Yes, AP classes are undoubtedly hard. AP exams have several choice questions, such as multiple-choice and free-response. And, each question requires a different strategy altogether.
If you have already decided to enroll in AP classes in high school, then you should acquaint yourself with their difficulty level.
Doing so will give you an idea of whether you want to enroll in a particular AP.
At times, the hardest AP classes look difficult only at face value, but disciplined study will reduce their complexity.
Hardest AP Classes According to Pass Rate
Statistics and GPA play an essential role in determining the hardest AP classes. And the pass rate is one such factor.
The pass rate is the number of people, shown as a percentage, who were successful in a particular AP exam.
Compared to the average AP, the pass rate percentage of a particular AP shows whether an AP subject is complex or straightforward.
| Advanced Placement | Pass Rate | Perfect Score |
| AP Physics 1 | 51.6% | 8.8% |
| AP Environmental Science | 53.4% | 11.9% |
| AP Chemistry | 56.1% | 10.6% |
| AP U.S. Government and Politics | 57.5% | 15.5% |
| AP U.S. History | 58.7% | 13% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
1. AP Physics 1
| Advanced Placement | Pass Rate | Perfect Score |
| AP Physics 1 | 51.6% | 8.8% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
Only half of the students who appear for AP Physics 1 pass this conventionally tricky subject. But what makes it so difficult?
AP Physics 1 covers topics such as Kinematics, Dynamics, energy and momentum, torque, and rotational motion, which require a firm grip on algebra. That is the primary reason that only 8.8% of students score perfect grades.
2. AP Environmental Science
| Advanced Placement | Pass Rate | Perfect Score |
| AP Environmental Science | 53.4% | 11.9% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
I bet most of you didn’t expect AP Environmental Science to be on the list. It sounds much more manageable than AP Physics 1. Am I right?
Well, that’s where you are mistaken. AP Environmental Science consists of nine units covering everything about the environment, from ecosystems to the different types of pollution. Therefore, this subject is a commingling of both science and social science.
Students who score the perfect grade are well-equipped in problem-solving skills and memorization.
3. AP Chemistry
| Advanced Placement | Pass Rate | Perfect Score |
| AP Chemistry | 56.1% | 10.6% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
AP Chemistry, just like other STEM subjects, falls under the category of hardest Advanced Placement subjects, with a reduced pass rate and an even reduced perfect score. AP Chemistry is the ideal amalgamation of scientific inquiry and algebra-based mathematical problems.
Let us also remember the mandatory laboratory work that is part and parcel of AP Chemistry. These laboratory works deal with complex compound testing requiring accuracy and precision.
4. AP U.S. Government and Politics
| Advanced Placement | Pass Rate | Perfect Score |
| AP U.S. Government and Politics | 57.5% | 15.5% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
Even though AP U.S. Government and Politics is a popular Advanced Placement course with over 300,000 students sitting for the exam, only a handful get the perfect score.
Suppose you have assumed that a social science subject cannot be complex; the AP U.S. Government and Politics will change your mind. This Advanced Placement subject contains every detail about American democracy, ranging from civil liberties to political participation.
Even though AP U.S. Government and Politics does not have complex mathematical problems like the other STEM subjects, it requires a lot of report writing if you want to do well in this subject.
5. AP U.S. History
| Advanced Placement | Pass Rate | Perfect Score |
| AP U.S. History | 58.7% | 13% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
AP U.S. History is one of the most challenging social science AP subjects. AP U.S. History contains everything under the sky that is to know about the colonization and settlement in the American continent to the contemporary period in the States.
As you are aware, history of any kind necessitates memorization skills, and AP U.S. History is no different. Don’t opt for AP U.S. History if you cannot regularly devote yourself to this subject.
Check out EnthuZiastic AP Courses to learn with the best teachers.
Trust me; you need systematic revision if you aim for the perfect AP U.S. History score.
Hardest AP Classes According to Perfect Score
A perfect score is the highest number of points someone can get for answering all the questions correctly on an AP test.
A low perfect score does not necessarily mean that the subject is complicated. At times, teaching quality and availability of education supplies matter.
| Advanced Placement | Pass Rate | Perfect Score |
| AP Art and Design 3-D | 74% | 6% |
| AP German Language and Culture | 70.1% | 8% |
| AP French Language and Culture | 71.6% | 8.5% |
| AP Spanish Literature | 23.6% | 8% |
| AP English Language and Composition | 62.1% | 8% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
1. AP Art and Design: 3-D
| Advanced Placement | Pass Rate | Perfect Score |
| AP Art and Design: 3-D | 74% | 6% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
AP Art and Design 3-D is not everybody’s cup of tea. The prerequisite to enroll in AP Art and Design 3-D is to have a creative bend of mind. Also, this AP subject is perfect for you if you want a career in the creative art department.
The perfect score is 6%, far less than the average AP. You have to be amongst the choicest and best of the students.
2. AP German Language and Culture
| Advanced Placement | Pass Rate | Perfect Score |
| AP German Language and Culture | 70.1% | 8% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
AP German Language and Culture, like any other AP Language, has a higher pass rate but a drastically low perfect score.
You do not need to understand German to enroll in this AP subject. With AP German Language and Culture, you will learn how to write, read, and speak in German.
Scoring a perfect grade will be easy if you dedicate yourself to learning this language. But a bit of advice from Sarah, one of the AP German Language and Culture students, “Don’t take up any AP Language class if you cannot study everyday because it is difficult to learn any new language.”
3. AP French Language and Culture
| Advanced Placement | Pass Rate | Perfect Score |
| AP French Language and Culture | 71.6% | 8.5% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
What makes it challenging to score the perfect grade?
What makes it difficult to cut the ideal grade in AP French Language and Culture is the kinds of evaluation types:
Spoken Interpersonal Communication: I find this evaluation quite interesting, where you have to converse with your examiner.
Visual and Audio-Visual Interpretive Communication: As a part of the listening evaluation, you are given bits and pieces of audio and then answer the questions posed on the specifics.
Written and Print Interpretive Communication: Most enrolled students find this detailed evaluation difficult because they are tasked with reading documents and answering questions.
Spoken Presentation Communication: A complex evaluation where you are given a prompt on French culture and make a presentation on it.
4. AP Spanish Literature
| Advanced Placement | Pass Grade | Perfect Grade |
| AP Spanish Literature | 23.6% | 8% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
AP Spanish Literature has a lower percentage than AP Spanish Language and Culture. The reason is that you don’t need any prerequisites, that is, an awareness of Spanish. But you must have expertise in Spanish Language or have studied it for a minimum of three years to enroll in AP Spanish Literature.
The syllabus mainly revolves around original texts written in the Spanish Language. Therefore, to be a student of AP Spanish Literature, you need to have a clear understanding of not only the semantic aspects of the language but also the literary ones.
Check out EnthuZiastic AP Courses to learn with the best teachers.
5. AP English Language and Composition
| Advanced Placement | Pass Grade | Perfect Grade |
| AP English Language and Composition | 62.1% | 12.6% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
AP English Language and Composition might sound easy at face value. But the amount of critical thinking you require will make it a lot more challenging.
Most students failed to score the perfect grade because they misconstrued AP English Language and Composition as an easy subject and left the entire syllabus for the last moment to study. Joshua said, “AP English Language and Literature requires constant practice. You must practice all the writing samples regularly if you plan to score well.”
Are you in your Freshman Year and wondering whether you should take AP or not?
Read AP Freshman Year to know more.
Hardest AP According to Students’ Feedback
AP students play an essential role in determining the difficulty level of an AP subject. Therefore, this particular section is dedicated to the AP students and for the AP students.
| Advanced Placement | Pass Grade | Perfect Score |
| AP Seminar | 85% | 11.6% |
| AP Statistics | 57.9% | 14.8% |
| AP Macroeconomics | 60% | 16.4% |
| AP Microeconomics | 66% | 17.7% |
| AP Computer Science A | 65.1% | 23.9% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
1. AP Seminar
| Advanced Placement | Pass Grade | Perfect Grade |
| AP Seminar | 85% | 11.6% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
AP Seminar has one of the highest percentages of students scoring passing grades. Nevertheless, most students find it difficult because they need to hone their research or analytical skills while pursuing this subject.
Like so many other APs, AP Seminar does not demand the students to understand complicated theories or memorize from cover to cover. You only need the patience to read extensively and, of course, a mind of your own to defend your thesis.
2. AP Statistics
| Advanced Placement | Pass Grade | Perfect Score |
| AP Statistics | 57.9% | 14.8% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
Yes, statistics fall under the mathematical section. But AP Statistics is nothing like AP Calculus AB. It is way easier than that dreaded subject.
The emphasis in AP Statistics is less on solving challenging equations and more on data comprehension. Therefore, you can opt for AP Statistics even if you are not good with numbers. But it would be best if you were well-versed in solving a problem through long tables.
3. AP Macroeconomics
| Advanced Placement | Pass Grade | Perfect Score |
| AP Macroeconomics | 60% | 16.4% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
AP Macroeconomics is one of the two finance-related AP subjects the College Board gives. AP Microeconomics focuses on economics on a global scale. Therefore, the syllabus can be exhaustive for students with no preconceived notions about finance.
Topics such as banking, financial markets, inflation, etc., can be overwhelming for students.
4. AP Microeconomics
| Advanced Placement | Pass Grade | Perfect Score |
| AP Microeconomics | 66% | 17.7% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
Unlike AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics requires a preconceived knowledge of Calculus BC. Apart from that, AP Microeconomics deals with finance on the grassroots level with topics such as supply and demand, factor markets, perfect competition model, etc.
Therefore, it should be an informed decision if you want to enroll in AP Microeconomics.
5. AP Computer Science A
| Advanced Placement | Pass Grade | Perfect Score |
| AP Computer Science A | 65.1% | 23.9% |
| Average AP | 64.2% | 16.8% |
AP Computer Science A is one of the subjects that students opt for if they are interested in taking STEM in college. This fact shows that AP Computer Science A is a subject that no one and everyone can take up.
The 10 units of AP Computer Science A focus on the four basic concepts of computing: molecularity, variables, control, and the impact of computing.
FAQs
What AP has the lowest pass rate?
AP Physics 1 has the lowest pass rate, with less than 50% passing the AP exam.
Is AP Psychology hard?
AP Psychology has a medium-level difficulty level since it is meant to teach students’ psyche through complex theories.
What is the least taken AP class?
Every language AP subject is taken by a small group of bilingual students interested in learning a new language.
Read our Advanced Placement blogs to know more:
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Conclusion: Hardest AP Subjects
Frankly, AP Subjects, whether the hardest, easiest AP classes, or most popular ones, are pretty subjective. Therefore, you should make an informed decision when selecting one as an AP student.
Even though I have curated a lengthy list of the hardest AP subjects, you can still score the perfect grade if you are committed enough. Yes, scoring well in AP exams helps in getting college credits.
Therefore, dear students, don’t fret. Develop the habits of successful AP students, and you will be sorted.