AP Biology

Exam questions assess the course concepts and skills outlined in the course framework. For more information, download the AP Biology Course and Exam Description (CED).

Encourage your students to visit the AP Biology student page for exam information.

Starting with the 2024 exam, the layout for the free-response questions (FRQs) will be different from prior exams. For a summary of the changes, and to help you visualize this change to the layout, we’ve applied the 2024 layout to the 2021–2023 AP Biology FRQs.

You can find the original scoring guidelines on the past exam questions page .

Exam Date

AP Biology Exam

Exam Format

The AP Biology Exam has question types and point values that remain stable and consistent from year to year, so you and your students know what to expect on exam day.

Section I: Multiple Choice

60 Questions | 1 hour 30 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

• Individual questions
• Sets of questions with 4–5 questions per set

Section II: Free Response

6 Questions | 1 hour 30 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

• There are 2 long questions and 4 short questions. Long questions are worth 8–10 points each; short questions are worth 4 points each.
• The long questions ask students to:
  • Interpret and evaluate experimental results
  • Interpret and evaluate experimental results with graphing
  • Scientific investigation
  • Conceptual analysis
  • Analysis of a model or visual representation
  • Data analysis