Key Takeaway
- AP class difficulty will vary by student and school, but we can look at the 2025 AP exam pass rates to get a helpful glimpse into which classes are generally more or less challenging.
- The “easiest” AP classes include: AP Research, AP Chinese Language and Culture, AP Seminar, AP Spanish Language and Culture, and AP Drawing.
- The “hardest” AP classes include: AP Latin, AP Music Theory, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Calculus AB.
Thinking about signing up for an AP class? You might already know that they’re more challenging than regular high school courses—they move faster, are more rigorous, and often come with college credit if you pass the exam. But how much harder are they really?
While the difficulty can depend on your interests and strengths, we can get a good idea by looking at the 2025 exam score data. Below, we’ll rank all 40 AP classes based on how many students received a score of 3 or higher.
What Are AP Classes?
Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college courses that you can take while still in high school. While considered more difficult than your standard high school course, they start preparing you for the rigor of college courses and allow you to earn college credit if you pass the exam.
At the end of each AP class, you are required to take a standardized exam that is scored on a scale of 1-5. Many colleges will give you college credit for a 3 or higher, although it is always best to check beforehand.
How Are AP Classes Ranked?
While it might seem easy to just list the hardest AP classes in order, it’s not that straightforward. A lot of the “difficulty” depends on your strengths and interests. For instance, where biology might come easy to you, it might feel completely foreign to someone else. The difficulty can also depend on who is teaching the class, how much material the course covers, and how fast you have to learn it.
With that said, one way to measure difficulty is by looking at how students perform on the exams. Below, we will look at the AP score distributions from 2025 to gauge the ranking of AP classes based on how many students passed with a 3 or higher.
The 40 AP Classes Ranked by Difficulty
Ranked from easiest (1) to hardest (40), these AP classes are ordered based on the percentage of students who scored a 3 or higher on the 2025 AP exams.
Note: Since every student and school is different, this isn’t a perfect measure. However, it does give a glimpse into which courses tend to be more challenging, and which ones most students are able to pass the test for.
| Rank | AP Exam | % Scoring 3+ |
| 1 | AP Research | 89% |
| 2 | AP Chinese Language and Culture | 88% |
| 3 | AP Seminar | 86% |
| 4 | AP Spanish Language and Culture | 85% |
| 5 | AP Drawing | 85% |
| 6 | AP 2D Art & Design | 83% |
| 7 | AP Precalculus | 81% |
| 8 | AP African American Studies | 79% |
| 9 | AP Calculus BC | 79% |
| 10 | AP Chemistry | 78% |
| 11 | AP English Language & Composition | 74% |
| 12 | AP English Literature & Composition | 74% |
| 13 | AP United States History | 73% |
| 14 | AP Comparative Government and Politics | 73% |
| 15 | AP Italian Language and Culture | 73% |
| 16 | AP French Language and Culture | 73% |
| 17 | AP Japanese Language and Culture | 73% |
| 18 | AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 72% |
| 19 | AP Physics C: Mechanics | 72% |
| 20 | AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based | 72% |
| 21 | AP Psychology | 72% |
| 22 | AP United States Government and Politics | 72% |
| 23 | AP European History | 72% |
| 24 | AP 3D Art & Design | 72% |
| 25 | AP Biology | 71% |
| 26 | AP Spanish Literature and Culture | 70% |
| 27 | AP Environmental Science | 69% |
| 28 | AP German Language and Culture | 69% |
| 29 | AP Computer Science A | 67% |
| 30 | AP Microeconomics | 67% |
| 31 | AP Macroeconomics | 66% |
| 32 | AP Art History | 66% |
| 33 | AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based | 66% |
| 34 | AP Human Geography | 65% |
| 35 | AP World History: Modern | 64% |
| 36 | AP Calculus AB | 64% |
| 37 | AP Computer Science Principles | 63% |
| 38 | AP Statistics | 60% |
| 39 | AP Music Theory | 60% |
| 40 | AP Latin | 59% |
Top Five “EASIEST” AP CLASSES
- AP Research
- AP Chinese Language and Culture
- AP Seminar
- AP Spanish Language and Culture
- AP Drawing
Top Five “Hardest” AP Classes
- AP Latin
- AP Music Theory
- AP Statistics
- AP Computer Science Principles
- AP Calculus AB
Which AP Class Is Best for Me?
When it comes to picking the right AP class for you, it is all going to come down to your strengths and interests. Start by thinking about which subjects you already enjoy and excel in. Then, talk to your guidance counselor to see how those align with available AP options. You also might have an interest in a subject you haven’t tried yet. If you’re curious about it, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself! Just make sure you’re staying realistic. AP classes take a lot of time and energy, so try not to overload your schedule.
If you are genuinely interested in an AP class above, don’t let the rankings scare you off. Just because a course has a lower pass rate doesn’t mean you won’t succeed in it. This is just a general guide, not a rule. At the end of the day, you should choose a class because it excites you and you’re ready for a challenge.
While ranking AP classes isn’t exactly straightforward, finding a college that’s perfect for you is. With College Raptor’s College Match tool, you can discover schools that align with your goals, interests, and strengths. It is that easy!
