AP English Language and Composition

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About the Exam

Exam Overview
The AP English Language and Composition Exam will test your understanding of the literary concepts covered in the course units, as well as your ability to analyze texts and develop written arguments based on your interpretations.

Exam Duration
3hrs 15mins

Exam Date

  • Tue, May 9, 2023,
    8 AM Local

    AP English Language and Composition Exam

    This is the regularly scheduled date for the AP English Language and Composition Exam.

Exam Components

45 questions 1hr 45% of Score

Excerpts from nonfiction texts are accompanied by several multiple-choice questions:

  • 23–25 Reading questions: You’ll be asked to read and analyze nonfiction texts.
  • 20–22 Writing questions: You’ll be asked to read like a writer and consider revisions to the text.

3 questions 2hrs 15mins 55% of Score

The 2 hour and 15 minute time limit for this section includes a 15-minute reading period.

In the free-response section, you’ll respond to three questions with written answers. This section tests your skill in composition in three areas:

  • Synthesis: After reading 6–7 texts about a topic (including visual and quantitative sources), you will compose an argument that combines and cites at least 3 of the sources to support your thesis.
  • Rhetorical analysis: You will read a nonfiction text and analyze how the writer’s language choices contribute to the intended meaning and purpose of the text.
  • Argument: You will create an evidence-based argument that responds to a given topic.

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