Ms. Brtva

When asked to rate their AP course on how well it prepared them for college, students worldwide gave all of their AP subjects high marks, but highest rated of all was AP Calculus. AP Calculus students believe — without yet actually having attended college, to be clear — that the course provided them with unparalleled preparation for the type of coursework they expect to encounter on college campuses. Other AP subjects with the very highest student ratings in response to the prompt “This course prepared me for college” were AP English Literature, AP Research, AP Seminar, AP Spanish Literature, and AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism.

The 2026 AP Calculus AB Exam scores: 5: 20%; 4: 28%; 3: 17%; 2: 24%; 1: 11% The 2026 AP Calculus AB Exam was taken by ~292,000 students, roughly 2% of the U.S. high school population. AP Calculus AB Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ): Students earning scores of 3 or higher scored very well on questions related to Unit 1: Limits and Continuity. Students achieving an AP 5 typically answered 100% of these questions right, whereas to earn a 4, students typically missed no more than 1 point, and to earn a 3, students typically missed no more than 2 points. The two most difficult MCQs measured aspects of Unit 6: Integration and Accumulation of Change, and were typically only earned by students achieving AP 5s. Students receiving AP 2s were generally unable to earn many points on questions related to this unit, so this unit is very much a differentiator between students earning scores of 3+, who were able to succeed on a variety of these questions, and students earning scores of 1 and 2, who could not. AP Calculus AB Free-Response Questions (FRQ): Each AP exam has multiple versions, for different time zones. I'll focus the commentary below on the version taken by most students: apcentral.collegeboard.org/m… Since AP scores are reported on a 5-point scale, the free-response questions deliberately include some very difficult points to differentiate AP 5s from AP 4s, points of varying difficulty to differentiate AP 4s, 3s, and 2s, and more foundational points to separate AP 2s from AP 1s. FRQ #1, the Modeling Rates of Change question, required students to estimate a rate of change, construct a midpoint Riemann sum, interpret the meaning of a definite integral in context, set up and evaluate a definite integral for accumulation, and apply the Intermediate Value Theorem. The question spans nine points, creating a broad range of difficulty: • The two points in Part C, which required students to provide a definite integral for accumulation and evaluate it using the calculator, were earned by 80% and 72% of students respectively, meaning that most students who understood the fundamentals of integration could set up and execute these computations. Accordingly, these points differentiated between students receiving AP scores of 2, who were generally able to earn these points, and students receiving AP scores of 1, who were not. • Comprised of points that were aspirational for most students, Part D was exceptionally difficult, and so provided opportunities for the most advanced students to demonstrate exceptionally strong knowledge and skills. FRQ #2, the Area and Volume question, presented two functions f and g bounding regions and asked students to calculate areas of regions using definite integrals, set up an integral for the volume of a solid with rectangular cross sections, and set up an integral for the volume of a solid generated by revolving a region about the y-axis. Other than the first point within Part C (presenting an integrand of a certain form in a definite integral for the area of a region), which some students receiving an AP 2 were able to earn, this FRQ, like most AP Calculus FRQs, focuses on differentiating performance among AP 3s, 4s, and 5s, who were each typically able to earn a variety of points across this FRQ, with AP 5s typically earning all points possible. FRQ #3, the Modeling with Differential Equations question, was the most difficult FRQ on this year's exam, laser focused on differentiating between scores of 4 and 5, with students achieving AP 5s able to earn significantly more points on this question than other students. The question asked students to explain why a given slope field could not represent the given differential equation, find the slope of a tangent line, determine whether a tangent line approximation is an overestimate or an underestimate, and solve the differential equation using separation of variables. FRQ #4, the Graphical Analysis question, presented students with the graph of f′ (the derivative) for a twice-differentiable function f and asked them to use the graph to evaluate a related derivative, identify points of inflection of the graph of f, determine where the function f is increasing and concave down, and determine the locations of absolute extrema of the function f. While students receiving AP 1s were unable to engage with the difficulty of this FRQ, the question provided multiple opportunities for students receiving AP scores of 2, 3, 4, and 5 to distinguish themselves — a question that differentiates performance very well across this spectrum. For example: • Students achieving an AP 3 were typically able to set up and answer Part A correctly, answer Part C, and earn other points throughout this FRQ, while students receiving an AP 2 were not. • Students achieving an AP 4 or an AP 5 were generally able to earn some of the points available in the more difficult Part D, whereas students earning an AP 3 typically did not. FRQ #5, the Particle Motion question, provided students with analytical and graphical representations of the velocity of a toy car moving along a straight path. Students overall scored higher on this FRQ than any other on this exam. Part A (finding acceleration as the derivative of the given velocity function) included a basic entry point that differentiated between students receiving AP 2s, who could typically earn this point, and students receiving AP 1s, who could not. Students achieving AP 3s, 4s, and 5s generally earned the majority of points possible across this FRQ. Part D served as the key differentiator between students earning AP 4s and 5s, who were usually able to earn points in this part, and students earning AP 3s, who were often less able to succeed on Part D. FRQ #6, the Analysis of Functions question, presented students with a table of values for a twice-differentiable function f and its derivative. Without a graphing calculator, students had to evaluate a limit, apply the chain rule to find a related derivative, solve an initial value problem, find the derivative of a function defined by an integral, and apply the product rule to find a derivative. From a psychometric perspective, this question may be the best on the exam, as the available points very neatly differentiate performance levels across the spectrum of students receiving AP 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s. (Students receiving AP 1s typically earned no points on this question, which was beyond their ability level.) • The points available in Part B and one of the points available in Part D were all points that students earning an AP 3 could consistently earn, whereas students receiving an AP 2 had more mixed performance here. • Students receiving AP 5s generally earned all points in Part C, something students earning other scores could not usually achieve. All subjects' AP score distributions for 2026 will be posted here when available: apstudents.org/score-distrib…

Keep in mind: some AP Exam questions are designed to assess whether you can apply a key concept/skill to a new situation. So don’t panic if your first reaction is, “My teacher didn’t cover this.” Take a breath, re-read the question, and seek to apply what you know & can do.

Remember: AP Exams are worth preparing for, but not worth stressing over. The worst that can happen if you don’t do well is that you simply take the class again in college – no big deal. So prepare and then relax. You’ve got this.