When Do AP Scores Come Out 2025? July 7 Release Date Info

Indeed, awaiting the results after taking rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) exams creates anxiety for students. Each school year in May, exams get administered, but AP results arrive in early May—a wait that affects college admissions process planning.

The College Board administers the test for 40 subjects and has published that scores will be available starting May 2025. Free-response questions on certain AP exams take some time to grade, explaining why AP score release dates come weeks later.

All high school students face two-to-three-hour exams covering college-level coursework. Most colleges accept a 3 as a passing score for awarding credit, though students receiving a 4 or 5 get better placement. When do AP scores come out determines college application timing significantly.

Popular AP exams like AP U.S. History and AP Calculus AB follow a rigorous curriculum to prepare students for college. 35 different AP courses offer perks including earning college credit and can save you time and money once you head to college with advanced placements.

When Do AP Scores Come Out?

Scores are typically released in July, though the exact date shifts each year. The College Board, which manages the whole advanced placement program, determines when students can access results. Generally, you may find yourself waiting or about two months after AP exams finish in May before scores go live online.

Audience	Date	Details
Students	July 7, 2025	Check scores on College Board’s “My AP Scores” from 8 a.m. ET onward.
Educators/Coordinators	July 7 & 14, 2025	Access detailed reports in AP Coordinator resources.
Colleges	Starting July 1, 2025	Electronic delivery to institutions.

Colleges usually offer credit or placement when students achieve 3, 4, or 5 on Advanced Placement exams. Many high schools encourage taking AP exams since AP courses provide college-level coursework experience. The good news: a 3 is considered “passing”, though some colleges honor only higher marks for actual credit.

Your exact exam dates change based on which subjects interest you. Computer science principles might land on May 8th, while European history or AP English Language and Composition happen different days. If you’re taking an AP exam, knowing your specific AP exam testing date helps you prepare mentally for the test or tests ahead.

Want to know when results arrive? Check out The College Board website regularly in early to mid-July. In the meantime, expect a lot of chatter across Reddit and social media as all students must wait together. That said, patience pays off when AP exam scores finally become accessible online.

How do you receive your AP scores?

Set up your College Board account first—most have one from PSAT/SAT scores online, so try that login and password. You’ll need your AP number or student ID number from your answer sheet. Stuck? Reach out to AP Services for Students. Keep your email address current for notifications.

Access happens through your My AP account on the College Board website. Once logged in, check your dashboard for your AP score report showing the exam name, year, and final score of 1-5. Scores stay available to view or send to colleges for four years after upload.

Your score report includes no additional information—no breakdowns for multiple-choice and free-response questions. Want a paper copy? Download an unofficial PDF with all the AP tests you’ve taken. Most colleges require at least a 3 to award credit; 3 is a passing score.

Why Does It Take So Long to Get Your AP Scores?

AP exams rely on individualized scoring rather than instant automation. The free-response questions demand human judgment—AP readers, typically high school teachers and college professors, must carefully review each answer one by one. This lengthy process ensures your test prep receives genuine assessment instead of mechanical grading.

Unlike multiple choice sections that machines grade quickly, free-response essays require trained evaluators. Beginning in early June, these AP readers gather across the U.S. to establish consistent scoring standards. While some may score from home, specific scoring windows for each AP test prevent rushed judgments, extending the overall timeline.

The delay of a month or two reflects how AP scores combine both components. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) prioritizes accuracy over speed—your results can’t release until evaluators complete reading through thousands of students’ free responses. Rest assured, this format protects assessment integrity rather than convenience.

What’s a good AP score?

That’s why it’s not a bad idea to check the AP policies of the schools you’re hoping to apply to before the test—AP test scores are graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score. Whether it’ll be enough to earn you college credit will depend on the college. Some state universities may let you slide with a 3, yet most Ivy League schools require you to score at least a 4 or 5.

Another thing worth noting: The College Board publishes a breakdown of AP score distributions each school year revealing the percentage of students who received each score. Less than 10% of students score a 5 on AP exams—so if you turn out to be one of these academic superstars, don’t hesitate to mention it in your college application letters. It’s worth comparing your results to those of other students who took the same exam.

How AP classes contribute to college credits

Advanced placement opportunities aren’t necessarily what most students think when it comes to planning their college journey. But that doesn’t mean they don’t matter at all—quite the opposite. If a college awards you recognition for your efforts, the subtle differences between the two systems (credits versus placement) can go a long way toward freeing you up to take more classes that you’re interested in.

Most institutions may require usually 120 hours to graduate from any college or university. Here’s where strategy matters: if you scored a 4 on your AP English Language and Composition exam, your college may award you 8 credits before you even start your first semester. Say, for instance, this becomes a nice way to save tuition money—a defining factor in financial planning that count towards your goal.

This is especially true when planning course loads strategically. For example, if you scored a 5 on your AP Biology exam, then a college might let you skip Intro to Biology—even if it’s a basic course that everyone else is required to take. Advanced placement demonstrates that you know a subject so well that there’s no need for you to take another class on it, allowing you to take more advanced classes sooner.

AP Exams Are Historically Released On July 5th

The College Board acts like a creature of habit. July 5th is the traditional date for score release. This predictable timing helps students a lot. They took May exams and can now log into their accounts. They view their AP scores on this same date each year. Two years ago in 2022, it was the same. In May 2023, the pattern held. This fixed schedule works well.

Student accounts open for results access on one date. It doesn’t matter when your exam began. The annual release is an institutional practice. Exam results go live through the online portal at once. This yearly tradition means standardized testing scores follow a regular schedule. Score availability through digital access happens in summer release. It’s a ritual for the AP community now.

U.S.-Based AP Test-Takers Receive Results Before International Test-Takers

The College Board typically releases test results in geographical waves. The U.S.’s East Coast receives the first results on the release day, followed by the middle of the country and the West Coast. International test-takers tend to get their scores after that, typically a few days later.

We would anticipate international AP test-takers will receive their scores on or around July 10, 2025. This means all AP exams aren’t published simultaneously—The College Board’s website uploads results incrementally, more or less ensuring system stability during administrations.

AP Score Distributions

When the College Board posted 2024 AP exam score distributions, Trevor Packer’s commentary revealed challenging patterns. The AP English Lit prose analysis on Mavis Gallant’s excerpt saw only 16% earn 5-6 points. APUSH Short Answer #1 became the lowest scoring component. What historians’ views fail to capture is how these numbers reveal so far unexplored patterns across least-studied exam points.

Key Observations:

• Score trends from this year compare fairly similar to 2023, with the highest grade (a 5) remaining in single-digit percentages for most tests being administered
• The Head of Advanced Placement Program rolled out analysis on his X account noting an uptick in 5s for AP German, demonstrating how teachers helped students overcome pandemic learning losses
• Full distribution data allows us to see that SAQs averaged 44%, with the Mavis Gallant short story “One Morning in June” Q2 (6 points possible) worth noting as often the most challenging essay component currently offered

AP Score Breakdown

When many students glance at percentage figures showing who earned a 5, data can appear very misleading. Language exams like AP Chinese Language and Culture with 54.2% and AP Japanese Language and Culture at 50.8% dominate rankings, yet native speakers or Chinese speakers take the exam even without having taken the actual course.

Most high school students would find it hard to believe that AP Calculus BC at 43.5% represents talented math students who would have had to show success in high level math courses leading up to it. This means the student population arrives well-prepared because reaching that course requires college-level coursework—they are used to building foundations systematically.

Looking at the hardest tests, AP 3D Art and Design at 7.1%, AP Environmental Science at 8.3%, AP Spanish Literature and Culture at 8.5%, and AP Physics 1 at 8.8% aren’t low hanging fruit. Someone who regularly takes AP courses might find AP Physics 1 unexpectedly brutal. Last year, social media discussions helped me draw connections between exam performance gaps.

In fact, what we draw as a conclusion about earn rates reveals preparation pipelines. However, to even reach advanced exams, students need honors courses background. If you take these tests, one factor to consider: being among well-prepared test takers makes the level of success more understandable across different AP courses and exams so you may succeed.

Closing Thoughts

Students should remember that AP tests aren’t universally easy or hardest—it’s impossible to determine which courses will be simple based on past results. What works for strong math students won’t show the same patterns with others.

Contrary to popular belief, only 10% earn a 5 because these exams are designed to assess student potential, not judge teacher quality. AP Coordinator data often reveals that well taught courses can still see varied AP score outcomes too.

Wondering about high overall results? Test takers who self-select into accessible programs like AP English Language and Composition or AP U.S. History might find success as well as those in AP Calculus BC—achievement remains individualized.

Can You Get Early AP Scores?

Various websites claim you can hack early access to AP scores, but these are scams. The official College Board website released AP results hours earlier for some AP test-takers based on region and state timezones, not tricks. When scores are rolled out, your login location determines access—geography controls when you see AP test scores, not digital schemes that disclose fake methods.

What Time Do AP Scores Come Out?

Students checking AP scores in 2025 face region-based access that varies significantly. Score access begins at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time starting July 7, but you might take 3-4 days to receive results. Most scores become available by mid-July Generally, so the exact time matters less than expected.

All delays aren’t disasters—Sometimes you don’t have scores come out until Sept. 1, however the College Board suggests contacting AP services for help. Even if your score report gets delayed, colleges you’ve selected still automatically get them without any issue on your end, solving the problem.

Can Teachers See Your AP Scores?

The College Board strictly controls AP score access. Only authorized teachers participating in the AP Course Audit can see your exam data through online reports. Educators have access to students’ AP score reports for the most current year released, showing their scores.

Can I appeal my AP test scores?

You cannot appeal AP scores like a regular exam. From September 15th, 2025 to October 31, 2025, you can request a rescore of the multiple-choice section for $30 per test. It will be hand-checked. However, your score could come back lower than the original. That new score becomes final. You cannot go back again.

For any free-response appeals, you must request copies of your booklet and graders’ comments. It costs $10 (by September 15, 2025). Most requests don’t include higher results anyway. The multiple-choice section is machine-scored. Free-response sections are already hand-evaluated. Know what can be rescored versus appealed. This helps you find real corrections.