AP Chemistry Score Distribution
Official College Board score distributions for AP Chemistry, 2020–2026.
All Years Compared
| Year | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15% | 31% | 30% | 18% | 6% | 76% |
| 2025 | 17.9% | 28.6% | 31.4% | 15.9% | 6.2% | 77.9% |
| 2024 | 17.9% | 27.4% | 30.3% | 16.9% | 7.5% | 75.6% |
| 2023 | 16% | 27.1% | 32% | 16.9% | 8% | 75.1% |
| 2022 | 12.5% | 17% | 24.5% | 23.6% | 22.5% | 54% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | 16.4% | 23.7% | 24.7% | 23.9% | 51.3% |
| 2020 | 10.6% | 18.6% | 26.9% | 24% | 19.9% | 56.1% |
2026 AP Chemistry Score Distribution
Source: College Board AP Students – AP Chemistry Score Distributions. Percentages reflect official released data and may be added or revised for the most recent exam year.
What the Distribution Shows
Each percentage reflects the share of all AP Chemistry test-takers that year who earned that score. These figures are distributions of final AP scores, not a raw-score cutoff table — they describe how many students landed at each score, not what raw performance was required to get there. This is also commonly called the exam's pass rate (a score of 3 or higher) or, less often, its fail rate (a score of 1 or 2) — both are shown for each year in the table above. If you're planning toward a specific score, see the full AP Chem Score Calculator or how AP Chemistry is scored.
AP Chemistry Pass Rate and Fail Rate by Year
The AP Chemistry pass rate is the share of students who score a 3 or higher, and the fail rate is the share who score a 1 or 2. Both come straight from the official distribution above, and the table below lays them side by side with the share of 5s. The percentages are rounded in the source data, so a row can add up to 99.9 or 100.1.
| Year | Score of 5 | Pass rate (3 or higher) | Fail rate (1 or 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 10.6% | 56.1% | 43.9% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | 51.3% | 48.6% |
| 2022 | 12.5% | 54.0% | 46.1% |
| 2023 | 16.0% | 75.1% | 24.9% |
| 2024 | 17.9% | 75.6% | 24.4% |
| 2025 | 17.9% | 77.9% | 22.1% |
| 2026 | 15.0% | 76.0% | 24.0% |
A pass rate describes the whole test-taking population, not your own odds. To see what raw points it takes to land on each side of the line, read how many points you need for a 3, for a 4, and for a 5.
Historical Observations
- 2021 and 2022 show a noticeably higher share of 1s and 2s and a lower share of 4s and 5s than surrounding years, consistent with pandemic-era disruptions to instruction and testing.
- 2023–2026 show a return to a more typical distribution shape, with roughly three-quarters of students scoring 3 or higher.
- 2020 reflects a fundamentally different, shortened exam format and should be interpreted with that context in mind.
Year-by-Year Detail
- AP Chemistry Score Calculator 2020 — distribution, context, and estimator for 2020.
- AP Chemistry Score Calculator 2021 — distribution, context, and estimator for 2021.
- AP Chemistry Score Calculator 2022 — distribution, context, and estimator for 2022.
- AP Chemistry Score Calculator 2023 — distribution, context, and estimator for 2023.
- AP Chemistry Score Calculator 2024 — distribution, context, and estimator for 2024.
- AP Chemistry Score Calculator 2025 — distribution, context, and estimator for 2025.
- AP Chemistry Score Calculator 2026 — distribution, context, and estimator for 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the AP Chemistry pass rate?
The pass rate is the share of students who scored 3 or higher (the threshold most colleges recognize for AP credit) in a given year -- shown for every year on record in the table above. It varies year to year based on that year's test-taking population and exam difficulty.
What is the AP Chemistry fail rate?
Less commonly asked than the pass rate, the "fail rate" usually refers to the share of students scoring 1 or 2 in a given year -- also shown in the table above for every year on record.
What percentage of students score a 5 on AP Chemistry?
In 2026, 15% of AP Chemistry test-takers scored a 5, and 76% scored 3 or higher, which is the usual definition of the pass rate. The tables above list every year on record.
Related Resources
- AP Chem Score Calculator
- How AP Chemistry Is Scored
- AP Chemistry Curve by Year
- Is AP Chemistry Worth It?
- AP Chemistry Reference Sheet
Source: College Board AP Students – AP Chemistry Score Distributions.