NUMBER OF AP EXAMS PER STUDENT
The number of AP Exams taken per student is presented below for 2005 and 2015. Note that in 2015 approximately 79% of the students took either
one or two AP Exams during the May administration. The remaining 21% took from three to twenty two exams.
SPECIFIC ADMINISTRATION YEAR
No. of Exams
Taken by
Students
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
More than 10
Total students/
exams
2005
Frequency
692,285
304,679
136,712
56,637
20,902
6,881
2,066
607
166
52
29
2015
Percent
56.7
25.0
11.2
4.6
1.7
.6
.2
.0
.0
.0
.0
1,221,016/2,105,803*
Frequency
1,349,978
606,847
307,296
138,542
54,929
18,865
5,251
1,311
305
76
52
Percent
54.4
24.4
12.4
5.6
2.2
.8
.2
.1
.0
.0
.0
2,483,452/4,478,936
Approximately 56% of the students took AP Exams in more than one year. The figures below show the cumulative number of exams
individual students took from the years 2002 to 2005 and from 2012 to 2015. Note, for example, that 365,816 students took three or more
AP Exams in the years 2002 to 2005 and were therefore potentially eligible for sophomore standing; in 2015, 942,197 students had three or
more AP Exams on their records. By 2015, 26,856 students had taken 9 AP Exams, 16,580 had 10 exams, 9,734 had 11 exams, 5,600 had
12 exams, 3,032 had 13 exams, 1,674 had 14 exams, 929 had 15 exams, 491 had 16 exams, 291 had 17 exams, 135 had 18 exams, 76 had
19 exams, 35 had 20 exams, 19 had 21 exams, 5 had 22 exams, 5 had 23 exams, 2 had 24 exams, 2 students had 25 exams, 3 students had
26 exams, and 1 student had taken 27 exams.
FOUR-YEAR ADMINISTRATION RANGES
No. of Exams
Taken by
Students
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
More than 14
Total students/
exams
2002-2005
Frequency
583,653
271,547
148,743
87,650
52,248
32,152
19,553
11,813
6,498
3,502
1,811
946
441
222
237
1,221,016/2,746,545*
Percent
47.8
22.2
12.2
7.2
4.3
2.6
1.6
1.0
.5
.3
.1
.1
.0
.0
.0
2012-2015
Frequency
1,027,083
514,172
322,496
214,617
141,930
93,482
62,449
41,753
26,856
16,580
9,734
5,600
3,032
1,674
1,994
Percent
41.4
20.7
13.0
8.6
5.7
3.8
2.5
1.7
1.1
.7
.4
.2
.1
.1
.0
2,483,452/6,599,861**
*These figures are greater than the year total shown in other tables because they include exams that were taken but withheld, cancelled, or arrived late.
**The cumulative total of exams taken is 67.8% greater than the total number of exams taken in 2015 alone (i.e., 2,120,925 exams were taken by the 2015
students in 2014, 2013, and previous years).
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