Hardest AP Exams Ranked — AP Difficulty by Subject

Not all AP exams are created equal. Some courses have much lower pass rates and more demanding content. Here is how AP courses compare in difficulty.

How We Rank Difficulty

• Pass rate — Lower pass rates suggest harder exams
• 5 rate — What percentage of test-takers earn the top score
• Content volume — How much material you need to master
• Skill type — Writing-heavy vs. problem-solving vs. memorization

Commonly Cited Hardest AP Exams

• AP English Language — one of the lowest 5-rates of any AP, with three demanding timed essays
• AP US History — massive content volume plus 3 essay types
• AP Chemistry — challenging problem sets and lab concepts
• AP English Literature — subjective scoring on literary analysis
• AP European History — broad time span and complex causation chains

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