AP Exam Schedule 2027: Dates, Timing, and How to Plan Around Them

16 September, 2026 | Abhishek Malani | 14 Min Read
Introduction
Knowing your exact AP exam schedule 2027 is the first real step in building a study timeline that actually works, everything from when to start review to when to schedule your last practice test depends on it. The College Board has now published the full subject-by-subject 2027 calendar, so whether you’re confirming advanced placement test dates for next spring or still working through the ap exam schedule 2026 this year, this guide covers the confirmed testing windows, the complete day-by-day exam grid, and how to build your prep timeline around your specific exam dates.
AP Exam Schedule and dates

Table of Contents

AP Exam Schedule 2027: The Full Subject-by-Subject Grid

The College Board has confirmed the complete advanced placement testing schedule for 2027, including the exact date and session for every subject. The two testing weeks run May 3-7 and May 10-14, 2027, and for 2027 the College Board has renamed the two daily timeslots Session 1 and Session 2, replacing the older “morning/afternoon” labels, since start times now vary more by location than they used to.
Week 1: May 3-7, 2027
Date Session 1 Session 2
Mon, May 3
Human Geography; Physics C: Mechanics
Biology; Italian Language and Culture
Tue, May 4
Business with Personal Finance; US Government and Politics
European History; Microeconomics
Wed, May 5
Cybersecurity; English Literature and Composition
Physics 1: Algebra-Based; Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
Thu, May 6
French Language and Culture; Physics 2: Algebra-Based; World History: Modern
African American Studies; Chemistry
Fri, May 7
German Language and Culture; United States History
Macroeconomics; Networking (2026–27 pilot schools only)
Week 2: May 10–14, 2027
Date Session 1 Session 2
Mon, May 10
Calculus AB; Calculus BC
Music Theory; Seminar
Tue, May 11
Japanese Language and Culture; Precalculus
Statistics
Wed, May 12
English Language and Composition
Art History; Computer Science A
Thu, May 13
Spanish Language and Culture
Chinese Language and Culture; Environmental Science
Fri, May 14
Comparative Government and Politics; Computer Science Principles; Spanish Literature and Culture
Latin; Psychology
A few things worth noting about this year’s grid specifically:
  • Three subjects are new to the schedule. AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity both debut as full national exams (Tuesday, May 4 and Wednesday, May 5, both Session 1), while AP Networking appears as a pilot exam limited to 2026–27 pilot schools only (Friday, May 7, Session 2).
  • AP Research doesn’t appear on the written exam grid at all, since it’s assessed entirely through a submitted academic paper, presentation, and oral defense rather than a timed sit-down exam.
  • Session 1 typically starts at 8 a.m. local time and Session 2 at 12 p.m. local time for schools in the lower 48 US states, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C. Other locations, including Alaska and international test centers, may run on adjusted start times this cycle (more on this below), so confirm your exact session time with your AP coordinator if you’re outside that core group.
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AP Exam Schedule 2026: The Current Cycle

For students currently working through the ap test schedule 2026, the confirmed dates are:
Detail 2026 Information
Week 1
Monday, May 4 – Friday, May 8, 2026
Week 2
Monday, May 11 – Friday, May 15, 2026
Late-testing window
Monday, May 18 – Friday, May 22, 2026
Morning session start
Between 8 and 9 a.m. local time
Afternoon session start
Between 12 and 1 p.m. local time
Every subject has one fixed date and session, the same nationwide and, for most subjects, internationally as well. Your school’s AP coordinator confirms the exact local start time and testing room, typically two to three weeks before exams begin.

How the Two-Week AP Testing Window Works

Both the 2026 and 2027 AP schedule follow the same familiar structure the College Board has used for years:
  • Two testing weeks in May, each Monday through Friday, with specific subjects assigned to specific dates and sessions
  • Two daily sessions per day, so a student can take at most one exam per session, two per day if both a Session 1 and Session 2 exam fall on the same date
  • Fixed subject-date assignments, meaning AP Biology, for example, is given at the same time in every participating school on a given cycle, which is why the official 2027 grid above could be published well in advance
  • Consistent structure year to year, though exact calendar dates shift slightly since May’s weekdays fall differently each year, and 2027 introduces the Session 1/Session 2 relabeling alongside location-specific start time adjustments
Because the same subject is tested at the same time everywhere, if two of your exams land in the same session, you don’t have to choose between them; your AP coordinator automatically arranges for one to be taken during the late-testing period instead.

Late Testing Dates

If illness, a scheduling conflict, or an approved accommodation prevents you from testing during the main window, a late-testing period is available the following week:
  • 2026 late testing: May 18-22, 2026
  • 2027 late testing: May 17-21, 2027 (now confirmed, following the same one-week-after pattern as previous cycles)
Late testing isn’t self-selected; your school must approve a valid reason and arrange it through your AP coordinator. Late exams use alternate test forms to protect exam security, but the difficulty level, scoring standards, and college credit value remain identical to the regular administration.

AP Digital Portfolio Deadlines

Several AP courses aren’t assessed through a traditional written exam and instead require digital portfolio or performance task submissions, with their own separate deadlines that fall before the main testing window. The College Board has now confirmed exact 2027 dates for all of these:
Subject Deadline
AP Computer Science Principles (Create performance task)
April 30, 2027 (11:59 p.m. ET)
AP Seminar and AP Research (performance tasks)
April 30, 2027 (11:59 p.m. ET)
AP World Languages and Cultures (Personalized Project Reference, new this cycle)
April 30, 2027 (11:59 p.m. ET)
AP Art and Design (3 portfolio components)
May 7, 2027 (11:59 p.m. ET)
The AP World Languages and Cultures Personalized Project Reference deadline is new for the 2027 cycle, so if you’re enrolled in a world language course affected by this requirement, don’t assume last year’s process still applies without checking. These deadlines are easy to overlook if you’re only tracking written exam dates, so if you’re enrolled in any of these courses, mark both your portfolio deadline and your exam date (if applicable, since AP Research has no separate written exam at all) as two distinct items on your calendar.

Watch Out for These Same-Session Clashes

Because every subject is fixed to one nationwide date and session, a handful of genuine overlaps are worth flagging directly from this year’s grid if you’re taking multiple AP subjects:
  • Wednesday, May 5, Session 2 stacks AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based with AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, a real conflict for any student taking both physics tracks.
  • Monday, May 10, Session 1 places AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC in the same slot, relevant mainly for students in unusual dual-enrollment situations.
  • Friday, May 14 is a genuinely packed day on both ends: Session 1 holds Comparative Government and Politics, Computer Science Principles, and Spanish Literature and Culture together, while Session 2 holds Latin and Psychology, one of the most-taken exams nationally.
If any of these combinations apply to you, talk to your AP coordinator early about late-testing arrangements rather than waiting until the week of the exam.

A Quick Look Back: The 2025 Pattern

The advanced placement exam schedule 2025 followed the same familiar two-week May format, administered across its own Monday-through-Friday windows with morning and afternoon sessions, confirming that this overall structure is a stable, predictable pattern the College Board has maintained across recent cycles, even as terminology (like the new Session 1/Session 2 labels) and start times shift slightly year to year. Looking at how past years’ schedules were structured is a useful way to anticipate roughly where your own exam dates will likely fall in future cycles, even before an exact subject-by-subject calendar is officially published.

Building a Study Timeline Around Your Exam Date

Once you know your exact AP exam dates from the grid above, work backward to build a realistic prep schedule:
Timeframe Before Your Exam Focus
8-10 weeks out
Diagnostic practice test; identify weak content areas
6-8 weeks out
Targeted content review focused on those weak areas
4-6 weeks out
Regular timed practice, both multiple-choice and free-response
2-4 weeks out
Full-length timed practice exams under real conditions
Final week
Light review only, focused on confidence and pacing
If you’re taking multiple AP exams across the two-week window, map out your full personal schedule early using the official grid above, since exams spread across both weeks require balancing review time across several subjects simultaneously, not just cramming for whichever exam comes first. Pay particular attention if any of your subjects fall into the same-session clashes noted earlier, since those need a late-testing conversation with your coordinator well before the main window begins.

How Quest for Success Can Help

Knowing your AP test dates is only useful if it’s paired with a realistic study plan built around them. At Quest for Success, we help students map out their full AP exam schedule using the now-confirmed 2027 grid, flag any same-session clashes early, and build a structured, subject-by-subject prep timeline that accounts for every exam and portfolio deadline on their calendar, not just the one that feels most urgent right now.

Summary

The full AP exam schedule 2027 is now confirmed subject by subject: two testing weeks, May 3-7 and May 10-14, 2027, with the College Board introducing new Session 1/Session 2 terminology and adjusted start times for some locations outside the lower 48 US states, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C. Three subjects are new to this cycle’s grid, AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity as full national exams, and AP Networking as a limited pilot. Late testing is confirmed for May 17-21, 2027, and Digital Portfolio deadlines fall on April 30, 2027 for AP Seminar, AP Research, AP Computer Science Principles, and the newly added AP World Languages and Cultures Personalized Project Reference, with AP Art and Design’s portfolio due May 7, 2027. The current AP exam schedule 2026 runs May 4-8 and May 11-15, 2026, with late testing available May 18-22, matching the same stable two-week structure seen in the advanced placement exam schedule 2025 and previous years. A handful of same-session clashes, notably the two physics exams on May 5 and a packed Friday, May 14, are worth flagging early with your AP coordinator if they apply to you. Once your exact schedule is confirmed, working backward from each exam date with a structured 8-10 week study timeline remains the most reliable way to walk into test day prepared.

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FAQs

The main testing window runs May 3-7 and May 10-14, 2027. The full subject-by-subject grid has now been published by the College Board, with late testing confirmed for May 17-21, 2027.
May 4-8 and May 11-15, 2026, with a late-testing window available May 18-22, 2026, for students with an approved conflict.
Three subjects join the grid: AP Business with Personal Finance (May 4, Session 1) and AP Cybersecurity (May 5, Session 1) as full national exams, and AP Networking (May 7, Session 2) as a pilot limited to 2026-27 pilot schools. The College Board has also renamed exam timeslots to Session 1 and Session 2.
Two testing weeks in May, each with two daily sessions, with each subject assigned a fixed date and session nationwide. For 2027, Session 1 and Session 2 replace the older morning/afternoon labels.
Your AP coordinator automatically arranges for one exam to be moved to the late-testing period, you won’t have to choose between them yourself. On the 2027 grid, Physics 1 and Physics C: E&M on May 5 are one notable example.
No. These, along with AP Computer Science Principles and, new for 2027, AP World Languages and Cultures, have separate Digital Portfolio deadlines, mostly April 30, 2027, with AP Art and Design due May 7, 2027, all falling before the main written exam window. AP Research has no separate written exam at all.
The full 2027 grid is published above and on the College Board’s official AP Students site. Your school’s AP coordinator will still confirm your exact local session time and testing room closer to the exam.
Want help building a study timeline around your specific AP exam dates? Reach out to Quest for Success; we’re here to help you plan your prep from now through test day.
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