- Extremely well qualified
- Well qualified
- Qualified
- Possibly qualified
1. No recommendation
Many colleges and universities accept a grade of 3 or better for credit or
advanced placement or both; some also consider a grade of 2, while others
require a grade of 4. (Students may check AP credit policies at individual
colleges’ websites.) More than 59 percent of the candidates who took the 2016
Calculus AB Examination earned grades of 3, 4, or 5. Nearly 81 percent of the
2016 BC candidates earned 3 or better. More than 433,000 students altogether
took the 2016 AP Calculus examinations.
The multiple-choice questions in Section I are scored by machine. Students
should note that the score will be the number of questions answered correctly.
Since no points can be earned if answers are left blank and there is no deduction
for wrong answers, students should answer every question. For questions they
cannot do, students should try to eliminate as many of the choices as possible
and then pick the best remaining answer.
The problems in Section II are graded by college and high-school teachers
called “readers.” The answers in any one examination booklet are evaluated by
different readers, and for each reader all scores given by preceding readers are
concealed, as are the student’s name and school. Readers are provided sample
solutions for each problem, with detailed scoring scales and point distributions
that allow partial credit for correct portions of a student’s answer. Problems in
Section II are all counted equally.
In the determination of the overall grade for each examination, the two
sections are given equal weight. The total raw score is then converted into one of
the five grades listed above. Students should not think of these raw scores as
percents in the usual sense of testing and grading. A student who averages 6 out
of 9 points on the Section II questions and performs similarly well on Section I’s
multiple-choice questions will typically earn a 5. Many colleges offer credit for a
score of 3, historically awarded for earning over 40 of 108 possible points.
Students who take the BC examination are given not only a Calculus-BC
grade but also a Calculus-AB subscore grade. The latter is based on the part of
the BC examination dealing with topics in the AB syllabus.
In general, students will not be expected to answer all the questions correctly