Standardized testing has been going through a bit of a metamorphosis lately: a digital version of the SAT launched last spring and the ACT is set for its own overhaul in 2025. Now, it looks like Advanced Placement exams will follow when the program begins the process of going digital in May 2025. The announcement of these changes also coincides with recent news that the College Board, which is the nonprofit that administers the AP program, has been using a more data-driven approach to modify its scoring methods, resulting in more objective and consistent scoring as well as a higher percentage of students passing their subject exams. Read on to learn more about the changes to AP scoring and the upcoming shift to digital exams.
A New Way to Score on AP Exams
Advanced Placement courses, culminating in an AP Exam, have been a way for students to earn college credit for decades. Previously, setting cutoff scores to determine what it would take to earn a 3, 4, or 5 on these high stakes exams was a job for a panel of 10-18 educators in each AP subject. Since 2022, however, the College Board has been experimenting with a new way to score tests that relies less on subjective panels and more on an evidence-based approach.
Why the change? The panel-based approach, which should produce 60-80 percent passing scores of 3 or higher, just wasn’t working for some exams. Humanities exams, in particular, were singled out for dipping below the 60 percent benchmark. The new method, called EBSS (evidence-based standard setting), promises a more standardized approach to scoring that has already boosted passing scores in the humanities.
How does EBSS work? The College Board uses a combination of input from data sets from exams and faculty who set scoring distributions that align with students’ performance in comparable college courses to generate standards that are linked to specific skills and content knowledge. Balancing panel input with data is designed to limit the effects of college grade inflation and other variations that are typical with panel-based standards. Sounds good, right?
When this new scoring method was implemented in 2022, it wasn’t public knowledge. Many people, including educators and students, still took notice and started wondering if exams were getting easier. The trend became impossible to ignore when scores increased dramatically in nine subjects: AP Literature, U.S. History, U.S. Government, World History, European History, Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, AP Biology, and AP Chemistry. As you might expect, reactions to the formal announcement of the implementation of EBSS scoring methods have been mixed, especially since the process of implementing these changes lacked transparency.
While many students are looking forward to a better chance at college credit and some AP teachers see a chance to earn bonuses for higher pass rates, many are wondering if this is just a way to boost enrollment in AP courses, registration for AP exams, and yet another example of grade inflation in action. Time will tell if these concerns are justified as EBSS is applied to more and more AP Exams.
Details on Digital AP Exams
The way you take your AP Exams will be changing alongside the College Board’s scoring methods. In May 2025, 28 AP Exams will be taken digitally on any Mac or Windows, iPad, or school Chromebook device using the same Bluebook app students use to take the SAT. Accommodations like extended time are accessible via Bluebook and traditional paper exams will be available to those who qualify. Below is a list of the subjects going digital:
- AP African American Studies (U.S. schools only)
- AP Art History
- AP Comparative Government and Politics
- AP Computer Science A
- AP Computer Science Principles
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP English Literature and Composition
- AP Environmental Science
- AP European History
- AP Human Geography
- AP Latin
- AP Psychology
- AP Seminar
- AP United States Government and Politics
- AP United States History
- AP World History: Modern
To accommodate exams that usually require graphic or symbolic notation, there will also be hybrid exams that include paper booklets for free-response questions. See if any of your AP subjects will be on the hybrid list:
- AP Biology
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Calculus BC
- AP Chemistry
- AP Macroeconomics
- AP Microeconomics
- AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
- AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based
- AP Physics: Electricity and Magnetism
- AP Physics: Mechanics
- AP Precalculus
- AP Statistics
Although AP exams are making the shift from paper to digital, there will be a few exceptions for subjects that require audio or portfolio components like the ones listed below:
- AP 2-D Art and Design
- AP 3-D Art and Design
- AP Drawing
- AP Chinese Language and Culture
- AP French Language and Culture
- AP German Language and Culture
- AP Italian Language and Culture
- AP Japanese Language and Culture
- AP Music Theory
- AP Research
- AP Spanish Language and Culture
- AP Spanish Literature and Culture
Did you notice any of your AP subjects on a digital or hybrid list? Get used to the new digital format by checking out test previews in the Bluebook app and free online practice exams on AP Classroom that replicate digital exam formats, starting in the 2024-2025 school year. Other resources will include video tours, quizzes, and teacher-created assignments.
If you have any concerns about digital testing, the College Board wants to reassure students that testing will be user-friendly and secure. For example, digital testing will take place in the same locations as paper tests: libraries, cafeterias, classrooms, and gymnasiums with the same number of proctors. Devices only need to be connected to the internet when students start their tests and when they submit their final responses in the end. So any dropped connections during testing won’t affect testing. Timing of the exam is controlled by the Bluebook app, so responses are automatically submitted when the test ends. When the SAT went digital in March 2024, few problems were reported. So, it’s likely the trend will continue with AP Exams this spring.
Despite altering the way students will take AP exams, digital testing will not affect exam requirements. Exam timings, types of questions, the number of sections and questions, and calculator policies will continue unchanged. Students will be able to mark questions for review, eliminate answer choices, and highlight and annotate their exams using digital tools. Locating reference materials will be easy, too. If you’re looking for the periodic table, equation sheets, or Java Quick Reference, you will find it in the Bluebook app. Outlining and brainstorming free responses can also be done the old fashioned way with scrap paper provided by proctors.
How A+ Can Help
Digital exams and new scoring methods may seem like just another testing transition to stress about, but ultimately the best way to achieve high scores and earn college credit won’t be changing. So, if you’re planning on taking any AP exams in the spring, your objective should be to excel in your AP courses and have a solid study plan. A+ Test Prep and Tutoring is here to support you along the way with our subject tutoring services and AP test review program. Our experienced tutors work with students to develop individualized plans for success, whether that means studying difficult concepts, helping with assignments, teaching skills like note-taking, reviewing testing formats and requirements, or providing opportunities to practice. Whatever you need to achieve your AP goals!
At A+ Test Prep and Tutoring, our practices are based on the latest developments in educational theory and research. We have an excellent team of tutors who can help you with standardized testing, executive functioning, or achievement in any other school subject. If you want to find out more about our services, contact us here.
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