AP Japanese Language and Culture
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About the Exam
Important: Because of school closures due to COVID-19, we’re offering at-home testing for the 2020 AP Japanese Language and Culture Exam as well as free resources to help you prepare. For more details, visit the 2020 AP Coronavirus Updates AP Japanese Language and Culture exam page. Note that any related adjustments to 2020 AP Exams, such as length or content covered, may not be reflected on all AP Students pages.
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 will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of Japanese-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. All Japanese text displayed on the screen is in kana and kanji characters. You must use Microsoft IME for typing Japanese text.
Exam Duration
2hrs
2hrs
Exam Dates
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Tue, May 19, 2020,
4 PM ETAP Japanese Language and Culture Exam
May 19, 2020 is the updated date for the AP Japanese Language and Culture Exam.
Exam Components
Section 1A: Multiple Choice Listening
30–35 questions 20mins 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 dialogue.
- 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 1B: Multiple Choice Reading
35–40 questions 1hr 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 2A: Free Response Written
2 tasks, 7 questions 30mins 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 2B: Free Response Spoken
2 Tasks, 5 questions 11mins 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
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Practice in AP Classroom
Enrolled in an AP course? If you’ve already joined your class section online, your teacher can assign you practice questions through AP Classroom. Sign in to access them.
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2019 AP Japanese Language and Culture Free-Response Questions and Scoring Guidelines
Review the released free-response questions to get an idea of the exam format and content. Includes audio files and transcripts.
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2019 AP Japanese Language and Culture Free-Response Questions
Review the released free-response questions to get an idea of the exam format and content.
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2019 AP Japanese Language and Culture Scoring Guidelines
See the guidelines that the AP Program used to score the free-response questions.
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Conversation Audio File
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Conversation Transcript
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Cultural Presentation Audio File
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Cultural Presentation Transcript
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AP Japanese Language and Culture Exam Free-Response Question and Scoring Information Archive
Review free-response questions, sample student responses, and scoring guidelines from 2018 and earlier.
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