This calculator estimates your 1-5 AP score based on your performance in the two primary sections of the AP United States Government and Politics exam. The exam is weighted 50% for Multiple Choice and 50% for Free Response Questions.
The Scoring Formula
To calculate your score, we use the standard composite score method:
Multiple Choice: Your raw score (0-55) is multiplied by a factor (usually 1.0) to represent 50% of the total points.
Free Response: The total raw points from all four FRQs (maximum 17) are multiplied by 3.235 (which is 55 divided by 17) to ensure Section 2 carries equal weight to Section 1.
Composite Score: The sum of these weighted scores (max 110) determines your final grade.
Estimated Score Cutoffs
While cutoffs vary slightly every year based on exam difficulty, the general distribution for a 5-point scale is typically:
AP Score
Composite Range (0-110)
Result
5
88 – 110
Extremely Well Qualified
4
72 – 87
Well Qualified
3
53 – 71
Qualified
2
38 – 52
Possibly Qualified
1
0 – 37
No Recommendation
Example Scenarios
Scenario A: A student gets 45/55 on Multiple Choice and scores 12/17 on FRQs. Their composite score would be roughly 83.8, resulting in a solid 4.
Scenario B: A student gets 50/55 on Multiple Choice and 14/17 on FRQs. Their composite score would be roughly 95.2, earning them a 5.
function calculateAPScore() {
var mcqRaw = parseFloat(document.getElementById('ap_mcq').value) || 0;
var frq1 = parseFloat(document.getElementById('ap_frq1').value) || 0;
var frq2 = parseFloat(document.getElementById('ap_frq2').value) || 0;
var frq3 = parseFloat(document.getElementById('ap_frq3').value) || 0;
var frq4 = parseFloat(document.getElementById('ap_frq4').value) || 0;
// Validation
if (mcqRaw > 55) mcqRaw = 55;
if (frq1 > 3) frq1 = 3;
if (frq2 > 4) frq2 = 4;
if (frq3 > 4) frq3 = 4;
if (frq4 > 6) frq4 = 6;
var frqTotalRaw = frq1 + frq2 + frq3 + frq4;
// Weighted Calculation
// Total points possible: 110 (55 from MCQ, 55 from FRQ)
// FRQ weighting factor: 55 / 17 ≈ 3.23529
var weightedMCQ = mcqRaw * 1.0;
var weightedFRQ = frqTotalRaw * 3.23529;
var composite = weightedMCQ + weightedFRQ;
var finalGrade = 1;
var color = "#e53e3e";
if (composite >= 88) {
finalGrade = 5;
color = "#2f855a";
} else if (composite >= 72) {
finalGrade = 4;
color = "#38a169";
} else if (composite >= 53) {
finalGrade = 3;
color = "#d69e2e";
} else if (composite >= 38) {
finalGrade = 2;
color = "#dd6b20";
} else {
finalGrade = 1;
color = "#e53e3e";
}
var resultBox = document.getElementById('ap_result_box');
var scoreDisplay = document.getElementById('ap_final_score');
var textDisplay = document.getElementById('ap_composite_text');
resultBox.style.display = "block";
resultBox.style.borderColor = color;
scoreDisplay.innerHTML = finalGrade;
scoreDisplay.style.color = color;
textDisplay.innerHTML = "Composite Score: " + Math.round(composite) + " / 110(MCQ: " + Math.round(weightedMCQ) + ", FRQ: " + Math.round(weightedFRQ) + ")";
resultBox.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' });
}