How these estimates are built
Short version: the exam structures are official, the cut-offs are honest estimates, and we tell you which is which.
1. Exam format — official
The number of multiple-choice questions, the free-response structure, and the section weights for each AP exam come from the College Board Course & Exam Descriptions. The SAT (400-1600, two sections) and ACT (1-36, four sections averaged) structures are the official published formats.
2. Cut-offs and curves — estimated
College Board does not publish the exact raw-score-to-1-5 cut-off for each year, and the digital SAT is section-adaptive so its raw-to-scaled conversion changes by form. Our thresholds are estimates derived from publicly released scoring worksheets and recent published score distributions, refreshed for the 2025-26 cycle. They are projections, not official results.
3. What we never do
We do not invent precise official-looking numbers and present them as fact. Where a value is an estimate, the page says so. If the College Board re-curves an exam, we update the tables for the next cycle.
4. Sources
- College Board AP Central — course & exam descriptions and exam formats.
- AP score distributions — recent published share of students at each score.
- College Board SAT Suite — digital SAT structure and scoring.
- ACT — official test format and scale.
Cut-offs last reviewed .