exams). You can show this off to colleges and boost your college application!
4 is still a great score and it indicates that you've developed your skills enough to be able to succeed in AP Research if you choose to take it.
The 2020 AP Exams have been changed to online exams due to coronavirus. Learn about these changes in our post How is Coronavirus Impacting AP Exams?
The through-course assessment pieces for the AP Seminar class are unique from other AP assessments in several key ways. First, they are not administered in a traditional standardized testing environment and instead are completed over an extended period of time in the classroom. Second, they have collaborative elements in which you are required to work together with classmates. Finally, your assessment on these sections is scored by your teacher, not an anonymous AP reader. This is a tremendous advantage. Be sure to maintain good communications with your teacher throughout the year, frequently soliciting feedback on your progress so that you will have a realistic idea of your strengths and areas for improvement. This is the single most effective way to prepare for the through-course assessment pieces.
The AP Seminar course is the first of two classes required for the AP Capstone Diploma—a two-year program with a curriculum designed to develop students’ skills in research, analysis, evidence-based arguments, collaboration, writing, and presenting. Students who receive a score of 3 or higher on the exams for both courses earn an AP Seminar ...
The second portion of your assessment is the Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation, which accounts for 35% of your total score. For this assessment, you will use cross-curricular stimulus texts (released each year in early January by the College Board) to identify thematic connections, compose a research question, conduct research, analyze and evaluate evidence to develop an argument, and present and defend your conclusions. In doing so, you will produce a 2,000-word Individual Written Argument, a 6- to 8-minute Individual Multimedia Presentation, and an Oral Defense where you’ll need to respond to two questions.
In 2019, just over 43,000 students took the AP Seminar assessment. Scores from the 2019 exam reveal an assessment with a high passing rate (score of 3 or higher) but a difficult rate of mastery. While 81.1% of students taking the assessments scored a 3 or higher, only 7.1% received the highest score of a 5, while 58.9% received a 3.
The first is the Team Project and Presentation, which accounts for 20% of your total score. In this project, you will work with a team to create an 8- to 10-minute Team Multimedia Presentation and Defense, in addition to writing a 1,200-word Individual Research Report. Each team member is also asked one question in which they’re required to make an oral defense of their argument.
AP classes are generally stand-alone subjects that easily translate to traditional college courses. They culminate in a standardized exam on which students are graded using a five-point scale, which colleges use to determine credit or advanced standing. However, starting in the fall of 2014, the College Board began to adapt ...
AP Exams are regularly updated to align with best practices in college-level learning. Not all free-response questions on this page reflect the current exam, but the question types and the topics are similar, making them a valuable resource for teachers and students.
Starting April 8, students can try out the test-day experience by answering example questions in the digital testing application. See the Digital Practice page for general information about practice options.
The response earned a score of 6 points because it reflects a clear understanding of the sources and uses those sources to articulate its own the sis about the need for government intervention to regulate the nutritional values of foods offered. The response does not begin by simply stating something along the lines of "Sources A, B, C and D all talk about food;" rather, it sets out its own perspective and then enters a conversation with those sources.
The App Demo consists only of Part A, and lasts 30 minutes. We highly recommend all students take the Digital Practice, and strongly advise that if they can’t take the Digital Practice, they at least take the App Demo. Both can be taken multiple times, and can be accessed directly in the digital testing application.
On Part B, students will view the Sources directly in the exam app. They will click on the tabs on the left side of the screen , lettered A through D, to view one source at a time. They may need to scroll down to view the tabs and the complete sources.
Both can be taken multiple times, and can be accessed directly in the digital testing application. Students can access their answers and scoring guidelines for the Digital Practice. Note: Taking the App Demo after completing Digital Practice may override student answers from Digital Practice.
We know your school may be teaching remotely, in person, or in a hybrid setting this year—but AP Seminar students will give presentations as usual. See the rules and guidelines for hosting your students’ presentations no matter the instructional environment.
is assigned to a single row of the rubric when the response displays a below-minimum level of quality as identified in that row of the rubric.
The responses earned a score of 2 because it contains only two parts of the author’s argument (“reading great literature,” “stimulates the brain”). The response does not include the third part, addressing the improvement of understanding, empathizing, or interacting with others, necessary to elevate the score ("improves us as human beings" is not specific enough to earn full points) .
The AP Seminar assessment has three parts: two performance tasks—which you’ll complete over the course of the year and submit online for scoring through the AP Digital Portfolio—and the end-of-course AP Exam. All measure your proficiency in the course skills, and all contribute to your final AP score on a scale of 1–5.
The two AP Seminar in-class presentations and defenses are scored by your AP Seminar teacher. Your scores on these components contribute to your final AP score.
AP Seminar teachers use a scoring rubric designed by the AP Program.
You must submit all final AP Seminar performance tasks via the AP Digital Portfolio and your teacher must have scored all presentations by this time.
Students with documented disabilities may be eligible for accommodations for the through-course assessment and the end-of-course exam. If you’re using assistive technology and need help accessing the PDFs in this section in another format, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 212-713-8333 or by email at ssd@info.collegeboard.org. For information about taking AP Exams—or other College Board assessments—with accommodations, visit our Services for Students with Disabilities website.