AP Chemistry Exam

About the Exam

Important Update

AP Chemistry Exams will be offered on paper in early May and as a digital exam in late May and early June.

All versions of the exam will cover the full scope of course content, giving students the opportunity to qualify for college credit and placement. On the digital exam, students will answer free-response questions with a keyboard, rather than by hand. Students taking digital exams will not be asked to draw or graph as part of their response—rather, these skills will be assessed with questions about given diagrams or other stimuli. The digital exam app will include any symbols students would need to type their responses. No handwritten or photographed work will be accepted.

There are differences between the paper and digital versions of some 2021 AP Exams, and those variations differ by course. The information below applies to AP Chemistry only. View a summary of all 2021 AP Exam formats.

Learn more about 2021 testing.

Exam Duration
3hrs 15mins

Exam Dates

Fri, May 7, 2021,
8 AM Local

Paper, In School

AP Chemistry Exam

This is the Administration 1 date for the AP Chemistry Exam.
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Tue, May 25, 2021,
8 AM Local

Paper, In School

AP Chemistry Exam

This is the Administration 2 date for the AP Chemistry Exam.
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Thu, Jun 10, 2021,
12 PM EDT

Digital, In School and At Home

AP Chemistry Exam

This is the Administration 3 date for the AP Chemistry Exam.
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Exam Components

Note on 2021 Exams

There are differences between the paper and digital versions of some 2021 AP Exams, and those variations differ by course. The information below applies to AP Chemistry only. View a summary of all 2021 AP Exam formats.

The digital AP Chemistry exam will take the same amount of time as the paper exam, but will include:

More multiple-choice questions than the paper exam.
Fewer free-response questions than the paper exam.

Free-response questions will consist of familiar tasks that could appear on a traditional AP Exam, but they will be answerable with a regular computer keyboard and won’t require drawing or graphing. The digital exam will include any symbols you would need to type your responses. All responses must be typed directly into the exam app. No handwritten or photographed work will be accepted.

In the multiple-choice section (where calculators aren’t allowed on the paper exam), the digital exam won’t include questions where you could benefit from using calculators.

You will be able to practice multiple-choice and free-response questions within the 2021 digital exam app, available in early April.

Early May and Late May Exams (Paper)	Early June Exam (Digital)
Section 1: Multiple Choice 60 Questions \| 1 Hour 30 minutes \| 50% of Exam Score The multiple-choice section includes individual, single questions as well as sets of questions that refer to the same diagram or data presentation. You’re not allowed to use a calculator on Section 1. Questions will test your ability to: Explain, analyze, and interpret models and representations of chemical properties or phenomena Design experiments and procedures to test a prediction or theory Solve problems using mathematical relationships Make or justify a scientific claim and support it with evidence and/or reasoning	Section 1: Multiple Choice 60 Questions \| 1 Hour 30 minutes \| 50% of Exam Score The multiple-choice section includes individual, single questions as well as sets of questions that refer to the same diagram or data presentation. Multiple choice questions will be written such that use of calculators would not be helpful. Questions will test your ability to: Explain, analyze, and interpret models and representations of chemical properties or phenomena Design experiments and procedures to test a prediction or theory Solve problems using mathematical relationships Make or justify a scientific claim and support it with evidence and/or reasoning
Section 2: Free Response 7 Questions \| 1 Hour 45 Minutes \| 50% of Exam Score The free-response section includes three long essay questions (worth 10 points each) and four short-answer questions (worth 4 points each). Questions will test your ability to: Explain, analyze, and interpret models and representations of chemical properties or phenomena Design experiments and procedures to test a prediction or theory Represent data and chemical phenomena with graphs and diagrams Solve problems using mathematical relationships Make or justify a scientific claim and support it with evidence and/or reasoning A scientific or graphing calculator is recommended for use on Section 2.	*Section 2: Multiple Choice and Free Response* 50% of Exam Score *This section includes 45 multiple choice questions, one long answer question, and two short answer questions. You’ll type answers to the free-response questions in the digital exam app.* Multiple Choice: 40 Questions \| 60 minutes *Multiple choice questions will be written such that use of calculators would not be helpful.* Free Response: 3 Questions \| 45 Minutes *There is one long-answer and two short-answer questions. The long-answer question is worth 10 points; short-answer questions are worth 4 points each.* *Free-response questions will be written so that you can type all your answers into the digital exam app. The app will include any symbols you’ll need. You cannot hand-write your answers.* The questions assess all six of the course skills (other than graphing, as noted above): models and representations, question and method, representing data and phenomena, model analysis, mathematical routines, and argumentation. Questions will test your ability to: Explain, analyze, and interpret models and representations of chemical properties or phenomena Design experiments and procedures to test a prediction or theory Represent data and chemical phenomena with graphs and diagrams Solve problems using mathematical relationships Make or justify a scientific claim and support it with evidence and/or reasoning A scientific or graphing calculator is recommended for use on the free-response questions.

Early May and Late May Exams (Paper)

Early June Exam (Digital)

Section 1: Multiple Choice
60 Questions | 1 Hour 30 minutes | 50% of Exam Score

The multiple-choice section includes individual, single questions as well as sets of questions that refer to the same diagram or data presentation. You’re not allowed to use a calculator on Section 1.

Questions will test your ability to:

Explain, analyze, and interpret models and representations of chemical properties or phenomena
Design experiments and procedures to test a prediction or theory
Solve problems using mathematical relationships
Make or justify a scientific claim and support it with evidence and/or reasoning

Section 1: Multiple Choice
60 Questions | 1 Hour 30 minutes | 50% of Exam Score

The multiple-choice section includes individual, single questions as well as sets of questions that refer to the same diagram or data presentation. Multiple choice questions will be written such that use of calculators would not be helpful.

Questions will test your ability to:

Explain, analyze, and interpret models and representations of chemical properties or phenomena
Design experiments and procedures to test a prediction or theory
Solve problems using mathematical relationships
Make or justify a scientific claim and support it with evidence and/or reasoning

Section 2: Free Response
7 Questions | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

The free-response section includes three long essay questions (worth 10 points each) and four short-answer questions (worth 4 points each).

Questions will test your ability to:

Explain, analyze, and interpret models and representations of chemical properties or phenomena
Design experiments and procedures to test a prediction or theory
Represent data and chemical phenomena with graphs and diagrams
Solve problems using mathematical relationships
Make or justify a scientific claim and support it with evidence and/or reasoning

A scientific or graphing calculator is recommended for use on Section 2.

Section 2: Multiple Choice and Free Response
50% of Exam Score

This section includes 45 multiple choice questions, one long answer question, and two short answer questions. You’ll type answers to the free-response questions in the digital exam app.

Multiple Choice:
40 Questions | 60 minutes

Multiple choice questions will be written such that use of calculators would not be helpful.

Free Response:
3 Questions | 45 Minutes

There is one long-answer and two short-answer questions. The long-answer question is worth 10 points; short-answer questions are worth 4 points each.
Free-response questions will be written so that you can type all your answers into the digital exam app. The app will include any symbols you’ll need. You cannot hand-write your answers.
The questions assess all six of the course skills (other than graphing, as noted above): models and representations, question and method, representing data and phenomena, model analysis, mathematical routines, and argumentation.

Questions will test your ability to:

Explain, analyze, and interpret models and representations of chemical properties or phenomena
Design experiments and procedures to test a prediction or theory
Represent data and chemical phenomena with graphs and diagrams
Solve problems using mathematical relationships
Make or justify a scientific claim and support it with evidence and/or reasoning

A scientific or graphing calculator is recommended for use on the free-response questions.

AP Chemistry

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About the Exam

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