AP Lang Practice Test

Answer Some Sample Questions with Our AP Lang Practice Test
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This is just a sample quiz. Take our full-length AP English Language practice test by clicking here.

Full-Length AP English Language Practice Test

Take our AP lang practice test. You can take our full-length exam (simulated like the actual exam) or just answer smaller batches of questions (if you are in a hurry).

What is the AP Language Exam?

The AP language exam (AP English Language) is an exam that you take to earn college credit. You will have the opportunity to take this exam after completing your AP English Language course.

Most students take AP English Language and Composition in their junior or senior year of high school. You do not have to take this AP exam, but it is highly recommended that you take it and try to earn college credit.

If you score a 3 or better on the exam, you will earn college credit.

AP English Language Exam Breakdown

The AP English Language exam is split into 2 sections. The table below breaks down how the exam is split up:

 Answer TypeScore %Time GivenQuestions
Section 1Multiple-choice45%1 hr45
Section 2Free-response55%2 hr 15 min3

Source

AP English Language Description

There are eight skills that your teacher will cover with you throughout your AP course:

  • Skill One: Rhetorical Situation, Reading: Reflect on a rhetorical passage and explain how a writer’s choice made an impact on it (11-14%)
  • Skill Two: Rhetorical Situation, Writing: Make strategic choices when writing a text to discuss a rhetorical situation (11-14%)
  • Skill Three: Claims and Evidence, Reading: Find, analyze, and describe the claims and evidence in argumentative text (13-16%)
  • Skill Four: Claims and Evidence, Writing: Analyze evidence and select the best pieces to develop and support a claim (11-14%)
  • Skill Five: Reasoning and Organization, Reading: Describe the reasoning, development, and organization of an argument (11-14%)
  • Skill Six: Reasoning and Organization, Writing: Be able to use organization in a commentary to highlight the reasoning of an argument (11-14%)
  • Skill Seven: Style, Reading: When analyzing an argument, understand how a writer’s stylist choices affect the tone of the argument (11-14%)
  • Skill Eight: Style, Writing: With careful word choice, use elements of composition to support and advance your argument (11-14%)

As you can see, this test will not only force you to know your writing skills but also your reading skills. The thinking behind having you utilize reading skills is to help you understand the mind of a writer by reading many diverse forms of writing throughout the AP English test.

One of the best ways to learn how to become a better writer is to be a good reader. By reading different forms and styles of writing, you learn the grammatical techniques associated with each and how to emulate the types of writing based on your word choice and sentence structure.

How to Use an AP Lang Practice Test

When using practice exams to study, we suggest keeping the following in mind:

  1. Set Aside Time: Make sure to set aside enough time to take the full-length AP Lang practice test. You will need about 3 hours and 15 minutes to take the full exam.
  2. Simulate Your Testing Environment: Make sure you are in a quiet room. Do not use any external resources to help you during the practice exam.
  3. Review Explanations: After you complete your exam, review the answer explanations. These will help you better understand complex concepts.
  4. Utilize Our Practice Sets: Use our practice sets to answer small batches of questions. These are perfect if you want to practice in an untimed environment and want to practice smaller sets of questions.

How Do I Study for the AP English Language Exam?

When studying for this exam, you can use some of these tips to help you study and succeed:

  1. Get a Baseline: Take a full-length practice exam to get a baseline. See where you stand. Once you figure this out, you can formulate a plan.
  2. Determine Problem Areas: You will need to determine your problem areas. Taking a baseline exam in step #1 will help you do this. You may find that you really struggle with the free response questions. Finding where you struggle will help you study more efficiently.
  3. Fix Problem Areas: After narrowing down where you struggle, work on fixing those areas. Some good ways to do this are seeking help from your teacher or a friend. You could also take another practice exam or purchase external prep materials.
  4. Give Yourself Time: Nothing good ever happens when you try to cram for an exam. One of the best things you can do when studying for the AP Lang exam is to give yourself enough time to study.

Frequently Asked Questions

The AP lang exam has a pass rate of 62.1% (scoring a 3 or higher), which is fairly average for most AP tests. If you put in the time and prepare for this exam, you will have a good chance of passing and earning college credit.

There are two total sections on this exam:

  1. Section 1: 45 Multiple-Choice Questions. 60 Minutes.
  2. Section 2: 3 Free Response Questions. 2 Hours and 15 Minutes.

To get a 5 on any of the AP exams, it is recommended to get 70-75% of all the questions answered correctly. For a 5 on the AP lang exam, you will need to answer a minimum of 32 questions correctly. Around 12.6% of all test-takers scored a 5 in 2023.

No, you do not have to take this exam. This exam is optional and only for students who wish to earn college credit for taking the course.

With that being said, some high schools require their students to take the AP exams, so it could depend on your specific high school.

Dave Evangelisti
Dave is our founder and CEO. He has 20+ years of experience in the testing and test prep industry.