Can you retake an AP exam?
Yes. AP Exams are given once a year, so you can retake one the following May, and you can repeat an exam in any later year. Both scores appear on your score report unless you ask College Board to withhold or cancel one. Canceling permanently deletes the score, and the exam fee is not refunded.
In more detail
To retake, talk to your AP coordinator or counselor in the fall, because the school orders the exams. If you are no longer in the class, ask whether the school can host you. You pay the exam fee again: $99 at schools in the US, US territories, Canada and DoWEA schools and $129 elsewhere for the 2026-27 school year, with a $40 fee per exam for late orders.
A retake does not replace the old score. Your score report includes your whole score history, and it goes to the college or scholarship program you designate unless you withhold or cancel a score. Canceling is free, and the canceled exam does not appear on reports sent to colleges. It is permanent: a canceled score cannot be reinstated, and archived scores cannot be canceled.
To keep a score from going to the college you named for your free score report, College Board must receive the cancellation form by June 15 of the year you took the exam. Colleges set their own policies on AP credit and on multiple scores, so check the AP credit page of each college you are applying to before you decide what to retake.
Step by step
- 1
Check the AP credit policy of the colleges you are applying to and the score each one wants.
- 2
Tell your AP coordinator in the fall that you want to retake, so the school orders your exam.
- 3
Read your last score report and the free-response scoring guidelines to find which units cost you points.
- 4
Rebuild those units with active recall, then take full timed practice exams and grade your free responses against the rubric.
- 5
When the new score arrives in July, decide whether to withhold or cancel the older one, knowing cancellation cannot be undone.
How StudyPDF helps
Upload your class notes, textbook chapters and old practice exams, and StudyPDF builds flashcards, quizzes and a timed practice exam from them. Per-concept results show which units still cost you points, so the next quiz goes after them. The free plan covers about 4 materials a week, no card. It does not include official College Board questions.
See also
More questions
How many times can you take an AP exam?
College Board's retake FAQ says you may repeat an exam in a subsequent year and mentions no cap. AP Exams are held once a year, in May.
Does retaking an AP exam replace your old score?
No. Both scores are reported unless you ask College Board to withhold or cancel one, and canceling cannot be undone.
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