Exam Security Policies

AP Exam security policies and procedures are designed to make sure every AP student gets the same chance to demonstrate their knowledge on exam day without anyone gaining an unfair advantage.

On exam day (or when you submit work through the AP Digital Portfolio), you’ll acknowledge that you’ve read and agree to follow all the test security and administration policies and procedures listed in the AP Exam Terms and Conditions.

The AP Exam Terms and Conditions are updated in the spring each year. We'll let you know via email when they're available for this year. 

Keeping Exams Secure

Because AP Exams are given on the same day around the world, it is critical that students taking the exam follow policies and procedures to keep the questions secure. The exam security policies and procedures include things such as:

• Taking your AP Exam at the scheduled date and time.
• Not opening your exam materials until your proctor tells you to do so.
• Not taking exam materials from the testing room.

Violating these or any of the test security and administration policies and procedures could cause your score to be canceled. Under some circumstances you could even be banned from future testing.

Discussing Exam Questions

The AP Exam is intended to be a fair assessment of your academic ability. Sharing exam information in any unauthorized way compromises the integrity of the exam for all AP students, and for the colleges and universities that grant credit or advanced placement for qualifying AP scores.

If you post to any form of social media during the exam or refer to unreleased exam content at any time after the exam, your score will be canceled, no retest will be permitted, and you may be banned from future testing.

College Board will automatically cancel your exam score if you are discovered disclosing through any means the following:

• multiple-choice content for any exam (this content is never released and may therefore never be discussed)
• free-response content from a late-testing exam
• free-response content from a regularly scheduled exam within 2 days of its administration
• free-response content that is not released on the College Board website 2 days after the regularly scheduled exam administration

This means that something you may not have intended as a violation, like casually talking about a multiple-choice question with your friends or your teacher during the exam break or discussing a free-response question right after the exam, can actually result in having your score canceled.

If the free-response content on your AP Exam is posted to the College Board website two days after the regularly scheduled exam, you may discuss it at that point.

Rule Violations

You are also agreeing not to engage in rule violations during the AP Exam, including:

• Obtaining, or attempting to obtain, improper access to the exam, or a part of the exam, or information about the exam.
• Removing a page or portions of a page from an exam book.
• Attempting to remove from the testing room any part of the exam or any notes relating to the exam.
• Referring to, looking through, or working on any exam, or exam section, other than during the timed testing period for that exam or exam section.
• Accessing or attempting to access any prohibited aids.
• Accessing or attempting to access a phone of any kind or a prohibited electronic device during testing or during breaks.
• Having subject-related information on your clothing, shoes, or body.
• Using testing accommodations not approved by College Board.
• Bringing food or drink into the testing room (unless it’s approved as an accommodation by College Board).
• Leaving the testing room, building, or designated break area without permission and/or taking an extended break.
• Copying the work of another student or of published or unpublished sources.
• Attempting to give or get assistance, or otherwise communicate, through any means, with another person about the exam during the exam administration, including during breaks.
• Attempting to take the exam for someone else.
• Creating a disturbance.

If you're found doing any of these, you may be asked to turn in your exam materials and leave the exam room. You may not return to the exam room, and your score will not be reported.

Consequences for Violating Security Policies

The following security policy is in effect:

College Board will prohibit individuals from taking the SAT, AP, or CLEP exams when we conclude they’ve deliberately gained or attempted to gain or share an unfair advantage on any College Board test, or otherwise threatened the integrity of the test. Examples include viewing or capturing images with a cell phone on test day or being caught with a “cheat sheet” containing test content, answer keys, or other content that would provide an unfair advantage.

The duration of an individual’s ban may vary depending on the circumstances and severity of the violation, as determined by College Board’s discretion. College Board reserves the right to share information, including the names of banned test takers, with their attending high schools and interested higher education institutions.

Appeals of the ban will be considered and decided at College Board’s discretion.

Following exam security policies and procedures keeps things fair for you and other students taking AP Exams. So, before exam day, make sure you’ve read through the information in the AP Exam Terms and Conditions and on this page so you know what to do and what not to do.