AP Psychology


 * This article relates to the AP test. For information about the IB test, see IB Psychology SL.

The Advanced Placement Psychology (or AP Psychology) course and corresponding exam is part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology.

Topics Covered
The College Board provides a course of study to help educators prepare their students for the AP Psychology exam. The exam covers the following areas. The percentage indicates the portion of the multiple-choice section of the exam focused on each content area:
 * History and Approaches (2-4%)
 * Research and Methods (6-8%)
 * Biological Bases of Behavior (8-10%)
 * Sensation and Perception (7-9%)
 * States of Consciousness (8-10%)
 * Learning (7-9%)
 * Cognition (8-10%)
 * Motivation and Emotion (7-9%)
 * Developmental Psychology (7-9%)
 * Personality (6-8%)
 * Testing and Individual Differences (5-7%)
 * Abnormal Psychology (7-9%)
 * Treatment of Psychological Disorders (5-7%)
 * Social Psychology (7-9%)

The Exam
The exam includes two sections: a 70 minute multiple choice section and a 50 minute free response section consisting of two questions. The multiple choice forms two-thirds of the grade and the free-response provides the remaining third.

A penalty of ¼ points is subtracted for each incorrect answer on the multiple-choice portion of the exam to compensate for random guessing; however, statistically, if the student can eliminate one answer as incorrect then they should still guess out of the remaining three options. No credit is given for answers left blank.

Grade Distributions
In 2006, 101,221 students took the AP Psychology exam from 3,860 different schools. The mean score was 3.15 and the standard deviation was 1.4.

The grade distribution for 2006 was: