Not a Student?
Go to AP Central for resources for teachers, administrators, and coordinators.
About the Exam
The AP Japanese 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 Japanese. Throughout the exam, you’ll be asked to demonstrate your understanding of Japanese-speaking cultures.
This exam is administered on school-owned and -controlled devices via an exam application (not Bluebook). On exam day, you’ll read text on the screen, listen through a headset, type using the keyboard, and speak into a microphone.
The input method for typing Japanese is the Google Japanese IME, which allows you to type in different modes including hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Instructions are provided on the exam screens.
2hrs
Exam Date
Exam Components
Section IA: Multiple Choice Listening
30–35 questions 25% of Score
This section consists of a variety of audio materials, including public announcements, voice messages, instructions, cultural presentations, school debates, radio reports, and dialogues.
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
Section IB: Multiple Choice Reading
35–40 questions 25% of Score
This section consists of a variety of written materials (e.g., journalistic and literary texts, emails, letters, instructions, and travel brochures). 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
Section IIA: Free Response Written
2 tasks, 7 questions 25% of Score
- Interpersonal Writing: Read and answer text-chat messages (10 minutes; 12.5% of exam score)
- Presentational Writing: Write an article comparing and contrasting 2 given topics or perspectives (20 minutes; 12.5% of exam score)
Section IIB: Free Response Spoken
2 Tasks, 5 questions 25% of Score
- Interpersonal Speaking: Respond to a series of 4 related prompts as part of a simulated conversation (3 minutes, respond time: 20 seconds per question; 12.5% of exam score)
- Presentational Speaking: Deliver a presentation on your view or perspective of a Japanese cultural topic. You’ll have 1 minute to read the prompt, 4 minutes to prepare, and 2 minutes to present. (7 minutes; 12.5% of exam score)
Exam Essentials
Exam Preparation
Credit and Placement
Search AP Credit Policies
Find colleges that grant credit and/or placement for AP Exam scores in this and other AP courses.