AP English Language and Composition

Digital Practice and Testing Information

Updated April 8

Digital Practice Now Available

Starting April 8, you can try out the test-day experience, by answering example questions in the digital testing application. See the Digital Practice page for general information about practice options.

AP English Language and Composition students will have two options to answer example questions in the digital testing application. Both provide approximately the same time limit per question as the full exam.

• Digital Practice has a shortened multiple-choice section (14 questions, 20 minutes), a shortened break of 5 minutes, and a full-length free-response section (3 questions, 2 hours and 15 minutes). 
• The App Demo is an even shorter subset of the questions in Digital Practice–5 multiple-choice questions, a 2-minute break, and 1 free-response question.

We highly recommend you take the Digital Practice, and strongly advise that if you can’t take the Digital Practice, at least take the App Demo. Both can be taken multiple times, and can be accessed directly in the digital testing application. You can access your answers and solution materials (MCQ answer key, FRQ scoring guidelines) for the Digital Practice. Note: Taking the App Demo after completing Digital Practice may override your answers from Digital Practice.

Taking the Digital Exam

You should be aware of some aspects of testing digitally that you’ll encounter–in the Digital Practice and on exam day:

• The digital testing application includes an annotation tool, which allows you to mark text and make notes on passages. You can use the digital annotation tool to identify key elements within texts, organize your thoughts, and create brief textual analysis. While the annotations that you construct will not be scored, annotating is an opportunity for you to interpret texts to help you answer multiple-choice or free-response questions.
• Some multiple-choice questions reference a part of the text provided. You can click on the » symbol shown in the question to automatically scroll to the referenced location.
• Free-response questions will be presented in a different order on the digital exam (as well as on Digital Practice) than on the paper and pencil exam–see “Exam Format” below on this page.
• On the Synthesis question (FRQ 2 on the digital exam), you’ll view the Sources directly in the exam app. You should click on the tabs on the left side of the screen, lettered A through F, to view one source at a time. You may need to scroll down to view the tabs and the complete sources.
  
• As a reminder, you will answer all multiple-choice questions and type all free-response answers directly in the digital exam application. Scratch paper is permitted for notes or planning, but you cannot handwrite or otherwise upload responses. 
• You cannot go back to questions you’ve already answered, and cannot skip ahead. 
• Exam directions and section-specific directions will not be read by a proctor–they’ll appear entirely in the application. You’ll see them at the beginning of each section, and can access them at any time during the exam. Please note that the exam timer starts when the directions appear. While you should read the directions, be aware that the timer will be running while you do so. You can view the full text of the exam and section directions in advance of the exam.