A Complete List of All AP Classes

Updated May 21, 2020

Due to COVID-19, 2020 both AP exams and classes are being held online. Students can access live classes and recordings on the AP YouTube Channel. Visit their website to view the daily course schedule.

 

AP Exams are being held online during the month of May, with makeup exams in June. View the complete schedule here.

 

For many students, the introduction to AP classes can seem a little bit overwhelming. At some high schools, there are dozens to choose from. At other high schools, there many be none or only a select few. Students might wonder what other options exist if they choose to self study.

 

For any student interested in AP classes, it’s important to know what’s out there. In this post, we’re going to provide our complete list of all AP classes (and exams) along with our data on which tests are the most popular and which have the highest pass rates.

 

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Complete List of AP Classes

 

Let’s get started with the complete list. Here, we include all AP classes, regardless of whether or not they culminate in an AP exam.

 

AP Capstone Diploma Program

  • AP Research

  • AP Seminar

 

AP Arts

  • Studio Art 2-D Design

  • Studio Art 3-D Design

  • Art History

  • Studio Art Drawing

  • Music Theory

 

AP English

  • English Language and Composition

  • English Literature and Composition

 

AP History and Social Sciences

  • Government and Politics (Comparative)

  • Government and Politics (US)

  • Human Geography

  • US History

  • World History: Modern

  • European History

  • Macroeconomics

  • Microeconomics

  • Psychology

 

AP Math and Computer Science

  • Calculus AB

  • Calculus BC

  • Computer Science A

  • Computer Science Principles

  • Statistics

 

AP Sciences

  • Biology

  • Chemistry

  • Environmental Science

  • Physics 1: Algebra-Based

  • Physics 2: Algebra-Based

  • Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

  • Physics C: Mechanics

 

AP World Languages and Cultures

  • Chinese Language and Culture

  • French Language and Culture

  • German Language and Culture

  • Italian Language and Culture

  • Japanese Language and Culture

  • Latin

  • Spanish Language and Culture

  • Spanish Literature and Culture

 

*Classes that have some element of performance task weighed as at least part of the assessment

 

It might seem impossible to choose an AP track with so many possible options. If you aren’t sure which classes to take, consider your possible career track or interests and try to take classes that are well suited to them. In addition, if you’re interested in classes that aren’t typically offered as part of the traditional high school curriculum, like psychology or economics, by all means consider taking one of those classes.

 

The bottom line is that your AP choices should show some versatility across subject areas but also some specialization in areas of interest.

 

So, Which AP Exams Are Most Popular?

 

For a little bit more of the bigger picture, take a look at this data from the 2018 test administrations. Here you’ll be able to see the top ten most popular AP exams, and how many students took each is nationwide.

 

AP Course/Exam
# of Exam Participants (2018)

English Language and Composition

580,043

United States History

501,530

English Literature and Composition

404,014

Government & Politics (United States)

326,392

Psychology

311,759

Calculus AB

308,538

World History

303,243

Biology

259,663

Statistics

222,501

Human Geography

216,783

Data taken from CollegeBoard