AP Chinese Language and Culture

Learn all about the course and exam.

About the Exam

The AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam will test your ability to apply communication skills developed in the course, including interpreting different types of written and audio texts, writing to and speaking with others, and presenting your ideas in written and spoken Chinese. Throughout the exam, you will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of Chinese-speaking cultures. 

The exam is administered at a computer. On exam day, you will read text on the screen, listen through a headset, type using the keyboard, and speak into a microphone.

You will have some choices for reading and writing in Chinese. The display and input options will have no effect on your exam score:

  • Display—you can view all Chinese text displayed on the screen in either traditional characters or simplified characters and can toggle between the 2 versions if necessary.
  • Input—you can type Chinese text using the Microsoft Pinyin IME (MSPY), which is based on Hanyu Pinyin, and the Microsoft New Phonetic IME, which is based on Zhuyin Fuhao (Bopomofo).
Exam Duration
2hrs

Exam Dates

Exam Components

25–35 questions 20mins 25% of Score

  • This section consists of a variety of audio materials, including transportation announcements, voice messages, school conversations, radio reports, instructions, and dialogues. It is divided into 2 subsections:
    • The first consists of rejoinders. You will listen to a series of brief conversations and after listening to each one, you will select the most logical next response in the conversation from the choices offered. (10-15 questions; 10 minutes; 10% of exam grade)
    • The second includes a range of listening selections. (15–20 questions; 10 minutes; 15% of exam grade)
  • Questions will test your ability to:
    • Identify the main ideas and supporting details in the audio material
    • Determine the meaning of a variety of vocabulary and deduce the meaning of unfamiliar words
    • Decide the meaning of a text based on cultural and/or interdisciplinary information
    • Infer implied meaning through context

35–40 questions 1hr 25% of Score

  • This section consists of a variety of written materials (e.g., journalistic and literary texts, announcements, advertisements, signs, brochures, and posters). Questions will test your ability to:
    • Identify the main ideas and supporting details in the written material
    • Determine the meaning of a variety of vocabulary and deduce the meaning of unfamiliar words
    • Decide the meaning of a text based on cultural and/or interdisciplinary information
    • Infer implied meaning through context

2 questions 30mins 25% of Score

  • Presentational Writing: Narrate a story suggested by a series of pictures (15 minutes; 15% of exam score)
  • Interpersonal Writing: Read and answer an email message (15 minutes; 10% of exam score)

2 tasks, 7 questions 11mins 25% of Score

  • Interpersonal Speaking: Respond to a series of 6 thematically linked questions as part of a simulated conversation (4 minutes; 10% of exam score).
  • Presentational Speaking: Deliver a presentation on a given aspect of Chinese culture. You’ll have 1 minute to read the prompt, 4 minutes to prepare, and 2 minutes to present (7 minutes; 15% of exam score).

Exam Essentials

Exam-Day Policies

Exam Accommodations

Exam Tips

Exam Preparation

Search AP Credit Policies

Find colleges that grant credit and/or placement for AP Exam scores in this and other AP courses.

Start a Search

Additional Information

Previous

About the Course

Next

This Is the Menu Title of the Next Article

Not a student?

Go to AP Central for resources for educators