CapstoneAn introductory research or general elective college course

AP Research

AP Capstone year-long independent research culminating in an academic paper and oral defense.

AP Research, the second course in the AP Capstone program, allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, or issue of individual interest. Students design, plan, and conduct a year-long research-based investigation, culminating in a 4,000-5,000 word academic paper and a presentation with oral defense.

$65
Single 90-minute lesson
$49.50
Lowest rate per lesson
50 lessons
Full syllabus, 75 hours
Prices and optionsRequest a tutor
Course Introduction

Why AP Research Matters

A qualifying score on the AP Research Exam can earn college credit or placement. Each college sets its own policy, so check the score your colleges ask for.

Completes the AP Capstone Diploma program
Mirrors a college thesis or capstone project
Develops independent research and methodology
Strong signal of scholarly readiness to admissions
College Equivalent

Introductory research or general elective course

Required/Recommended for Majors
Any majorResearch-intensive programsPre-MedPre-LawSTEM research tracksSocial SciencesHumanities
Exam Format
Create TaskAcademic Paper (4,000-5,000 words, 75%) and Presentation & Oral Defense (25%) (100%)

Scored 1–5. In Bluebook, fully digital or hybrid (handwritten free responses).

AP Research course units

The units of the College Board course. Lessons follow them in the order your class takes them.

Question and Explore
Identifying a problem or issueDeveloping a research questionEvaluating sources
Understand and Analyze
Reading critically for a purposeAnalyzing a line of reasoningEvaluating evidence
Evaluate Multiple Perspectives
Comparing perspectivesObjections, implications, and limitations
Synthesize Ideas
Building a well-reasoned argumentLinking evidence to claimsOffering resolutions or conclusions
Team, Transform, and Transmit
Presenting an argument for an audienceCommunicating through appropriate mediaPeer review

How lessons approach AP Research

Understanding the concepts, and answering the exam's questions the way they are scored.

Conceptual Understanding
Building deep knowledge that lasts
  • Choose a focused, feasible research question
  • Conduct a thorough literature review
  • Select rigorous, ethical methodology
  • Analyze and interpret data critically
Exam-Specific Strategies
Techniques that maximize your score
  • Follow the academic paper rubric closely
  • Maintain a process and reflection portfolio
  • Prepare a clear, evidence-based presentation
  • Rehearse the oral defense Q&A

Past papers and practice exams

Practice exams in the current exam format are reviewed afterwards, and the errors set the work for the next lessons.

Past papers

Exemplar academic papers and presentation rubrics with scoring guidelines.

  • Milestone reviews of paper drafts
  • Mock presentation and oral defense sessions
  • Rubric-based scoring on paper and defense
  • Feedback on methodology and argumentation
  • Progress tracking across research phases

How a practice exam is used

  1. 1
    Sit a full practice exam
    Timed, section by section
  2. 2
    Review the errors
    With your tutor, by unit and question type
  3. 3
    Targeted practice
    On the units and question types that cost points
  4. 4
    Repeat
    Before the exam

AP Research: lessons, prices and how to start

One-to-one lessons are 90 minutes, live online. Prices are set per program, so they are the same for every AP subject.

AP Research one-to-one tutoring packages
Single lesson$65Per lesson: $65Buy a lesson
10 lessons$630Per lesson: $63Buy package
20 lessons$1,200Per lesson: $60Buy package
Full syllabus · 50 lessonsLowest rate75 hours · or 2 payments of $1,350 ($2,700 in all)$2,475Per lesson: $49.50Buy packageor pay in 2

Group options

All 2026–27 AP groups are full. The AP group course is $1,755 or 3 payments of $585, 75 hours of teaching in 50 lessons, in classes of at most 6. Three or more students who come together can ask for a private group.

Ask about a private group

How do you start?

Request a free consultation: it is a conversation about your goals and timeline, not a lesson or a test. There is no separate diagnostic test for AP, because no single test stands in for a school syllabus. The first lesson does the assessment: your tutor works through your recent marked work and past-paper questions from your own specification, and reads where you stand. It is a normal paid lesson, not a free trial, and it teaches as it assesses.

Request a free consultation

Refunds

Not satisfied after your first private lesson? Full (100%) refund. Not satisfied after the first week of your group course? Full (100%) refund. No score is guaranteed. Full terms.

Every AP priceAll AP subjects

AP Research — Frequently Asked Questions

What college credit does AP Research carry?
An introductory research or general elective college course. Credit policies are set by each university rather than by the College Board, so confirm the score your target schools require before choosing which exams to sit.
What does AP Research cover?
The course is organized into 5 units: Question and Explore, Understand and Analyze, Evaluate Multiple Perspectives, Synthesize Ideas and Team, Transform, and Transmit. Our tutoring follows the same order, so what you cover with a tutor lines up with what your class is doing.
What college course is AP Research equivalent to?
Introductory research or general elective course. That is the level the exam is written to, which is why a strong AP score is treated as evidence you can handle first-year university work in the subject.
Which majors is AP Research useful for?
It is most relevant to Any major, Research-intensive programs, Pre-Med, Pre-Law and 3 more. It is worth taking if it is either required for your intended major or the strongest subject you can show, since a high score in a demanding subject carries more weight than a safe pass in an easy one.