[2023] Is AP English Literature Hard or Easy? Difficulty Rated 'Very Hard' (Real Student Reviews + Pass Data) (2023)

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[2023] Is AP English Literature Hard or Easy? Difficulty Rated 'Very Hard' (Real Student Reviews + Pass Data)? ›

In 2021, the AP® English Literature exam had a passing rate of 43.9% and a mean score of 2.47. Both of these statistics showed that, in 2021, the AP® English Literature exam was harder than the average AP® exam for students to pass.

In 2021, the AP® English Literature exam had a passing rate of 43.9% and a mean score of 2.47. Both of these statistics showed that, in 2021, the AP® English Literature exam was harder than the average AP® exam for students to pass.

The AP English tests are equally difficult, but for AP lit, you have to read many books and do deep learning for all of them. Therefore, it requires more time and patience. On the other hand, while AP lang needs less reading, the writing part is equal for both.

Data from the 2018 AP® Exams showed that both exams ranked in the top 10 hardest exams of the 38 total AP^® exams. AP^® English Language showed just 57.2% of students who took the class attained a “passing” score of 3 or higher. Whereas, the AP^® English Literature Exam had just 47.3% of students attain a 3 or higher.

At many high schools, AP Physics is notorious for its difficulty level. In addition, it has the lowest overall pass rate of any AP exam.

AP English Literature is considered very hard, with class alumnae rating it 7.5/10 for overall difficulty, making it the 2nd-most-difficult out of the 28 large AP classes surveyed.

Is AP English Language and Composition worth it? Depending on your personal and future goals, AP English Language and Composition, or any AP course, can be worth it. If your goal is to earn college credit while in high school, AP courses allow you to do so while receiving the support of a high school teacher.

Is AP English Language Easy Or Hard? AP English Language and Composition is considered moderate difficulty, with class alumnae rating it 5.2/10 for overall difficulty (the 16th-most-difficult out of the 28 large AP classes surveyed). The pass rate is lower than other AP classes, with 56% graduating with a 3 or higher.

For AP Language, you will also do lots of writing, learning to maximize your argument and/or effectiveness across different forms, from persuasive essays to memoir writing.

What is the easiest AP in high school? ›

Calculus BC

AP Calculus BC has earned a reputation as an easy AP course because many of its students master the material. Most AP Calculus BC students perform at an advanced level — at least one year ahead of their high school class in math — helping them achieve a high pass rate.

The class will help improve your critical thinking and reading skills, which are necessary to do well in college. Also, colleges evaluate students on the level of difficulty of individual high school courses, meaning your transcript will be stronger, and you will be more likely to be accepted by your college of choice.

Okay, Seriously, Which AP Classes Are the Hardest? United States History, Biology, English Literature, Calculus BC, Physics C, and Chemistry are often named as the hardest AP classes and tests. These classes have large curriculums, tough tests, and conceptually difficult material.

AP Lit is typically taken Senior year of high school. In AP Lit, you are expected to read more. You read more novels and plays.

All AP exams have a passing rate of at least 50%.

Physics 1

This class combines physics, scientific inquiry, and algebra. AP Physics 1 is considered one of the hardest AP classes, covering topics like Newtonian mechanics and electrical charge and force. Students also spend about 25% of their class time performing college-level lab experiments and writing reports.

(AP tests are scored between 1 and 5, with anything 3 and higher considered passing.) Most AP tests have a pass rate of around 60% or higher.

One of the Hardest AP classes, AP English literature, and composition, is a 3 hours exam. It consists of 55 multiple-choice questions and 3 response questions. The passing Rate of English literature is only 60.1%. It requires you to read a difficult text and explain it by writing an essay.

Is the AP Lit exam curved? ›

Why are AP English Literature scores curved? To maintain consistent standards, every year the College Board curves its exams. This includes AP® English Literature.

Colleges like them both. Both honors and AP courses are rigorous courses that most high schools weight more heavily on your transcript. AP courses, however, culminate in the AP Exam. Good AP scores show colleges you are ready to succeed at college-level work and can even earn you college credits.

What happens if you fail an AP exam? If you fail an AP exam, you will not receive college credit for that course. The good news is that a failed exam does not affect your GPA. In addition, you can retake the AP exam the next year.

Most students who take AP English don't go on to major in English. However, reading and writing well are skills you will use in nearly all college courses, not to mention organizational skills and time management. Students who take AP courses tend to perform better in college regardless of their major.

AP classes, however, are more challenging than honors classes. These courses cover information, teach skills and give assignments that correspond to college classes. High school students taking AP courses will be held to the same standard as college students.

AP English Language and Composition is recommended for 11th and 12th grade students. This course fulfills 11th grade requirements.

You will learn to read deliberately and thoroughly, taking time to understand a work's complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to analyze how that meaning is embodied in literary form.

English Literature: Homework will average 3-5 hours per week and will consist of reading, writing and completing class projects. You will be challenged to extend your critical thinking skills through reading, discussing, analyzing and writing about complex works of literary merit.

While most students will agree that this class may not be a walk in the park, it was generally pretty enjoyable, and overall, worth the amount of work that students put into it. If you go ahead and take the course, here are some guides with tips to succeed!

What is the least common AP class? ›

Take as many as you can handle without spreading yourself thin, and make sure you will have time to study for the ACT or SAT this year. An Ivy League hopeful might take 3 to 5 AP classes, while if you're aiming for less-selective schools, 2 to 4 would be enough.

AP psychology stands out as the easiest AP course for self-study. If you have access to the course material and know how to write the essay, you should find it easier to navigate.

When it comes to AP^® English Literature and Composition, you'll want to aim for a score of 3 or higher. Most colleges will give you college credit if you score within that range. It varies from college to college though.

Cons of Taking AP Tests

It can be time-consuming and overwhelming if you already have an intense high school workload. Each AP test costs about $92, which can add up quickly if you take more than one test.

While it won't give you any more college credit or show up on your score report, a perfect score on an AP exam—that's full credit for all exam portions—is an impressive accomplishment. Only a very small number of students get perfect scores each year.

Usually, a 70 to 75 percent out of 100 translates to a 5. However, there are some exams that are exceptions to this rule of thumb. The AP Grades that are reported to students, high schools, colleges, and universities in July are on AP's five-point scale: 5: Extremely well qualified.

Do colleges look at senior year AP? ›

Remember that if you take an AP Exam in your senior year and designate a college to receive your scores, that college will receive your entire score report from all AP Exams you've taken throughout high school unless you have requested score(s) to be withheld or canceled.

Aim for four to eight AP exams in your junior and senior years. For competitive Ivy League schools, admission officers also want to see AP courses for core subject areas and additional courses. If possible, aim to pass about seven to 12 AP exams if applying to these highly selective schools.

Be cautious of overloading your schedule: Harvard would rather see a high GPA with 4 AP courses each year than a low GPA and a daunting 8 AP courses. Consider your AP, honors, and regular options carefully each semester based upon your own self-knowledge, schedule flexibility, and course offerings.

Each essay, then, is worth about 18% of your grade.

You don't have to get every point possible to get a 5 by any means. In 2022, 16.9% of students received 5s on the AP English Literature test, the 14th highest 5 score out of the 38 different AP exams.

Thus, if you took the raw average of these seven years, the average AP® English Language score is 2.82.

AP Physics 1 is the hardest AP class with the least passing rate of 51.6. It means almost half of the students fail this exam. It's 3 hours exam consist of 50 MCQs and 5 free-response questions.

How do I get better at AP Lit? ›

For the most recent exam cycle in 2022, the AP® English Language exam had a passing rate of 55.7% and a mean score of 2.83 (source).