AP Exam Schedule 2026: Every Date, Plus a Study Plan to Hit Them All

AP exams in 2026 are administered during a three-week testing window in May, following the standard College Board schedule. The 2026 AP exam period runs from approximately May 4 to May 22, 2026, with most subjects tested in the first two weeks. Digital AP exams are available for select subjects.

This article gives you the complete 2026 AP exam schedule by week and subject, plus a practical backward-planning study guide for students taking multiple AP exams.

Note: The College Board publishes official AP exam dates each fall. The schedule below is based on the standard College Board examination window. Confirm exact dates and any updates at College Board's official AP calendar.

2026 AP Exam Schedule — Full Calendar

Week 1: May 4–8, 2026

Day	Morning (8 AM)	Afternoon (12 PM)
Monday, May 4	AP Art History	AP Computer Science Principles
Tuesday, May 5	AP Human Geography	AP Psychology
Wednesday, May 6	AP Calculus AB / AP Calculus BC	AP Chinese Language and Culture
Thursday, May 7	AP English Literature and Composition	AP Japanese Language and Culture
Friday, May 8	AP European History	AP United States Government and Politics

Week 2: May 11–15, 2026

Day	Morning (8 AM)	Afternoon (12 PM)
Monday, May 11	AP Biology	AP Music Theory
Tuesday, May 12	AP United States History	AP Physics C: Mechanics
Wednesday, May 13	AP English Language and Composition	AP Italian Language and Culture
Thursday, May 14	AP Comparative Government and Politics	AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
Friday, May 15	AP Statistics	AP Spanish Literature and Culture

Week 3: May 18–22, 2026

Day	Morning (8 AM)	Afternoon (12 PM)
Monday, May 18	AP Chemistry	AP French Language and Culture
Tuesday, May 19	AP Macroeconomics	AP German Language and Culture
Wednesday, May 20	AP Computer Science A	AP Spanish Language and Culture
Thursday, May 21	AP Environmental Science	AP Latin
Friday, May 22	AP Microeconomics	AP Physics 1 / AP Physics 2

How to Build a Backward Study Plan from Your AP Exam Dates

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The most common AP exam mistake is studying each subject in order — finishing AP Biology prep before starting AP Calculus, for example. This ignores the fact that different exams have different dates and different preparation gaps.

Backward planning starts from exam day and works backward to determine your study start date and weekly allocation.

Step 1: Map Your Exams on a Calendar

List every AP exam you're taking with its date. For each, note:

How many weeks until exam day (from today's date)
Your current confidence level: 1 (very low) to 5 (very high)

Step 2: Assign Weekly Hours by Priority

Use this formula:

Confidence 1–2 (major weakness): 4–6 hours/week
Confidence 3 (moderate): 2–3 hours/week
Confidence 4–5 (strong): 1–2 hours/week (maintenance)

Add your hours per subject per week. If the total exceeds 15–18 hours/week, you've over-allocated. Cut from confidence 4–5 subjects first.

Step 3: Set Hard Prep Deadlines

For each exam, set:

Content completion date: 3 weeks before exam — all topics covered
Practice exam date: 2 weeks before — full timed AP practice test
Weak spot review: 1 week before — targeted drilling of missed topics
Light review only: 3 days before — no new material

Sample Backward Plan: 3 Exams in Week 1 and 2

Exam	Date	Content Done By	Practice Exam By	Final Review
AP Calculus BC	May 6	April 15	April 22	May 3
AP U.S. History	May 12	April 21	April 28	May 9
AP English Lang	May 13	April 22	April 29	May 10

Notice that content completion dates stagger even for exams one day apart. Don't try to finish content for all subjects simultaneously.

Managing Multiple AP Exams in One Week

Multiple exams in the same week is the norm, not the exception. Week 1 and Week 2 of AP season are intense for most students.

Rules for multi-exam weeks:

Never study a new subject the night before any exam: The night before an exam is review-only for that subject. Don't touch other subjects.
Use exam gaps strategically: If you have AP Human Geography on Tuesday morning and AP English Literature Thursday morning, Wednesday afternoon is a light review window for Thursday's exam — not a catch-up session for Friday's exam.
Sleep is non-negotiable: AP week with poor sleep is worse than AP week with slightly less studying. Cognitive performance under exhaustion is reliably below rested performance. See: How to Stop Forgetting What You Study the Night Before an Exam

AP Exam Format Overview

Understanding the format of each exam prevents format-related mark loss on exam day.

Exam Type	Format
Multiple Choice + Free Response	Most AP exams — 50–60% MC, 40–50% FRQ
Document Based Questions (DBQ)	APUSH, AP World History, AP European History
Lab-based questions	AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics
Writing-heavy	AP English Language, AP English Literature
Calculus with graphing calculator	AP Calculus AB/BC, AP Statistics

For FRQ-heavy subjects (History, English), practice writing full responses under timed conditions starting 3–4 weeks before the exam. Free response questions are consistently where unprepared students lose the most marks.

Subject-Specific Study Tips for High-Volume AP Exams

AP Calculus AB/BC (May 6)

The reference sheet is not provided — know your derivative and integral rules cold
Practice the FRQ section separately from MC — FRQs require showing full work with correct notation
BC material (series, parametric, polar) requires additional prep time on top of AB content

AP United States History (May 12)

The Document Based Question (DBQ) is worth ~25% of your score alone — practice outlining DBQs under timed conditions
Use the HAPP framework: Historical context, Audience, Purpose, Point of view for document analysis
Know the 9 AP US History themes (America in the world, geography, work systems, etc.)

AP English Language and Composition (May 13)

Synthesis essay, rhetorical analysis, and argument essay — practice all three formats separately
For rhetorical analysis: identify audience, purpose, and how rhetorical choices achieve those goals
For synthesis: don't summarize sources — use them as evidence for your own argument

AP Biology (May 11)

Free response requires experimental design skills — practice designing controlled experiments
Focus on evolution, cell signaling, gene expression, and ecology (most heavily tested)
Data analysis questions appear in both MC and FRQ — practice interpreting graphs and calculating statistics

AP Chemistry (May 18)

Periodic trends, equilibrium, electrochemistry, and acid-base chemistry are the highest-yield topics
Free response requires showing stoichiometric work — partial credit is awarded for correct setup even with arithmetic errors
Know your constants and equations — AP Chemistry provides a reference table, but knowing where things are saves time

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Frequently Asked Questions

When are the AP exams in 2026?

The 2026 AP exam testing window runs from approximately May 4 to May 22, 2026, administered by the College Board. Most exams are scheduled in the first two weeks of May. Confirm specific dates for your subjects at the official AP Students website.

Can you take AP exams without taking an AP class?

Yes — the College Board allows self-study students to register for AP exams. You'll register through your school (if you're enrolled) or through a participating school that allows outside testing. Self-study works well for some subjects (AP Statistics, AP Human Geography, AP Environmental Science); it's more challenging for lab-based subjects (AP Chemistry, AP Physics) without lab experience.

What is a passing AP exam score?

AP exams are scored 1–5. A score of 3 or above is generally considered passing and is the minimum threshold for college credit at most institutions. Many selective colleges only grant credit for scores of 4 or 5. Check each target college's AP credit policy individually — policies vary significantly.

How long are AP exams?

Most AP exams are 2–3 hours long. The exact duration varies by subject: AP Calculus is approximately 3 hours 15 minutes; AP English Language is approximately 3 hours 15 minutes; AP Human Geography is approximately 2 hours 15 minutes. Your school or test center will confirm exact start and end times.

What happens if you miss an AP exam?

If you miss your scheduled AP exam, the College Board offers late testing approximately 2 weeks after the standard testing window for documented emergencies. This requires documentation and approval — contact your AP Coordinator immediately if you miss your exam date. Scores from late testing are sent on the same timeline as regular exams.

The Bottom Line

AP exam season is compressed, multi-subject, and unforgiving for students who start prep too late. The students who perform best treat it like a logistics problem: map every exam date, build backward from each one, and stagger content deadlines.

Action step today: List every AP exam you're taking and its date. Calculate how many weeks remain for each. Set your content completion deadline for each exam. That calendar is your AP study plan.

Also read: How to Memorize a Whole Semester of Notes in 2 Weeks and How to Build a Spaced Repetition Study Schedule