AP Human Geography Score Calculator
Estimate your AP Exam score based on MCQ and FRQ performance
Section I: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
There are 60 questions total. This is 50% of your score.
Section II: Free Response Questions (FRQ)
Enter your estimated score for each question (typically scored 0-7).
Estimated AP Score:
–
Composite Score: 0 / 120
Understanding Your AP Human Geography Score
The AP Human Geography (AP HUG) exam is divided into two main sections: Multiple Choice and Free Response. Achieving a high score requires a balanced performance across both sections. This calculator uses the standard College Board weighting to estimate your final score on the 1-5 scale.
How the Exam is Scored
Your raw score is converted into a composite score before being mapped to the final AP score of 1 to 5. Here is the breakdown of the weighting:
- Section I: Multiple Choice (MCQ): 60 questions, 60 minutes. This accounts for 50% of your total score. Each question is worth 1 point.
- Section II: Free Response (FRQ): 3 questions, 75 minutes. This accounts for the other 50% of your total score. Each FRQ is typically scored out of 7 points, making the raw FRQ total 21 points.
The Calculation Formula
To ensure both sections are weighted equally (50/50), the College Board applies a multiplier to the FRQ section. Since there are 60 MCQ points and only 21 FRQ points:
Composite Score = (MCQ Score × 1) + (Total FRQ Score × 2.857)
This creates a maximum composite score of approximately 120 points.
AP Human Geography Score Distributions
While the exact curve varies slightly from year to year based on exam difficulty, the following cutoffs are generally used to estimate scores:
| AP Score | Composite Score Range (Approx) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 76 – 120 | Extremely Well Qualified |
| 4 | 63 – 75 | Well Qualified |
| 3 | 52 – 62 | Qualified (Passing) |
| 2 | 39 – 51 | Possibly Qualified |
| 1 | 0 – 38 | No Recommendation |
Strategies to Improve Your AP HUG Score
To move from a 3 to a 4, or a 4 to a 5, consider these strategies:
- Master the Vocabulary: AP Human Geography is vocabulary-heavy. Knowing terms like "possibilism," "distance decay," and "supranationalism" is crucial for both MCQ and FRQ.
- FRQ Structure: Use the "ID-Describe-Explain" method. Identify the concept, describe what it means, and explain how it applies to the prompt's specific scenario.
- Time Management: You have 1 minute per MCQ and roughly 25 minutes per FRQ. Don't get stuck on one specific question.