Online AP exams are excluding some content. Here’s the material you don’t need to worry about.

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Today, the College Board announced that the 2020 AP exams will be administered online and students will be able to take the test from home. This is great news for students concerned about their opportunity to demonstrate their skills and earn college credit.

The College Board indicated that due to school closures, 2020 AP exams will only cover content covered by "most" classes in early March.

This is a massive relief for students. But there's also confusion since every teacher moves at a different pace. You’re likely wondering, What do I actually need to know for my AP tests?

We’ve researched what’s excluded on the most popular AP tests. Take a look below to see what material you won’t have to worry about:

 

AP Calculus AB (Unit 8 excluded)

Unit 8: Applications of Integration

 

AP Calculus BC (Unit 9 excluded, Unit 10 partially excluded)

Unit 9: Parametric Equations, Polar Coordinates, And Vector-Valued Functions

Unit 10: Infinite Sequences and Series

  • Included: Working with Geometric Series; Harmonic Series and p-Series; Alternating Series for Convergence; Ratio Test for Convergence; Finding Taylor Polynomial Approximations of Functions
  • Excluded: Integral, Comparison and Alternating Series Tests for Convergence; Absolute vs. Conditional Convergence; Alternating Series Error Bound; Lagrange Error Bound; Radius and Interval of Convergence; Finding Taylor and Maclaurin Series for a Function; Representing Functions as a Power Series

 

AP Physics 1 (Units 8–10 excluded)

Unit 8: Electric Charge and Electric Force

Unit 9: DC Circuits

Unit 10: Mechanical Waves and Sound

 

AP Physics 2  (Units 6–7 excluded)

Unit 6: Geometric and Physical Optics

Unit 7: Quantum, Atomic, and Nuclear Physics

 

AP Physics C: Mechanics (Units 6–7 excluded)

Unit 6: Oscillation

Unit 7: Gravitation

 

AP Biology (Units 7–8 excluded)

Unit 7: Natural Selection

Unit 8: Ecology

 

AP Chemistry (Units 8–9 excluded)

Unit 8: Acids and Bases

Unit 9: Applications of Thermodynamics

 

AP English Language and Composition  (Units 8–9 excluded)

Unit 7. Style: Reading — Explain how writers’ stylistic choices contribute to the purpose of an argument.

Unit 8. Style: Writing — Select words and use elements of composition to advance an argument.

 

AP English Literature and Composition (Units 8–9 excluded)

Unit 8: Poetry III — Analyze structural contrasts and ambiguities of poetic language to develop sophisticated arguments.

Unit 9: Longer Fiction or Drama III — Analyze the interwoven relationships/patterns among literary elements to develop sophisticated arguments.

 

AP European History (Units 8–9 excluded)

Unit 8: 20th-Century Global Conflicts

Unit 9: Cold War and Contemporary Europe

 

AP U.S. History (Units 8–9 excluded)

Unit 8: Period 8: 1945–1980

Unit 9: Period 9: 1980–Present

 

Multiple-Choice Questions (excluded) updated 3/22/20

The College Board tweeted today that it will cut all multiple-choice questions for every AP exam this year. So no need to study multiple-choice strategies!

 

Need more individualized advice?

The exclusions listed above are for some of the most popular AP tests. If you have specific questions or want a personalized plan, reach out to our experts here. We’re happy to help in any way we can.

 

ArborBridge is hard at work tracking the latest developments. We’ll be updating this post as new information, test dates, and cancellations are announced.

 

About ArborBridge

ArborBridge is the global leader in innovative, digital, one-on-one tutoring. With nearly a decade of experience teaching students online, ArborBridge supports students of all kinds: home schoolers, AP students, test preppers, and more. Our tutors specialize in creating personalized plans and in providing compassionate support for students and families.

Megan Stubbendeck

About Megan Stubbendeck

Dr. Megan Stubbendeck is an eight-year veteran of the test prep industry with ten years of teaching experience. She earned her PhD in History from the University of Virginia, where she taught for three years in the History Department. She has been part of the test prep industry since 2007 and has earned perfect scores on the SAT, ACT, GRE, and multiple AP exams. As the CEO of ArborBridge, Megan oversees all aspects of ArborBridge operations and helped to create our innovative curriculum.

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