Which AP Classes Should I Take?

There is no single right list of AP classes: College Board says no specific number of AP courses is right for every student. The best choices are the AP classes your school offers that you are ready for, that connect to what you may study in college, and that still leave room for a balanced schedule. College Board's lists of popular courses by grade and of courses that pair well are a sensible place to start.

1. Start with what your school offers

College Board lists 42 AP subjects, but not every school offers every course, and you sign up through your school, not through College Board. Ask a counselor or teacher which AP courses are available, which have prerequisites and when course selection happens. Many high schools begin course selection in the winter or spring for the following school year.

If a course you want isn't offered, College Board suggests asking your counselor about an authorized online provider. You can also self-study for most AP Exams, although College Board recommends taking the course first.

2. Choose courses you are ready for

Every AP course page lists recommended prerequisites, and they differ a lot. AP English Literature and Composition lists none. AP Biology recommends high school biology and chemistry. AP Calculus AB expects algebra, geometry, trigonometry and a solid grasp of functions. Your school may add its own requirements, such as a placement test.

If you have taken the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10 or PSAT 8/9, College Board's AP Potential tool lists the AP Exams you are likely to do well on, based on your latest score, and shows which of those courses your school offers.

3. Connect courses to your plans

If you have an idea of what you might study in college, AP courses in related subjects let you test that interest, and a qualifying exam score can earn credit or placement. Each college sets its own policy, so look up the colleges you are considering in College Board's AP credit policy search, which works by course or by institution. One detail to know early: according to College Board, colleges typically grant credit for only one of the two AP English courses.

Popular AP courses by grade

AP isn't only for juniors and seniors. College Board doesn't require a particular grade level for any AP course, although some courses are recommended before others. Its list of popular AP courses by grade includes:

Treat the list as a map of common paths, not a requirement. A strong math student might reach AP Calculus AB earlier; a student who loves history might add a second history course instead of a science.

Courses that work well together

College Board suggests companion courses whose content and skills support each other, if your school offers them:

• AP Biology with AP Environmental Science, or with AP Psychology
• AP Physics 1 with AP Precalculus, or with AP Calculus AB
• AP Statistics with AP Precalculus
• AP U.S. Government and Politics with AP Macroeconomics
• AP English Language and Composition with AP U.S. History
• AP Human Geography with AP Environmental Science
• AP Art History with AP World History: Modern
• AP Computer Science Principles with AP Computer Science A or with AP Precalculus, and AP Computer Science A with AP Calculus AB

Within a single subject, College Board lists AP English Language and Composition followed by AP English Literature and Composition as a focused sequence, with the credit caveat above.

How many AP classes should you take?

College Board's answer is that there is no specific number that is right for all students, and it suggests talking with your teachers and school counselor about whether you are ready and what balance of courses is right. A useful test is whether you can do good work in every course on your schedule, including the ones that aren't AP, while keeping the activities that matter to you. Adding AP courses one year at a time, and adjusting after you see how the first ones go, is a reasonable way to find that balance.

If you are weighing AP against the IB Diploma, the AP vs IB comparison sets out how they differ. Once you have chosen your courses, TestPrep USA offers one-to-one AP tutoring in a wide range of AP subjects and an AP group course in classes of at most six students.

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